George Kelly's Philosophical Theory

1. George Kelly’s theory is a scientific alternative to personality theory. He developed an organized set of constructs to explain human phenomenon. Describe how Kelly’s philosophical theory has clinical application to Jane’s personality structure? How might Kelly’s concept of pathological anxiety apply to your understanding of Jane?

George Kelly’s theory of personality was predicated upon one thought – “Man is a scientist” meaning each of us tries to make sense of the world we live in by forming hypothesis. Once we enter into adulthood, according to Kelly, we will have developed a very complex model of the world and our place in it. Kelly believed a person’s conscious thoughts, feelings and personal experiences defined their personality. According to Kelly, an individual’s experiences and cognition, results in what he termed “personal constructs.” A person’s constructs represent the view one has constructed about the world as they have experienced it (Pervin, et. al., 2010). The following is how I interpret and apply Kelly’s theory to Jane’s personality structure: Jane was a passenger in a horrific car accident in which her husband was killed. Although Jane survived the accident, seemingly, it was and continues to be a traumatic ordeal for her, as she does not leave her home and has depended upon her family to assist her regarding her needs. The way in which Jane interprets her current situation (her world) becomes a construct for her. Jane’s thoughts may include she is very lucky to be alive, feeling life is very precious, or feels threatened by the unknown, therefore she has become a recluse, as she no longer trusts the outside world. In other words, Jane’s constructs or her interpretations about her life stems from ...

... middle of paper ...

...h of her life problems are critical and which are minor. Within the treatment plan, some of the goals would be to develop positive life goals, a positive self assessment and better coping skills (Hackney, et. al. 2005).

References

Pervin, L.A., Cervone, D. (2010). Personality theory and research. Wiley & Sons. New York.

Duval, T.S., Silvia, P. (2001). Self awareness and casual attribution. Kluwer Academic

Publishers. Massachusetts

Markus, H., Wurf, E. (1987). The dynamic self-concept: A social psychological perspective.

Annual Review of Psychology.

www.changingminds.org. Retrieved November 10, 2011.

Markus, H. (1977). Self-schemata and processing information about the self. Journal of

Personality and Social Psychology.

Bandura, A., Locke, E. (2003). Negative self-efficacy and goal effects revisited. Journal

Of Applied Psychology. 88, 86-90.