Psychology of Personal Constructs

George Kelly

OVERVIEW OF PERSONAL CONSTRUCT THEORY

Theory of personal constructs

Is like no other personality theory.
It has been variously called a cognitive theory, a behavioral theory, an existential theory, and a
phenomenological theory. Yet it is none of these
METATHEORY or a theory about theories

According to Kelly
All people anticipate events by the meanings or interpretations (Constructs) they place on those
events
Their behavior is shaped by their gradually expanding interpretation or construction of that
world.
Every construction is open to revision or replacement.

Constructive Alternativism.
People are not victims of circumstances, because alternative constructions are always available.
Kelly called this philosophical position
Postulate assumes:
people are constantly active and that their activity is guided by the way they anticipate events.

KELLYS PHILOSOPHICAL POSITION

believed that the universe is real, but that different people construe it in different ways
Personal constructs, or ways of interpreting and explaining events, hold the key to predicting
their behavior.

Peoples construction of events

Their personal inquiry into their world.
It is a psychology of the human quest.
how we might go about looking for it

Person as Scientist
That is, you ask questions, formulate hypotheses, test them, draw conclusions, and try to predict
future events.
Your perception of reality is colored by your personal constructsyour way of looking at,
explaining, and interpreting events in your world.
A persons conclusions, like those of any scientist, are not fixed or final. They are open to
reconsideration and reformulation
people individually and collectively will find better ways of restructuring their lives through
imagination and foresight.
Scientist as Person
Every scientific observation can be looked at from a different perspective.
Every theory can be slightly tilted and viewed from a new angle.
This approach, of course, means that Kellys theory is not exempt from restructuring

Note:
Kelly formulated a theory that encourages its own demise.

Constructive Alternativism
Assumption:
the assumption that the universe really exists and that it functions as an integral unit, with all its
parts interacting precisely with each other
universe is constantly changing, so something is happening all the time
peoples thoughts also really exist and that people strive to make sense out of their continuously
changing world
Different people construe reality in different ways, and the same person is capable of changing
his or her view of the world.
assumes that the piece-by-piece accumulation of facts does not add up to truth; rather, it
assumes that facts can be looked at from different perspectives
Constructive Alternativism
Different people construe reality in different ways, and the same person is capable of changing
his or her view of the world.

Kelly and Adler

He agreed to Adler that a persons interpretation of events is more important than the events
themselves.
contrast to Adler, he stressed the notion that interpretations have meaning in the dimension of
time, and what is valid at one time becomes false when construed differently at a later time
Assumption:
Person, not the facts, holds the key to an individuals future.
Facts and events do not dictate conclusions; rather, they carry meanings for us to discover
We must assume responsibility for how we construe our worlds.
We are victims of neither our history nor our present circumstances
On the other hand:
We are limited by our feeble wits and our timid reliance upon what is familiar
We do not always welcome new ideas.
We often find restructuring disturbing and thus hold on to ideas that are comfortable and
theories that are well established.

PERSONAL CONSTRUCTS
Assumption:
Peoples interpretation of a unified, ever-changing world constitutes their reality.
On the other hand:
Some people are quite inflexible and seldom change their way of seeing things.1
Some people construe a world that is substantially different from the world of other people.2
 Kelly (1963) would insist that these people, along with everyone else, are looking at their world
through transparent patterns or templates that they have created in order to cope with the
worlds realities.

Abnormal Psychology Applied:

1. Anorexic patients continue to see themselves as fat while their weight continues to drop to a
life-threatening level
2. Psychotic patients in mental hospitals may talk to people whom no one else can see.

A Personal construct is
is ones way of seeing how things (or people) are alike and yet different from other things (or
people).
For example, you may see how Ashly and Brenda are alike and how they are different from
Carol.
Note
The comparison and the contrast must occur within the same context.

BASIC POSTULATE
Personal construct theory
The basic postulate assumes that a persons processes are psychologically channelized by the
ways in which [that person] anticipates events
Note
This postulate is not intended as an absolute statement of truth but is a tentative assumption
open to question and scientific testing.

