GEORGE KELLY - PERSONAL CONSTRUCT THEORY

Flashcards based on lecture notes about Kelly's Personal Construct Theory.

When was Kelly born?

April 28, 1905

Where was Kelly born?

Perth, Kansas

Who were Kelly's parents?

Theodore and Elfleda Kelly

What was Kelly's bachelor's degree in?

Mathematics and Physics

From which college did Kelly earn his bachelor's degree?

Park College in Parkville, Missouri

What subject was Kelly's Master's degree in?

Educational Sociology

From which university did Kelly earn his Master's degree?

University of Kansas

Where was Kelly awarded a fellowship in 1929?

University of Edinburgh, Scotland

What did Kelly develop an interest in while at the University of Edinburgh?

Psychology

Where did Kelly receive his PhD?

State University of Iowa

In what year did Kelly receive his PhD?

1931

What major contribution did Kelly develop?

Clinical psychology service for the local public school system and college students.

What type of clinics did Kelly establish?

Travelling clinics to schools

Who were Kelly's patients in his travelling clinics?

His patients were students referred by teachers for counseling.

Which branch of the US military did Kelly join during WWII?

US Navy

What was Kelly's role in the US Navy during WWII?

Psychologist in the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, D.C.

Where did Kelly teach for a year after WWII?

University of Maryland

Which university did Kelly join after teaching at the University of Maryland?

Ohio State University

What theory is Kelly best known for?

Personal Construct Theory

According to Kelly, how do we interpret and organize the events in our lives?

A system or pattern to interpret and organize life events.

What is needed to be able to organize events in a system or pattern?

Consistency of behavior in every situation

According to the Personal Construct Theory, what do we use the patterns we see to to formulate?

To make predictions about ourselves, other people, and events.

According to Kelly, what must we first understand in order to understand personality?

Understand our patterns of organizing or constructing our world

What is a construct in Kelly's theory?

It is a person’s unique way of looking at life, an intellectual hypothesis devised to explain or interpret events.

What do we need to do when we give an interpretation?

Collect data, formulate hypotheses, and analyse the gathered data

According to Kelly, is our interpretation of events or the events themselves more important?

Our interpretation of events is more important than the events themselves.

What is the name of the concept that explains how we can revise or replace constructs?

Constructive Alternativism

What defines constructive alternativism?

We are free to revise or replace our constructs with alternatives as needed

What does the Construction Corollary state?

Because repeated events are similar, we can predict or anticipate how we will experience such an event in the future.

What does the Individuality Corollary state?

People perceive events in different ways.

What does the Organization Corollary state?

We arrange our constructs in patterns, according to our view of their similarities and differences.

What does the Dichotomy Corollary state?

Constructs are bipolar

What does the Choice Corollary state?

We choose the alternative for each construct that works best for us.

What does the Range Corollary state?

Our constructs may apply to many situations or people, or they may be limited to a single person or situation.

What does the Experience Corollary state?

We continually test our constructs against life’s experiences to make sure they remain useful.

What does the Modulation Corollary state?

We may modify our constructs as a function of new experiences.

What does the Fragmentation Corollary state?

We may sometimes have contradictory or inconsistent subordinate constructs within our overall construct system.

What does the Commonality Corollary state?

People in compatible groups or cultures may hold similar constructs.

What does the Sociality Corollary state?

We try to understand how other people think and predict what they will do, and we modify our behavior accordingly.

Briefly describe Free Will.

The belief that we are able to make free choices.

Briefly describe Determinism

The belief that behavior is determined by outside factors.

Briefly describe Nature.

Impact of genetics and biology.

Briefly describe Nurture.

Impact of environment and learning.

Briefly describe Past Experiences.

Focus on past experiences and history.

Briefly describe Present Experiences.

Focus on immediate situation

Briefly describe Uniqueness.

Focus on individual differences

Briefly describe Universality.

Focus on similarities among people

Briefly describe Equilibrium.

Focus on stability and homeostasis

Briefly describe Growth.

Focus on change and development

Briefly describe Optimism.

Hopeful and positive view

Briefly describe Pessimism.

Negative and fatalistic view