Second Nature: Towards an Information-Processing Theory of the Reification of Social Reality

Introduction

Social reality is comprised of numerous social constructs such as institutions, practices, and norms. These constructs are mind-dependent (e.g., paper money is valuable because people believe it is). Research suggests that when people misconstrue social constructs to be mind-independent facts (e.g., viewing inequality as a fact of nature), they are less likely to question their legitimacy.

Importance of Reification

Thus, the attribution of mind-independence to social constructs, or reification, plays a critical role in governing human behavior. Despite the importance of this process, we currently do not have a general scientific theory that explains reification across its varied instantiations (e.g., the reification of nations, economic systems, mental ailments).

Project Aim

In the proposed project, I aim to develop and test a domain-general, information-processing theory of reification.

Pilot Data Insights

My pilot data suggest that there is both between-individual and within-individual gradation in the extent to which constructs are reified. I argue that in both cases, reification may be a consequence of:

1. De-mentalizing (i.e., adopting a mindset and a discourse that does not consider mental states);
2. The mere passage of time and increased experience with the construct;
3. Abstraction of knowledge (in which the process of generating facts omits information concerning the human origins of constructs, giving rise to erroneous inferences of naturalness).

Causal Relationships

These three processes may be causally related (i.e., with increased experience, constructs are abstracted, leading to de-mentalizing); however, they also represent three stand-alone hypotheses which will be assessed across five work packages—using neuroimaging, natural language processing methods, longitudinal big-data analyses, and behavioral paradigms from experimental economics and memory research.

Potential Impact

A better understanding of reification may help us devise interventions to de-reify maladaptive states of affairs, thereby addressing some of society's greatest ills.