George Kelly

1905 - 1967

Constructive Alternativism• The foundation of Kelly’s theory• “We assume that all of our present interpretations of the universe

are subject to revision or replacement”• We are constantly creating and changing explanations of our world

based on our biases, expectations, and experiences• We create our own reality• Said each of us are like “scientists”

The Fundamental Postulate• “A person’s processes are psychologically channelized by the ways

in which [that person] anticipates events”– “person’s processes”: refers to a living, changing, moving, human being– “channelized”: people move in a certain direction that is flexible (both facilitating

and restricting)– “anticipates events”: actions are guided in predictions of the future

• Peoples thoughts and behaviors are directed and motivated, not by the past, or by the future (goals), but by the way they anticipate or predict the future (now, in the present). People “reach out to the future through the window of the present”.

• Expectations direct actions!

Constructs• People observe events in their lives and then infer (construe) rules about

them.• People develop constructs, a personal, unique way of looking at life.

– An intellectual hypothesis explaining or interpreting events.• This is an automatic process, some of which is unconscious• Kelly proposed 11 Corollaries for describing these

The 11 Corollaries

• Construction Corollary– “A person anticipates events by construing their replication”– Because repeated events are similar (rarely, if ever, exactly

alike), we can predict or anticipate how we will deal with such an event in the future

• Cognitive• Emotional

The 11 Corollaries

• Individuality Corollary– “People differ from each other in their

construction of events”– Each person is unique and construe the same

event in different ways

The 11 Corollaries• Organization Corollary

– We arrange our constructs in patterns, based on our views of their similarities and differences

– We often organize these into a hierarchy with some constructs as superordinates and others as subordinates (importance and relevance)

– These can be modified and are interchangeable if they no longer efficiently predict events

People: Good or BadKind MeanIntelligent DumbMoral Immoral

Bob: Like me or Temporarily Disconnected

Dr. Marvin Don’t get angry or Get Angry

The 11 Corollaries• The Dichotomy Corollary

– All constructs are Bipolar or Dichotomous– They account for similarities in events but must also account for

dissimilarities• How can one know how something should be without knowing what

something should not be– They will always be framed in terms of mutually exclusive alternatives– Based on individual terms of differences

The 11 Corollaries• The Choice Corollary

– We choose between the two poles of the construct that works best for us

• The choices are made in terms of how well they allow us to anticipate or predict events in the future and enhance our understanding of the world, increasing our chances of making better choices in the future

• We can choose based on wanting to extend our experience (elaborative choice) or do things the way we always do them (sedimentation)

– Determined by the amount of risk we are willing to take in a situation– (believed we were biologically predisposed to make the elaborative choice)

• Some humanistic undertones of self actualization

The 11 Corollaries• The Range Corollary

– Personal constructs may apply to many situations or people, but not to all situations

• Application is based on personal choice• Ex. Tall vs short: useful for describing buildings, trees, or people,

but not pizza or the weather – Sometimes referred to as range of convenience

The 11 Corollaries• The Experience Corollary

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

– If it is not a valid predictor of the outcome of the situation, then it must be reformulated or replaced.

– We learn from our experiences– To not do so constitutes unhealthy thinking

The 11 Corollaries• The Modulation Corollary

– We may modify our constructs as a function of new experiences– Permeable constructs allow new elements to penetrate or be admitted to the

range of convenience• the more permeable the more open minded an individual

– Concrete constructs are impermeable or rigid and are rarely capable of being changed, no matter what experience tells us

– Experience a big factor– What About Bob?

• Siggy and diving• Bob and sailing• Dr. Marvin and Bob

The 11 Corollaries• The Fragmentation Corollary

– We may sometime have contradictory or inconsistent subordinate constructs within our overall construct system

• Ex: girl meets boy in class -> have like interests -> friend

girl meets same boy at political rally, he is liberal, she is conservative

boy -> liberal -> enemy

(Will she continue to be friends even though they differ speaks to the permeability of her constructs)

The 11 Corollaries• The Commonality Corollary

– Although our individual constructs are unique to us, other people may hold similar constructs

– Similar experiences by people do not necessarily mean the same constructs just as similar constructs do not necessarily mean the same experiences (individuality).

The 11 Corollaries• The Sociality (Sociability) Corollary

– For social relationships to exist, we must be able to understand the actions and motives of others.

– We do not have to construe things the same way but must “effectively construe the other person’s outlook” (girl and boy in previous example)

– “To the extent that one person construes the construction processes of another, he may play a role in a social process involving the other person.”

– Believed to be the most significant by Kelly

C-P-C Cycle• How individuals decide a course of action

– Circumspect:• Consider all the possible ways to construe a situation

– Preemption:• Narrow number of constructs to use

– Control:• Decides a course of action