Ch.10, Personal Construct Theory, Kelley

Question 1

How does Kelly understand personality?

Answer 1

Can be understood in terms of collections of personal constructs used to interpret the world
People cannot be fit into a taxonomy of traits/types

Question 2

Construct

Answer 2

Ideas/categories people use to interpret their world

Question 3

Three elements of a construct

Answer 3

Two of the elements must be similiar to one another (similarity pole) and the other must be different (contrast pole)
Constructs ARE INTERELATED AND BEHAVIOR EXPRESSES CONSTRUCT SYSTEM AND NOT ONLY INDIVIDUAL CONSTRUCTS

Question 4

Verbal and preverbal constructs

Answer 4

Verbal: can be expressed in words
Preverbal: used without words, can be developed before language acquisition

Question 5

Submerged and core constructs

Answer 5

submerged: one end of a bipolar construct; cannot be verablized
Core: basic to a person’s functioning; whole construct system would disintegrate without them

Question 6

Peripheral constructs

Answer 6

much less serious and can be easily altered

Question 7

Superordinate and SUBordinate constructs

Answer 7

superordinate: broadest top of the hierarchy
Subordinate: narrower, beneath superordinate

Question 8

REP TEST

Answer 8

makes a list of participants
test-taker engages in task that will elicit their personal constructs
Presents individuals with people filling 30 different rides, asked to identify similarities/differences (similarity, contrast poles)

Question 9

Cognitive Complexity System

Answer 9

cognitive complex system contains many constructs that don’t overlap; more constructs =able to identify more distinctions
Cognitive complexity =better coping mechanisms for stress, higher self-complexity and role identifications

Question 10

Fundamental assumption/hypothesis of personal construct theory

Answer 10

people use personal constructs to anticipate events; links structure aspects of Kelley’s theory to ongoing dynamic processes
Anticipation of events is crucial; future oriented

Question 11

Anxiety and personal construct theory

Answer 11

recognition that events that an individual is confronted with lie outside the range of one’s normal construct system
Constructs can be broadened/ narrowed to cope with anxiety
: YOU DON’T HAVE AWARENESS OF IT BEFORE range of convenience is exceeded (boss tells you to take a management role and you’ve never seen yourself as a management-oriented person)

Question 12

Kelley and development/origin of constructs

Answer 12

never made a detailed argument regarding the origins of constructs
Preverbal constructs develop in infancy
Construct system increases in complexity with age

Question 13

Kelley, psychopathology

Answer 13

Results from a disordered response to anxiety /disordered function of the construct system
Faulty ability to anticipate events
use of poor constructs
People will do anything they can to avoid anxiety: PEOPLE THEREFORE CHOOSE SITUATIONS WHERE THEY CAN BEST PREDICT THE FUTURE/HAVE CONSISTENCIES
Not having a construct system that works, not having well adapted constructs ALL LEAD TO PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Question 14

Basic concepts of pCT

Answer 14

emphasis on future orientation, just like Adler Jung/teology
Goal of the theory is to test how events are interpreted: this cannot be done using a black and white approach

Question 15

Constructive Alternatives

Answer 15

the idea that, while there is only one true reality, reality is always experienced from one or another perspective, or alternative construction.
Alternative scientific constructs may provide a useful view of the world; Kelley wanted to develop scientific construct systems useful in predicting events

Question 16

Range of Convenience, Theories

Answer 16

extent to which a theory can cover something; boundaries of the phenomena it can comprehensively

Question 17

Focus of Convience:

Answer 17

indicating points within the boundaries where the theory works best

Question 18

View of Person/ Person as Scientist Idea

Answer 18

both scientists and regular people try to develop ideas that enable them to predict future events

Question 19

How does PCT contrast with behaviorism?

Answer 19

States that we DO have free will, we are not merely responding to punishments or rewards
not “victims of environment” unless we choose to see ourselves that way

Question 20

Fixed Role Therapy

Answer 20

enables clients to think about themselves in new ways
“New Person” sketch: drawing up an idea of who you want yourself to be and becoming that person; effective at creating positive change

Question 21

Kelley’s view of emotions

Answer 21

Will occur when there is awareness that construct system is about to change: if construct system is validated, it leads to positive emotions
If not, if it is challenged, this leads to negative emotions
EMOTIONS DON’T IMPACT CONSTRUCTS

Question 22

Individuality in constructs

Answer 22

individual differences in choice (do we choose our constructs or do we build them over time) and organization of constructs

Question 23

How are constructs dichotomous?

Answer 23

all constructs are bipolar

Question 24

Construct fragmentation

Answer 24

subordinate constructs incompatible with each other (‘nice’ people that are extremely homophobic)

Question 25

Modulation of constructs

Answer 25

adjustment of constructs depending on permeability (openness to change)

Question 26

Sociality of constructs

Answer 26

role construct

Question 27

Kelley, fear

Answer 27

Fear: new construct is about to enter the system (you witness a robbery at a grocery store you have always been to; you never before considered that where you go in unsafe: THIS INTRODUCES A NEW CONSTRUCT

Question 28

Threat, Kelley

Answer 28

Threat BROADER, YOU ARE AWARE OF IT, SLOWLY BUILDS UP: awareness that a comprehensive change in the construct system is about to occur (fear of having a first child, but also excitement)

Question 29

Scientific evaluation

Answer 29

Observation/Database: database is limited and narrow, he was a clinician and not a researcher, but his database has been expanded/supported by other researchers
MORE COMPREHENSIVE THAN ROGERS (Debatable whether its easier to apply though) Systematic: very, only theory of personality that follows strict scientific theoretical principles
Testable: not easy to test, assumptions are not easy to test
Comprehensive: no
Applications: very applicable in clinical practice