What is Personal Construct Psychology ?

by Nadia Crittenden

Personal Construct Psychology is a way of looking at the world. The founder, George Kelly, presents a theory that gives an account of how people experience the world and make sense of that experience. He begins this account by asking people to put aside their former understanding and enter into the way in which he understands the world and makes sense of his experiences. Using the scientific model, he places people in the position of scientist who uses his/her perceptions as data or elements to form constructs. Constructs, in turn, are used to give meaning to what Kelly calls the "constant flow of events". By providing a framework of meaning for each person, his/her construct system enables a person to act in the world with a reasonable expectation of being able to predict and, to some extent, control the course of events. When a construct system, and the constructs within it, meet this expectation, the system is strengthened or validated. when the system or any constructs within it, fail to yield working predictions, the person needs to re-construe, or look for other ways to make sense of the experiences that formed the basis of the original construct. According to Kelly, constructs are formed by each person's way of seeing relationships between things, so it is possible to re-construe experiences by relating them to one another in different ways, as well as seeking new experiences within any are being currently explored. In his formal theory, Kelly explores in detail the nature of constructs, the development of a construct system and the usefulness of seeing the world in this way. He emphasises the importance of human freedom and the unique ways in which people seek to understand themselves and their world. His theory has direct significance for theories of meaning and knowledge, and the nature of reality.