Ch.10, Personal Construct Theory, Kelley Flashcards
How does Kelly understand personality?
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
Construct
Ideas/categories people use to interpret their world
Three elements of a construct
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
Verbal and preverbal constructs
Verbal: can be expressed in words
Preverbal: used without words, can be developed before language acquisition
Submerged and core constructs
submerged: one end of a bipolar construct; cannot be verablized
Core: basic to a person’s functioning; whole construct system would disintegrate without them
Peripheral constructs
much less serious and can be easily altered
Superordinate and SUBordinate constructs
superordinate: broadest top of the hierarchy
Subordinate: narrower, beneath superordinate
REP TEST
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)
Cognitive Complexity System
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
Fundamental assumption/hypothesis of personal construct theory
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
Anxiety and personal construct theory
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)
Kelley and development/origin of constructs
never made a detailed argument regarding the origins of constructs
Preverbal constructs develop in infancy
Construct system increases in complexity with age
Kelley, psychopathology
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
Basic concepts of pCT
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
Constructive Alternatives
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
Range of Convenience, Theories
extent to which a theory can cover something; boundaries of the phenomena it can comprehensively
Focus of Convience:
indicating points within the boundaries where the theory works best
View of Person/ Person as Scientist Idea
both scientists and regular people try to develop ideas that enable them to predict future events
How does PCT contrast with behaviorism?
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
Fixed Role Therapy
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
Kelley’s view of emotions
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
Individuality in constructs
individual differences in choice (do we choose our constructs or do we build them over time) and organization of constructs
How are constructs dichotomous?
all constructs are bipolar
Construct fragmentation
subordinate constructs incompatible with each other (‘nice’ people that are extremely homophobic)
