personal construct theory Flashcards
personal construct
we have our own world view, built from our individual construct (views from past experience)
person-as-scientist
people have expectations (hypothesis), test those expectations (experiments), revise experiments based on experience (theory building)
fundamental postulate
= a person’s processes (thouhgts) are psychologically channelised by the way he anticpates an event
PREDICTION IS KEY
construction corollary
look for patterns and consistencies, expect things to happen as they have happened before
experience corollary
when our anticipation do not live up to expectation then we ‘reconstruct’
new experience alters future expectations
modulation corollary
PERMEABILITY - embracing or rejecting new ideas
mental flexibility & longevity
individuality corollary
we each see the world differently
differ from each other in the construction of events
commonality corollary
similar constructs, experience & understanding (culture norms, religious beliefs)
dichotomy corollary
our judgements tend to be dichotomous (bipolar constructs; good/bad, male/female)
choice corollary
free will
we choose what will improve our understanding & allows better prediction
constructive altruism
constructive altruism
constructs (what we expect) determine our experience, but we can choose to change our personal constructs (what we believe) in turn change our experience
every personal construct is dichotomous?
3 elements are required to establish the identity of a thing; 2 similar and 1 contrasting
choice & free-will?
free to choose alternative constructs; BUT fundamental postulate indicates determinism
psychopathology
= any personal construction which is used repeatedly in spite of consistent invalidation (e.g.,DV)
also problem of overly flexible thinking, not having a stable world view -> schizophrenia
therapy
importance of changing present constructs; past event & causes irrelevant for change
