Podcast TCCR #003 - Philosophical foundations of the TCCR: Phenomenology, hermeneutics, and social constructionism

This episode delves into the philosophical foundations that support the "Cognosystemic Theory of Human Psychosocial Relational Construction" (TCCR). It is not merely a conceptual overview, but a critical reflection essential to understanding the relational, narrative, and critical perspective this theory brings to Social Work.

The TCCR is built upon three major philosophical currents which, far from being separate approaches, are strategically and complementarily integrated:

Phenomenology: We begin with the thought of Edmund Husserl and his idea that reality is not an objective entity, but a phenomenon revealed to consciousness. Then, through Alfred Schütz, we explore social phenomenology, emphasizing how human experience is shaped by shared meanings. In the TCCR, this foundation allows us to situate subjective experience as the starting point for understanding social reality, reclaiming the voice, lived experience, and meaning each subject assigns to their world.

Hermeneutics: Drawing on Hans-Georg Gadamer, this episode explains how all understanding involves interpretation. The “hermeneutic circle” and the notion of a “historically affected consciousness” are not merely philosophical ideas; they are crucial to recognizing that Social Work can never be neutral or aseptic, as all interpretations of reality are shaped by history, language, and context. The TCCR incorporates hermeneutics as a tool to interpret the complex narrative systems that structure psychosocial life.

Social Constructionism: From Berger, Luckmann, and Gergen, we explore the idea that social reality is not “out there” waiting to be discovered, but is instead collectively constructed through narratives, symbols, and relationships. The TCCR adopts this view to argue that human psychosocial reality is the product of intersubjective processes: it is narrated, negotiated, imposed, and transformed within relationships and everyday practices.

Throughout the episode, we explain how these three perspectives do not merely coexist, but are organically integrated:

- Phenomenology provides the grounding in subjective experience.

- Hermeneutics offers the method for understanding that experience as meaning-making.

- Social constructionism frames that meaning-making within a symbolic and relational structure.

From this foundation, the TCCR offers a cognosystemic view of reality: a dynamic web of shared meanings, narrated and constantly evolving. This conception not only enriches theoretical analysis but has profound implications for professional Social Work practice. It enables us to move beyond technocratic or reductionist approaches, toward interventions that are more critical, contextualized, ethical, and emancipatory.

If you’re wondering what sets the TCCR apart from other approaches, this episode provides a key answer: its philosophical robustness. Because it is not a mere compilation of theories—it is a coherent synthesis that understands and intervenes in reality through experience, interpretation, and relational construction.

Listen to this episode to discover how philosophy can be a powerful tool for transforming social practice.

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