Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionV. Learning Theories 18. Kelly: Psychology of
Personal Constructs© The McGraw−Hill^561
Companies, 2009Differences Among People
Kelly’s second corollary is equally obvious.“Persons differ from each other in their
construction of events”(Kelly, 1955, p. 55). Kelly called this emphasis on individ-
ual differences the individuality corollary.
Because people have different reservoirs of experiences, they construe the
same event in different ways. Thus, no two people put an experience together in ex-
actly the same way. Both the substance and the form of their constructs are different.
For example, a philosopher may subsume the construct truthunder the rubric of eter-
nal values; a lawyer may view truth as a relative concept, useful for a particular pur-
pose; and a scientist may construe truth as an ever-elusive goal, something to be
sought, but never attained. For the philosopher, the lawyer, and the scientist,truth
has a different substance, a different meaning. Moreover, each person arrived at his
or her particular construction in a different manner and thus gives it a different form.
Even identical twins living in nearly identical environments do not construe events
exactly the same. For example, part of Twin A’s environment includes Twin B, an ex-
perience not shared by Twin B.
Although Kelly (1955) emphasized individual differences, he pointed out that
experiences can be shared and that people can find a common ground for construing
experiences. This allows people to communicate both verbally and nonverbally.
However, due to individual differences, the communication is never perfect.
Relationships Among Constructs
Kelly’s third corollary, the organization corollary,emphasizes relationships among
constructs and states that people “characteristically evolve, for [their] convenience
in anticipating events, a construction system embracing ordinal relationships be-
tween constructs”(Kelly, 1955, p. 56).
The first two corollaries assume similarities among events and differences
among people. The third emphasizes that different people organize similar events in
a manner that minimizes incompatibilities and inconsistencies. We arrange our con-
structions so that we may move from one to another in an orderly fashion, which al-
lows us to anticipate events in ways that transcend contradictions and avoid needless
conflicts.
The organization corollary also assumes an ordinal relationship of constructs
so that one construct may be subsumed under another. Figure 18.1 illustrates a hier-
archy of constructs as they might apply to Arlene, the engineering major. In decid-
ing a course of action after her car broke down, Arlene may have seen her situation
in terms of dichotomous superordinate constructs such as good versus bad. At that
point in her life, Arlene regarded independence(of friends or parents) as good and
dependence as bad. However, her personal construct system undoubtedly included a
variety of constructs subsumed under good and bad. For example, Arlene probably
construed intelligence and health as good and stupidity and illness as bad. Further-
more, Arlene’s views of independence and dependence (like her constructs of good
and bad) would have had a multitude of subordinate constructs. In this situation,
Arlene construed staying in school as independence and living with her parents as
dependence. In order to remain in school and continue her job, Arlene needed trans-
portation. There were many possible means of transportation, but Arlene considered
Chapter 18 Kelly: Psychology of Personal Constructs 555