Persons processes
Life itself accounts for ones movement.
not animals, society or any part of person

Channelized
suggest that people move with a direction through a network of pathways or channels.
The network, however, is flexible, both facilitating and restricting peoples range of action

Ways of anticipating events

suggests that people guide their actions according to their predictions of the future
nor the future per se determines our behavior Rather, our present view of the future shapes our
actions

Supporting Corollaries

Construction corollary = Similarities among Events

States that Person(1 People) anticipates events(2 or m) by construing their replications
1 people = 2 events
This allows people to communicate both verbally and nonverbally

Individuality corollary = Differences among People

 States that Persons(2 People) differ from each other in their construction of events(1 event)
2 people = 1 event
Due to individual differences, the communication is never perfect.
Abnormal Psychology Applied:
identical twins living in nearly identical environments do not construe events exactly the same

Organization corollary = Relationships among Constructs

States that People characteristically evolve, for [their] convenience in anticipating events, a
construction system embracing ordinal relationships between constructs
third emphasizes that different people organize similar events in a manner that minimizes
incompatibilities and inconsistencies
We arrange our constructions so that we may move from one to another in an orderly fashion,
which allows us to anticipate events in ways that transcend contradictions and avoid needless
conflicts.
also assumes an ordinal relationship of constructs so that one construct may be subsumed
under another

Dichotomy Corollary = Dichotomy of Constructs

States that Persons construction system is composed of a finite number of dichotomous
constructs

Choice Corollary = Choice between Dichotomies

States that People choose for themselves that alternative in a dichotomized construct through
which they anticipate the greater possibility for extension and definition of future constructs.
People make choices on the basis of how they anticipate events, and those choices are between
dichotomous alternatives

Range Corollary = Range of Convenience

States that A construct is convenient for the anticipation of a finite range of events only
Assumes that personal constructs are finite and not relevant to everything.
a construct is limited to a particular range of convenience.

Experience Corollary = Experience and Learning

States that A persons construction system varies as he [or she] successively construes the
replications of events
We look to the future and make guesses about what will happen. Then, as events become
revealed to us, we either validate our existing constructs or restructure these events to match
our experience. The restructuring of events allows us to learn from our experiences.

Modulation Corollary = Adaptation to Experience

States that The variation in a persons construction system is limited by the permeability of the
constructs within whose range of convenience the variants lie
It assumes that the extent to which people revise their constructs is related to the degree of
permeability of their existing constructs.
A construct is permeable if new elements can be added to it.
Impermeable or concrete constructs do not admit new elements
Fragmentation Corollary = Incompatible Constructs
States that A person may successively employ a variety of constructive subsystems which are
inferentially incompatible with each other
At first it may seem as if personal constructs must be compatible, but if we look to our own
behavior and thinking, we can easily see some inconsistencies (Moral Agency of Bandura)

Commonality corollary = Similarities among People

States that To the extent that one person employs a construction of experience which is similar
to that employed by another, [that persons] processes are psychologically similar to those of
the other person
assumes that people are different from each other, his commonality corollary assumes
similarities among people
Two people need not experience the same event or even similar events for their processes to be
psychologically similar; must merely construe their experiences in a similar fashion

Sociality corollary = Social Processes

States that To the extent that people accurately construe the belief system of others, they may
play a role in a social process involving those other people
People belong to the same cultural group, not merely because they behave alike, nor because
they expect the same things of others, but especially because they construe their experience in
the same way
They communicate because they construe the constructions of one another. In interpersonal
relations, they not only observe the behavior of the other person; they also interpret what that
behavior means to that person.
suggesting that people are actively involved in interpersonal relations and realize that they are
part of the other persons construction system.

Role
refers to a pattern of behavior that results from a persons understanding of the constructs of
others with whom that person is engaged in a task
Kelly construed roles from a psychological rather than a sociological perspective.
Peripheral roles
Arlenes roles as student, employee, and daughter would be considered. More central to her
existence would be her core role.
Core role
we define ourselves in terms of who we really are. It gives us a sense of identity and provides us
with guidelines for everyday living.

APPLICATIONS OF PERSONAL CONSTRUCT THEORY

Abnormal Development

Psychologically healthy people

Validate their personal constructs against their experiences with the real world.
competent scientists who test reasonable hypotheses, accept the results without denial or
distortion, and then willingly alter their theories to match available data
 anticipate events but are also able to make satisfactory adjustments

Unhealthy people
stubbornly cling to outdated personal constructs, fearing validation of any new constructs
incompetent scientists, test unreasonable hypotheses
reject or distort legitimate results, and refuse to amend or abandon old theories that are no
longer useful
They may be too impermeable or they may be too flexible.
Disorder
as any personal construction which is used repeatedly in spite of consistent invalidation
Note:
persons construction system exists in the present not the past or future.
Psychological disorders, therefore, also exist in the present; they are caused neither by
childhood experiences nor by future events

Threat
Defined as the awareness of imminent comprehensive change in ones core structures
when they perceive that the stability of their basic constructs is likely to be shaken.

