George Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory

Personal Constructs - Characteristic ways of construing how some things are alike and different from each other.

Kelly’s Fundamental Postulate: Behavior, thoughts and feelings are determined by personal constructs used to anticipate events

Kelly’s 11 corollaries:

1- Construction

2- Individuality

3- Organization

4- Dichotomy

Definition - application of a construct allows for it to become more explicit and refined.

Extension - Using a constuct to predict events to which the construct has not previously been applied.

5- Choice

6- Range

7- Experience

8- Modulation

9- Fragmentation

10- Communality

11- Sociality -

Kelly’s Role Construct Repertory Test (Rep test)

-constructs that are important to an individual are those that will be used to evaluate events.

-important constructs are identified by similarities and contrasts they use to compare events, people & ideas

Psychological Distress - (psychopathology)

Behavior problems are the result of difficulties in interpreting or predicting events

-Discovering construct system is inadequate for dealing with a situation results in anxiety

-People feel threat when they become aware that important elements of your personal construct system need to be changed.

Fixed role therapy-

1-Client describes his/her strengths and weaknesses

2-Therapist develops a role for the client to follow

3-Client tries role and discusses result with therapist

4-Client gains perspective

Strengths & Weaknesses of Phenomenological Approach:

Strengths:

-Consistent w/ Human Experience

-Emphasizes Present & Future

-Focus is Idiographic

-Rogers: Therapeutic Innovation

-Rogers & Kelly: Comprehensive Theory

Weaknesses:

-Assessment of Subjective Experience

-Generality Issues

-Disregard of Developmental History