George Kelly – Personal Construct Theory

George Kelly was born on a farm in Kansas in 1905. During his school years and his early professional
career, he dabbled in a wide variety of jobs, but he eventually received a Ph.D. in psychology from the
State University of Iowa. He began his academic career at Fort Hays State College in Kansas, then after
World War II, he took a position at Ohio State. He remained there until 1965 when he joined the
faculty at Brandeis. He died two years later at age 61.

Kelly believed that people look at their world through templates that they create and then attempt to
fit over the realities of the world. He called these templates or transparent patterns personal
constructs, which he believed shape behaviour.
Basic Postulate

Kelly expressed his theory in one basic postulate and 11 supporting corollaries. The basic postulate
assumes that human behavior is shaped by the way people anticipate the future.
Kelly elaborated his theory through 11 corollaries:

The 11 supporting corollaries can all be inferred from this basic postulate:
(1) Although no two events are exactly alike, we construe similar events as if they were the same, and
this is Kelly's construction corollary. (2) The individuality corollary states that because people have
different experiences, they can construe the same event in different ways. (3) The organization
corollary assumes that people organize their personal constructs in a hierarchical system, with some
constructs in a superordinate position and others subordinate to them. (4) The dichotomy corollary
assumes that people construe events in an either/or manner, e.g., good or bad. (5) Kelly's choice
corollary assumes that people tend to choose the alternative in a dichotomized construct that they see
as extending the range of their future choices. (6) The range corollary states that constructs are limited
to a particular range of convenience; that is, they are not relevant to all situations. (7) Kelly's
experience corollary suggests that people continually revise their personal constructs as the result of
their experiences. (8) The modulation corollary assumes that only permeable constructs lead to
change; concrete constructs resist modification through experience. (9) The fragmentation corollary
states that people's behavior can be inconsistent because their construct systems can readily admit
incompatible elements. (10) The commonality corollary suggests that our personal constructs tend to
be similar to the construction systems of other people to the extent that we share experiences with
them. (11) The sociality corollary states that people are able to communicate with other people
because they can construe those people's constructions.

In the Personal Construct Theory, Kelly uses Role Construct Test (REP) for assessment and Fixed Role
therapy for treatment. He usually asks his clients to write a self-characterization in which they describe
themselves in the third person. He believes that it is the client who can give the best and most
information about themselves. In the therapy, he asked client to act “as if” they were different people
and the therapist’s roles was much like a supporting actor.