Organic constructionism and living process theory: A unified constructionist epistemology and theory of knowledge

This theoretical work develops a novel unified constructionist approach to human discourse and human knowing augmented by a biosocial and bio-experiential perspective. Organic constructionism represents a strengthened and more encompassing meta-theoretical framework than that offered by existing versions of social constructionism. Current versions of social constructionism are saddled with inherent limitations which prevent constructionism as a meta-theoretical orientation from reaching its full potential. Organic constructionism addresses and resolves these limitations. It reaches beyond the purely social to depict the manner in which integrated biosocial and bio-experiential processes participate in the ongoing production of discourse among people. To flesh out the terms and assertions of organic construction ism, an initial version of living process theory is developed. Living process theory is a general theory of human knowing and human discourse based on the principal tenets of organic constructionist meta-theory. In addition to substantiating organic constructionism, the theory is designed to provide a theoretical foundation for future theory development, to stimulate innovative thinking in psychological research and practice, and to support the viability of the meta-theory by providing a theoretical model of the process through which the terms and assertions of organic constructionism are derived. Living process theory provides a general constructionist account of the actual performing of discourse, not just the results of discourse performance. Discourse is broadly defined to include both overt discourse and an enormously complex array of bio-experiential and biosocial processes from which overt discourse as well as human knowledge surface. Since discourse is built into the very texture of human living, the "discoursing" which humans do is broadly equated with their living. As such, living process theory is also a dynamic model of the actual changing of humans in their ongoing every day living.