The interrelationship between subjectivity and objectivity

The relationship between subjectivity (our internal, personal experience of the world) and objectivity (reality as it is assumed to exist independently of our perception) is a complex and central issue in philosophy and the social sciences, including social psychology.

Far from being entirely separate spheres, the two influence and constitute each other.

Objectivity as an Ideal and Construct

The notion of an "objective reality" completely independent of human perception is an ideal to which science aspires, but which is difficult to fully achieve, especially when it comes to the social and human world.

What we consider "objective" is often mediated by our cultural frameworks, our language, and our tools of observation.

In the social sciences, it is recognized that the researcher, with their own subjectivity, is part of the phenomenon they study, which poses challenges for pure objectivity.

Subjectivity Shaping the Perception of the Objective

Our subjectivity – our beliefs, values, previous experiences, emotional states – acts as a filter through which we perceive and interpret "objective" reality.

Two people can witness the same event and, because of their different subjectivities, interpret and remember it in different ways.

For example, the perception of a social conflict can vary greatly depending on the group identity, previous experiences of discrimination, or political values of the observer. What is an act of justice for one person may be an act of aggression for another.

Social Reality as an Intersubjective Construction

Much of what we consider "reality" in the social realm is, in fact, an intersubjective construction.

This means that it is based on shared meanings, norms, and understandings that emerge from social interaction and are maintained and reproduced by a collective.

Institutions such as money, marriage, or government, for example, have an "objective" reality in the sense that they exist and have real consequences, but their existence and meaning depend on shared agreements and beliefs (intersubjectivity).

If we all stopped believing in the value of money, it