1. George Kelly

2. 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”

3. 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!

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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 Bad
Kind Mean
Intelligent Dumb
Moral Immoral
Bob: Like me or Temporarily Disconnected
Dr. Marvin Don’t get angry or Get Angry

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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)

14. 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).

15. 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

16. 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