Kelly and Personal Construct Theory
Introduction
Proposed in 1955 by George Kelly, Personal Construct Theory used a psychotherapy approach in addition to repertory grid technique to help patients analyze their own constructs. Kelly described the constructs as schemas or vast ways individuals view the world. Later, Kelly’s repertory grid was adapted and utilized in organizations, particularly, in decision-making. Kelly’s perspective is advanced in a series of corollaries envisioned in perceiving individuals as actively capable of organizing their perceptions ingrained in recurring themes.
Predominantly, Kelly’s theory is founded in the study of individuals and families. In addition, social groups are also focused with particular emphasis on individual organization and how people change their thinking regarding self and the world. Against this background, this study will explore theorist George Kelly’s Personal Construct theory. Notably, the study will seek to explain the character trait social boldness and further apply Kelly’s reasoning in elucidating why someone would be socially bold.
Social Boldness Based on Personal Construct Theory
In this section, the personal construct perspective will be utilized in explaining the character trait of social boldness. Ideally, the researcher will utilize Kelly’s reasoning in elucidating why someone would be socially bold.
The tenets of Kelly’s theory are ingrained in the formulation of fundamental postulate and eleven corollaries. As elaborated by the proponent of this theory, fundamental postulate gives insight to processes that are psychologically influenced by individual ways that people anticipate events. Kelly describes these processes as individual experiences and thoughts in addition feelings and individual behaviors. In Kelly’s reasoning, all the processes are determined by what individuals anticipate and not according to reality (Adams, 2012).
Ingrained in concept of construction corollary, Kelly elaborates that people anticipate events founded in the act of construing individual replications. Notably, individuals construct anticipations are based on past experiences. Example, when an individual sets his alarm clock, he expects the alarm to ring at the exact time as it has always done before. Secondly, against this background, if someone has been socially bold before either because of biological aspects or extraversion; that person is anticipated to be bold. Additionally, dichotomy corollary individual construction system is perceived to constitute of dichotomous constructs of a finite number described as personal constructs that are perceived to be unique and individually owned that aid in giving insight to individuals.
Why Someone Would be Socially Bold
Premised on experience corollary, Adams (2012) study that was premised on Kelly’s dispositions elucidates that an individual’s construction system is dependent of the successful construes of the replication of events. Events happen depending on how they have been happening on the past. As such, someone would be socially bold because of the individual’s construct. Example; someone anticipates to be bold because of the previous experience. Further, the concept of individual construct is ingrained in experimentation and validation. Founded on the experimental results of individual boldness, one would be socially bold.
Conclusion
Kelly’s disposition in his Personal Construct theory formed that basis of this study. Notably, this study sought to examine the character social boldness based on Kelly’s reasoning. Particularly, elucidating why someone would be socially bold constituted the scope of this study. It was concluded that character social boldness is an individual construct concept. Individuals can perceive themselves to be socially bold ingrained in perceptions that emanate from individual recurring replications. Further, the study concluded that someone would be socially bold because of personal construct. Particularly, individual anticipation and prior experience were found crucial aspects elucidating why someone would be socially bold.
Reference
Adams J. R. (2012). Personal construct theory: Concepts and applications. Chichester: Wiley.