The invented reality

The invented reality (subtitle: How do we know what we think we know? Contributions to constructivism ) is a non-fiction book published by the Austrian psychologist Paul Watzlawick in 1981.

The radical constructivism mentioned in the subtitle is roughly speaking of the view that every reality is the construction of those who think they discover that reality, being unaware of the act of invention.

content

The book is about the question of reality and how we “construct” it. On this issue, nine well-known scientists from fields as diverse as psychiatry, philosophy, mathematics and neurophysiology ask how we know what we know. They describe the role of self-fulfilling prophecies and idealistic assumptions in creating reality.

introduction

Ernst von Glasersfeld : Introduction to Radical Constructivism
Heinz von Foerster : Constructing a reality

Effect or cause?

Rupert Riedl : The Consequences of Cause Thinking
Paul Watzlawick: Self-fulfilling Prophecies
David L. Rosenhan : Healthy in a sick environment
Rolf Breuer : References in the literature

The imperfect perfection

Jon Elster : Active and Passive Negation
Paul Watzlawick: Building Blocks of Ideological "Realities"

The fly and the fly glass

Gabriel Stolzenberg : Can examining the fundamentals of mathematics tell us something about thinking?
Francisco Varela : The creative circle

Foreign language editions

In addition to the many editions that have appeared in German so far, the book was translated into several foreign languages in the following years:

Paul Watzlawick (Ed.), The Invented Reality (New York & London: Norton, 1984)
Paul Watzlawick (Ed.), La realtà inventata (Milan: Feltrinelli, 1988)
Paul Watzlawick (Ed.), L'invention de la réalité (Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1988)
Paul Watzlawick (Ed.), La Realidad inventada (Barcelona: Gedisa, 1989)

reception

The articles contained here have found their way into various areas of scientific literature, e.g. B. in Frederick Kanfer's work Self- Management Therapy (1991), Heiko Kleve's book Constructivism and Social Work (1996), Wolfgang Einsiedler's Handbook of Elementary School Pedagogy and Elementary School Didactics (2001) or also in Jürg Willis' book Turning Points in the Life Course (2007), whereby it relates to the Application of these theories in pedagogy also gives critical voices. Christine Kaufmann counted the anthology among the fundamental works for her constitutional law seminar (2009) at the University of Zurich.

In December 2007, the Hessischer Rundfunk broadcast a report on the topic of self-fulfilling prophecy in its series Wissenswert , in which Watzlawick's book was quoted several times.

The foundations of constructivism presented in this work are not equally well anchored in all disciplines. Bernhard Pörksen, in turn, comments on Watzlawick's contribution to constructivism in a supplementary article to Jan V. Wirth's publication Lexikon des systemischen Arbeitens (2012, with Heiko Kleve) to the effect that "the phase of the great, paradigmatic debates that once electrified the systemic world, ... has long since given way to a pragmatic practical orientation.