George Kelly Flashcards
Personal Construct Theory
What does the “Jackass” Theory focus on?
Individuals personality, emphasizing the individuals thoughts (but not to the exclusion of people’s emotions)
- not a big focus on influence of environment that push/pull individual
What does the metaphor of “Mean the Scientist” mean?
Help explain the personal construct theory’s view of the person as actively formulating hypotheses about the world, themselves, and others; testing them; and in case revising them in the light of the outcomes
What helps people predict events (based on situation, people present, etc)?
Personal Constructs
What is constructive alternativism?
The assumption that people can interpret the world in a variety of ways (interpretations can be revised)
Kelly’s theorys consists of 12 statements. One is the Fundamental Postulate. What is that?
“a person’s process are psychologically channelized by the ways in which he anticipates events”
- ie. we prepare for events that we anticipate like getting a good/bad grade on an exam
What happens if you accurately or inaccurately anticipate an event?
Accurately: validation
Inaccurately: invalidation (revision of constructs?)
Name the 5 stages in the experience cycle
- Anticipation
- Investment
- Encounter
- Confirmation/Disconfirmation
- Constructive Revision
Why are the “normal” human not scientists
- People are biased (we think of our capacities more highly than we should)
- People tend to view/seek confirmation (scientist seek evidence that counters)
There are 11 corollaries. The first 4 relate to ____.
The process of construing (to give the meaning or intention of)
What is the construction corollary
People anticipate confirmation of their constructs based on past
- can be preverbal construct (aka nonverbal anticipation like butterflies)
What is the experience corollary?
People change with experience; their constructs change
ie. child learns over time school bus isn’t that bad
What is the choice corollary?
When faced with a decision, a person will choose the option that best allows them to extend and define their own self view
- too large of a step = threat and can lead to sedimentation
What is the modulation corollary?
The variation in a person’s construction system is limited by the permeability of the constructs within whose ranges of convenience the variants lie
What is permeable vs concrete construct? (both within Modulation Corollary)
Permeable: flexible constructs that can readily adapt to new information or situations
Concrete: less likely to be altered by new experiences
4 of the corollaries describe the relationship among constructs. What is the dichotomy corollary?
A persons construction system is composed of a finite number of dichotomous constructs
What are the typical and unusual end called in the dichotomy corollary
Likeness end and contrast end
What does it mean when a person’s construct changes in response to stress?
Slot movement
ie. nice –> mean
What is the organization corollary?
idea that constructs are arranged hierarchically
- superordinate and subordinate constructs
What are superordinate constructs and subordinate constructs?
Superordinate: constructs that apply broadly to lower-order constructs (ie. vegetables which consist of carrot, mushrooms, etc)
Subordinate: Break down larger concept to have better anticipation (ie. poisonous vs edible mushrooms)
What is the fragmentation corollary?
People act differently in different situations
ie. funeral vs party
What is the range corollary?
A construct is convenient for the anticipation of a finite range of events
ie. constructs related to getting a pet would be irrelevant if we are choosing an insurance policy
There are 3 people corollaries. What is the individuality corollary?
People differ from one another in their construction of events
What is the commonality corollary?
To the degree that people construct experience the same way, they are similar (shared cognitive process)
What is the sociality corollary?
To the degree that one person understands the construction processes of another, he/she may play a role in the social processes of that person
What is bilateral vs unilateral in the sociality corollary?
Bilateral: Understanding between 2 friends
Unilateral: Therapist-client relationship
What is the role construct repertory test (REP)?
Instrument for measuring a person’s constructs
What does cognitive complexity mean?
The number of different constructs used
- the greater the number, the more flexibility the person has
What test can be used to see how individuals change over time?
REP Test
- personality change can occur quickly or slowly
- can be threatening
What is “Constructivist” Therapy?
- Understand the client’s constructs
- Exploring constructs
- Changing constructs by “tightening” them (time or word binding)
What is fixed role therapy?
Client experiments with new self-construct via role-playing (or therapist play the new client)
- want to increase cognitive complexity
