Chapter 19 Notes Flashcards
George Kelly’s theory of personal constructs
people anticipate events by the meanings or interpretations they place on those events
These meanings or interpretations are called constructs
behavior is shaped by their gradually expanding interpretation or construction of that world
Neither the past nor the future per se determines our behavior. Rather, our present view of the future shapes our actions.
constructive alternativism
People are not victims of circumstances, because alternative constructions are always available. Kelly called this philosophical position
people strive to make sense out of their continuously changing world
people always have alternative ways of looking at things
what is valid at one time becomes false when construed differently at a later time
(like Adler but added this component)
Freud restructured his seduction theory
in 1955, he published his most important work
The Psychology of Personal Constructs
Kelly’s Philosophical Position
human behavior based on reality and on people’s perception of reality
ways of interpreting and explaining events, hold the key to predicting their behavior
Person as Scientist
A person’s conclusions, like those of any scientist, are not fixed or final. They are open to reconsideration and reformulation
Every theory can be slightly tilted and viewed from a new angle
A personal construct is
one’s way of seeing how things (or people) are alike and yet different from other things (or people)
2 essential components of construct
comparison and the contrast are essential
basic postulate of Kelly’s theory
all psychological processes are
directed by the ways in which we anticipate events
Kelly proposed ___ supporting corollaries for his basic postulate
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construction corollary
people construe or interpret future events according to recurrent themes or replications
individuality corollary
For the philosopher, the lawyer, and the scientist, truth has a different substance, a different meaning
organization corollary
different people organize similar events in a manner that minimizes incompatibilities and inconsistencies
dichotomy corollary
people must be able to see similarities between events, but they must also contrast those events with their opposite pole. either-or manner.
choice corollary
people choose those actions that are most likely to extend their future range of choices
range corollary
The idea of construct contrasts tall with short, not tall with blue, thus limiting its range of convenience