Fear
is more specific and incidental
Note:
Psychological disturbance results when either threat or fear persistently prevents a person from
feeling secure

Anxiety
the recognition that the events with which one is confronted lie outside the range of
convenience of ones construct system

Pathological anxiety
exists when a persons incompatible constructs can no longer be tolerated and the persons
construction system breaks down

Guilt
the sense of having lost ones core role structure
if that core role is weakened or dissolved, a person will develop a feeling of guilt.
That is, people feel guilty when they behave in ways that are inconsistent with their sense of
who they are
Note
People who have never developed a core role do not feel guilty. They may be anxious or
confused, but without a sense of personal identity, they do not experience guilt

PSYCHOTHERAPY
people should be free to choose those courses of action most consistent with their prediction of
events
In therapy, this approach means that clients, not the therapist, select the goal.
 Clients are active participants in the therapeutic process, and the therapists role is to assist
them to alter their construct systems in order to improve efficiency in making predictions

Fixed-role therapy
is to help clients change their outlook on life (personal constructs) by acting out a
predetermined role
It is a creative process that allows clients to gradually discover previously hidden aspects of
themselves
clients are introduced only to peripheral roles; but then, after they have had time to become
comfortable with minor changes in personality structure, they try out new core roles that permit
more profound personality change

Role Construct Repertory (Rep) test.

The purpose of the Rep test is to discover ways in which people construe significant people in
their lives.
Process:
person is given a Role Title list and asked to designate people who fit the role titles by writing
their names on a card.
For example, for a teacher you liked, the person must supply a particular name. The number
of role titles can vary, but Kelly (1955) listed 24 on one version
Next, the person is given three names from the list and asked to judge which two people are
alike and yet different from the third
Theyre both old, and my sister is young, the examiner will say, Thats one way they are alike
Reliability and validity of the instrument are not very high, and its usefulness depends largely
on the skill and experience of the examiner

RELATED RESEARCH
his theory has fared quite well in generating research.
first psychologists to emphasize cognitive sets, such as SCHEMA
one of the most influential perspectives in social and personality psychology today

Gender as a Personal Construct

Gender
perhaps one of the most fundamental and universal schemas in person perception
Hypothesis
those who used gender most as a way of categorizing people on the Rep also were more likely
to apply gender stereotypes to strangers in social situations
participants who frequently engaged in gender stereotyping also organized their person
schemas in terms of gender
the less information someone has about a person, the more likely he or she will use stereotypic
gender schemas to evaluate and perceive that person
participants who use gender stereotypes in perceiving strangers also tend to circumscribe their
perceptions of friends, family members, and acquaintances along gendered lines

Smoking and Self-Concept

Hypothesis
 Previous research on self-concept and adolescent smoking has tended to find relatively negative
self-concepts of smokers compared with nonsmokers.
smokers identified more with their descriptions of smoker personalities, and vice versa for
nonsmokers.
all participants endorsed and valued nonsmoker traits more highly than smoker traits on all four
self-concept measures
smokers and nonsmokers identified with and valued more highly the traits of nonsmokers (such
as quiet, studious, etc.) than of smokers.
Note
Rep test is not only a useful tool for assessing self-concept

Personal Constructs and the Big Five

This means that the repertory grid was capturing aspects of people the Big Five was not and that
the Big Five was capturing aspects the repertory grid was not.
Some of the unique aspects captured by the repertory grid were body type, ethnicity, wealth,
smoker status, and political affiliation
Big Five is still enormously valuable as a framework for studying personality.
Kellys personal construct theory does a very good job at emphasizing the uniqueness of
individuals and how individuals define themselves and those around them in their own terms.

Note:
Most of Kellys professional career was spent working with relatively normal, intelligent college
students.
made no attempt to elucidate early childhood experiences (as did Freud) or maturity and old age
(as did Erikson).
To Kelly, people live solely in the present, with one eye always on the future. This view, though
somewhat optimistic, fails to account for developmental and cultural influences on personality
His avoidance of the problems of motivation, developmental influences, and cultural forces
limits his theorys ability to give specific meanings to much of what is currently known about the
complexity of personality.
Kelly relied heavily on common sense in this therapeutic practice
motivation plays no part in personal construct theory.

CRITIQUE OF KELLY

Research = moderate to strong

Falsifiability = low
Organize knowledge = low
Guide to action = low
Internally consistent = first part high; second part low
Parsimonious = high

Note:
He saw people as anticipating the future and living their lives in accordance with those
anticipations
we are free to make a choice
 He repeatedly insisted that childhood events per se do not shape current personality
Elaborative choice
That is, in making present choices, we look ahead and pick the alternative that will increase our
range of future choices.

Concept of Humanity

Optimistic vs Pessimistic
Determinism vs free choice
Teleological vs Causal
Conscious vs Unconscious
Biological vs Social influences
Uniqueness vs similarities