Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionV. Learning Theories 18. Kelly: Psychology of
Personal Constructs© The McGraw−Hill^567
Companies, 2009All this seems rather complicated, but Kelly was simply suggesting that peo-
ple are actively involved in interpersonal relations and realize that they are part of
the other person’s construction system.
Kelly introduced the notion of rolewith his sociality corollary. A role refers to
a pattern of behavior that results from a person’s understanding of the constructs of
others with whom that person is engaged in a task. For example, when Arlene was
negotiating with the used-car dealer, she construed her role as that of a potential
buyer because she understood that that was his expectation of her. At other times and
with other people, she construes her role as student, employee, daughter, girlfriend,
and so on.
Kelly construed roles from a psychological rather than a sociological perspec-
tive. One’s role does not depend on one’s place or position in a social setting but
rather on how one interprets that role. Kelly also stressed the point that one’s con-
struction of a role need not be accurate in order for the person to play that role.
Arlene’s roles as student, employee, and daughter would be considered pe-
ripheral roles.More central to her existence would be her core role.With our core
role,we define ourselves in terms of who we really are. It gives us a sense of iden-
tity and provides us with guidelines for everyday living.
Applications of Personal
Construct Theory
Like most personality theorists, Kelly evolved his theoretical formulations from his
practice as a psychotherapist. He spent more than 20 years conducting therapy be-
fore he published The Psychology of Personal Constructsin 1955. In this section, we
look at his views of abnormal development, his approach to psychotherapy, and, fi-
nally, his Role Construct Repertory (Rep) Test.
Abnormal Development
In Kelly’s view, psychologically healthy people validate their personal constructs
against their experiences with the real world. They are like competent scientists who
test reasonable hypotheses, accept the results without denial or distortion, and then
willingly alter their theories to match available data. Healthy individuals not only an-
ticipate events but are also able to make satisfactory adjustments when things do not
turn out as they expected.
Unhealthy people, on the other hand, stubbornly cling to outdated personal
constructs, fearing validation of any new constructs that would upset their present
comfortable view of the world. Such people are similar to incompetent scientists
who test unreasonable hypotheses, reject or distort legitimate results, and refuse to
amend or abandon old theories that are no longer useful. Kelly (1955) defined a dis-
order as “any personal construction which is used repeatedly in spite of consistent
invalidation”(p. 831).
A person’s construction system exists in the present—not the past or future.
Psychological disorders, therefore, also exist in the present; they are caused neither
by childhood experiences nor by future events. Because construction systems are
personal,Kelly objected to traditional classifications of abnormalities. Using the
Chapter 18 Kelly: Psychology of Personal Constructs 561