Chapter 15 Personal Construct theory
THE INDIVIDUAL AS SCIENTIST
- each of us is a "practical everyday scientist" -we formulate and test hypotheses every day The ways in which we understand and interpret reality are subject to change - the way we see things -there is no correct way of view of reality -similar to humanistic concept- Phenomenology -: we can test many of our hypothesis and form conclusions about them , difficulties arrive when premature constructs without testing them Example) when you have a first impression of someone and its something negative sometimes you don't take the time to test it. - Teaching the client to become individual scientist. All behavior is future oriented - behave is anticipatory. The future determines our behavior a) Your boyfriend/girlfriend says they want to be alone tonight. b) A friend of yours is unusually quiet. c) A friend of yours makes a sarcastic comment to you. examples Alternative ways a person can interpret these events - We assume others see events as we do - We may assume we don't have choice or control in how we see reality - We have one perspective - and they assume it is the way the world is, their perspective is one way of view it, - Different outcomes of different interpretations a) interpretations: You can either personalize it , or interpret it as an indication there is something wrong in the relationship and become anxious , or view it as a rejection and become angry or alternatively interpret it as a reasonable request for time to be alone- either positive aspect or negative
PERSONAL CONSTRUCTS
- mental categories of objects and events -In order to make the world manageable we develop constructs that help us explain - Constructs: mental grouping of categories Every individual creates them to reduce the complexity of the world View them as templates for perceiving reality -personal constructs helps us to anticipate events
Major Types of constructs
-Core vs. Peripheral Constructs -Propositional vs. Constellatory Constructs -Preemptive Constructs
core vs peripheral constructs
-Core: are central to the person, vary across people, some may have intelligence as a core construct and view people as smart or not smart, wisdom, optimism, honesty, depth, kind, maturity -Peripheral: are not central to the person, can easily be modified and changed, not as powerful as core, - wealthy or no wealthy would be a secondary- peripheral, or a core for others
THE REP TEST
-Role Construct Repertory Test - used to identify an individual's personal constructs The role construct repertory test- used to understands the constructs of persons use of constructs -Construct point and contrast point - how are similar and how are different, believes this will set up of your set of personal constructs Repertoire grip - To identify and analyze patters of particular sets of personal constructs.
Fundamental Postulate:
-construction: a person creates personal constructs in order to interpret them - individuality: no two people can see things the same way - Organization- constructs are organized diff by diff people. Every person has its unique system- similar to cognitive schema. - Dichotomy- we tend to categorize objects. View things as opposite extremes. Personal constructs are bipolar. Tend to perceive objects in terms of similarities or similarities - Choice: a person is free to choose from various alternatives from which construct events - free will- some degree - Range- idea a construct will apply to a certain domain - pleasurable vs unpleasable - Experience- people change personal constructs as they are learning - Modulation: related to experience, assumes if a construct anticipates event, is likely to be maintain, if inaccurate is likely to be change. Constructs are changeable - Fragmentation: suggest there are times that there are inconsistency in our constructs, when this assumes we have to make modifications. - Communality: suggest similarity among people- are similar when they have similar constructs, people construct similarity they would behave similarly as well extends to membership and people from same culture will have some experiences in the same way. -culture shock, experiencing dissimilarities how people construct realities. -Sociability: relate to those who are similar to us. Sociability deals with the process people come at better understanding each other. The process of engaging another person involves trying to understand how the other person constructs reality. - see the world from the eyes of another person. Every meaningful interaction deals with role-taking. Imagine what other person is experiencing. Someone in that relationship is trying to see how other person sees it. At least one person has to be attempting to understand the other persons perspective.
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY / TREATMENT
-disorder due to maladaptive and inaccurate constructs - "anxiety" occurs when personal constructs are inadequate to anticipate events goal: create more adaptive personal constructs Role-Playing Psychologically disorder- personal constructs that are not accurate and lead to inadequate view of reality. -people who are paranoid, suffering from chronic depression, - anxiety defined as ones awareness- a person who cannot predict events can feel anxious, we need a reasonable degree of security - Common with cognitive behavioral therapy - Role - playing- the therapist play the husband, and the person just her role (wife) Fixed- role therapy: more extensive, reverse it , having the wife to play the husband, by playing out the role of the other it is
PERSONALITY MOTIVATION
-people are motivated simply because they are alive -people are motivated to behave simply because they are alive. People are active agents and shaping their own reality. People don't passively respond. In Kelly's view people are actively motivated because we are alive- parsimonious view of motivation
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
-personality viewed as "an individual's organized system of personal constructs" -no specific theory or model of development -an individual organized system of personal constructs. -Personality as the set of constructs a person uses to anticipate future events- how a person constructs reality/ constructs develop with repeated constructs in the environment. Can modify our constructs.
CONSTRUCTIVE ALTERNATIVISM
-reality is always subject to change or revision - there are always alternative ways to construe events
Personal construct theory George Kelly
Key assumption: Behavior is determined by the ways in which a person construes his/her environment. - considered an early cognitive theory
THE FUNDAMENTAL POSTULATE
a person's processes are psychologically channelized by the ways in which he anticipates events" Simpler definition: "human behavior is directed by the constructs a person uses to predict future events" Core-concept: the fundamental postulate: can be explained in one fundamental postulate
preemptive
someone is view with this construct the person is excluded from membership from other constructs. If I see someone as trustworthy I ignore other aspects people may posses. The term schizophrenic can be preemptive- a label that gets stuck on someone. Someone who focuses only on a person on how attractive they are and ignore other things that are not that great or just other things about that person
propositional vs. constellatory constructs
specific to a person or object, allows to be flexible. -Propositional construct of someone feminine but don't generalize that the person is also opinionated, or other stereotypes that go with the term. - Constellatory constructs: constructs that generalize, and lead to assumption of other constructs, examples: a person may view another person as attractive and attribute other characteristic to the person, other constructs would be viewed on that person- example: someone attractive might be viewed as kind, humble, honest, intelligent, self-confident. ( they generalize). Can form the basis of stereotypes- one construct is applied and then other constructs belongs to the person. Can be powerful is the person has some identifiable characteristics. This occurs when someone is not thinking thoughtful
