PERSONAL CONSTRUCTS

Created by: Yola Yaneta Harso (093174031) Dwitya Budi Anggraeny (093174046)

Personal constructs are the basic units of analysis in a complete and formally stated theory of personality proposed by George Kelly in his book The Psychology of Personal Constructs (1955). Kellys own clinical experiences led him to the view that there is no objective, absolute truth and that events are meaningful only in relation to the ways that are construed by individuals. Kellys primary focus is on the way individuals perceive their environment, the way they interpret what they perceive in terms of their existing mental structure, and the way in which, as a consequence, they behave towards it.

INTRODUCTION
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Repertory grid technique is a method suggested by Kelly of eliciting constructs and assessing the mathematical relationships between them. A number of different forms of repertory grid technique have been developed since Kellys first formulation. All have the two essential characteristics in common that we have already identified, that is, constructs the dimensions used by a person in conceptualizing aspects of his or her world and elements the stimulus objects that a person evaluates in terms of the constructs she employs (such as people, events, objects, ideas, institutions and so on).

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE METHODS

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Example of repertory grid

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Alban-Metcalf (1997:318) suggests that the use of repertory grids is largely twofold: in their static form they elicit perceptions that people hold of others at a single point in time; in their dynamic form, repeated application of the method indicates changes in perception over time; the latter is useful for charting development and change.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE METHODS

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Several forms of repertory grid technique now in common use represent a significant departure from Kellys individuality corollary in that they provide constructs to subjects rather than elicit constructs from them.

ELICITED VERSUS PROVIDED CONSTRUCTS

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Bannister and Mair (1968) support the use of supplied constructs in experiments where hypotheses have been formulated and in those involving group comparisons. The use of elicited constructs alongside supplied ones can serve as a useful check on the meaningfulness of those that are provided, substantially lower inter-correlations between elicited and supplied constructs suggesting, perhaps, the lack of relevance of those provided by the researcher.

ELICITED VERSUS PROVIDED CONSTRUCTS

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There are three methods for allotting elements to constructs: 1. The split-half form: requires the subject to place half the elements at the similarity pole of each construct.

ALLOTTING ELEMENTS TO CONSTRUCTS

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2.

The rank order form: requires the subject to rank the elements from the one which most markedly exhibits the particular characteristic (shown by the similarity pole description) to the one which least exhibits it.

ALLOTTING ELEMENTS TO CONSTRUCTS

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3.

rating form: Here, the subject is required to judge each element on a 7-point or a 5point scale.

ALLOTTING ELEMENTS TO CONSTRUCTS

Source: adapted from Bannister and Mair 1968

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In laddering constructions, a construct is selected by the interviewer, and the respondent is asked which pole applies to a particular, given element (Alban-Metcalf 1997: 316). In pyramid construction respondents are asked to think of a particular element, a person, and then to specify an attribute which is characteristic of that person. Then the respondent is asked to identify a person who displays the opposite characteristic.

LADDERING AND PYRAMID CONSTRUCTIONS

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GRID ADMINISTRATION AND ANALYSIS

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Proceed in this way for each construct in turn, always placing a cross where the construct pole to the left of the grid applies, and leaving it blank if the construct pole to the right is applicable. Every element must be allocated in this way, and half of the elements must always be allocated to the left-hand pole.

PROCEDURES IN GRID ADMINISTRATION

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