Psychology of Personal Constructs: George Kelly Flashcards
George Kelly’s 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. Perhaps the most appropriate term is “_____,” or a theory about theories.
metatheory
According to Kelly, all people (including those who build personality theories) anticipate events by the meanings or interpretations they place on those events. These meanings or interpretations are called _____.
constructs
They construe the world in their own way, and every construction is open to revision or replacement. People are not victims of circumstances, because alternative constructions are always available. Kelly called this philosophical position _____.
constructive alternativism
The _____ assumes that people are constantly active and that their activity is guided by the way they anticipate events
basic postulate
Is human behavior based on reality or on people’s perception of reality?
George Kelly would say both. He did not accept _____ position that behavior is shaped by the environment, that is, reality. On the other hand, he also rejected extreme phenomenology, which holds that the only reality is what people perceive.
Skinner’s
Kelly’s Philosophical Position
- Person as Scientist
- Scientist as Person
- Constructive Alternativism
When you decide what foods to eat for lunch, what television shows to watch, or what occupation to enter, you are acting in much the same manner as a scientist. That is, you ask questions, formulate hypotheses, test them, draw conclusions, and try to predict future events.
Person as Scientist
If people can be seen as scientists, then scientists can also be seen as people. Therefore, the pronouncements of scientists should be regarded with the same skepticism with which we view any behavior. Every scientific observation can be looked at from a different perspective. Every theory can be slightly tilted and viewed from a new angle.
Scientist as Person
Different people construe reality in different ways, and the same person is capable of changing his or her view of the world.
In other words, people always have alternative ways of looking at things. Kelly assumed “that all of our present interpretations of the universe are subject to revision or replacement”. He referred to this assumption as _____ and summed up the notion with these words: “The events we face today are subject to as great a variety of constructions as our wits will enable us to contrive”
constructive alternativism
A _____ is one’s way of seeing how things (or people) are alike and yet different from other things (or people).
personal construct
11 Supporting Corollaries
1) Similarities Among Events
2) Differences Among People
3) Relationships Among Constructs
4) Dichotomy of Constructs
5) Choice Between Dichotomies
6) Range of Convenience
7) Experience and Learning
8) Adaptation to Experience
9) Incompatible Constructs
10) Similarities Among People
11) Social Processes
In Kelly’s view, _____ validate their personal constructs against their experiences with the real world. They are like competent scientists who test reasonable hypotheses, accept the results without denial or distortion, and then willingly alter their theories to match available data. Healthy individuals not only anticipate events but are also able to make satisfactory adjustments when things do not turn out as they expected.
psychologically healthy people
_____, on the other hand, stubbornly cling to outdated personal constructs, fearing validation of any new constructs that would upset their present comfortable view of the world. Such people are similar to incompetent scientists who test unreasonable hypotheses, reject or distort legitimate results, and refuse to amend or abandon old theories that are no longer useful. Kelly defined a disorder as “any personal construction which is used repeatedly in spite of consistent invalidation”.
Unhealthy people
_____ exists whenever people have difficulty validating their personal constructs, anticipating future events, and controlling their present environment. When distress becomes unmanageable, they may seek outside help in the form of psychotherapy.
Psychological distress
In therapy, this approach means that _____, select the goal. Clients are active participants in the therapeutic process, and the therapist’s role is to assist them to alter their construct systems in order to improve efficiency in making predictions.
clients, not the therapist
