The article deals with the problem of the epistemological status of the complementarity principle in socio-humanitarian studies. It clarifies the content of the principle of complementarity and the possibility of its application from the point of view of its methodological significance for studying the interdependence of language, world view and the picture of the world. It is shown that the authentic application of the principle is possible within the framework of a constructionist epistemological model, subject to a number of methodological requirements for the organization of the research process. To correlate the complementary description languages in the designated problem area, the interdisciplinary conceptual apparatus of cultural studies seems productive.