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Buckenham, M. A. "Reconstructing personal construct psychology : personal and social worlds." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.264709.
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Schlutsmeyer, Mark W. "An Ecological Approach to Personal Construct Psychology." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1122491629.
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Domenici, Valerie A. "Experiential Personal Construct Psychology and Depression: A Qualitative Study." Oxford, Ohio : Miami University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=miami1195061434.
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Gregory, William Scott. "Construct validity of personal motives /." Access abstract and link to full text, 1992. http://0-wwwlib.umi.com.library.utulsa.edu/dissertations/fullcit/9222149.
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Hayes, Katherine Jeanne. "Exploring personal meaning making related to spiritual crisis within experiential personal construct psychology." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami160407650821256.
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Smith, Brendon M. "Experiential Personal Construct Psychology and Countertransference: An Empirical Qualitative Exploration." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1348777281.
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Williams, Lee. "An investigation of business mental toughness using personal construct psychology." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2014. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/an-investigation-of-business-mental-toughness-using-personal-construct-psychology(bd1d1de2-80f5-4677-bcdb-f3712e0bb759).html.
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The current economic climate has placed a tremendous amount of pressure on businesses and their staff to perform and as a consequence the number of lost workdays associated with work place stress is becoming a significant burden upon the UK economy. In order to improve and reduce the cost burden of lost workdays many businesses, and more specifically their leadership teams, have now started to look at non-business related environments in their search for success and ways in which to combat workplace stress. On such environment that business leaders have shown a growing interest in is that of sport and in particular the development and utilisation of mental toughness in order to achieve and sustain high performance. As a result there is a growing, if not an insatiable, desire to create mentally tough business professionals. However even though there are numerous books describing mental toughness to date no one has determine whether its ‘stress coping’ capability will actually benefit business professionals and whether the [sporting] definitions and frameworks are really appropriate for use in a business context. Existing examinations of sporting mental toughness have successfully adopted a qualitative approach in order to examine mental toughness. Similarly this research thesis adopted a qualitative approach using both Personal Construct Psychology and Appreciative Inquiry in order to capture business professional’s individual views, experiences, meanings, and perceptions of theirs or other people’s responses to events and situations in order to describe and characterise business mental toughness. Twelve business professionals participated in the study from which a definition of business mental toughness was developed and the attributes of the ideal mentally tough business person documented. The findings suggest that business mental toughness does exist but is different to that observed in sport and draws on our own values, beliefs, motivations and emotional intelligence and a set of coping mechanisms that enable business professional to cope with the stress and pressure of the work environment whilst maintaining emotional control and delivering on their objectives. This thesis provides the basis for further empirical research into business mental toughness, as well as providing guidance as to some of the conceptual and practical implications for the use of mental toughness techniques within a business environment. Given that £25.9 billion is lost due to work place stress in the UK alone, there is sufficient demand and reason to further the research into the stress coping capabilities of mental toughness and ensure that the correct type of mental toughness is developed within business.
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Conaway, Kathryn Aileen. "Creative Explorations in Experiential Personal Construct Psychology: Accessing Nonverbal Meanings in Dreams." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1362784482.
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Zarroug, Amani. "The construal of romantic relationships in transgendered people : a personal construct approach." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/7737.
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National Health Service (NHS) statistics show that 4000 people in the United Kingdom are receiving help for gender concerns (DH, 2008). Research has highlighted the importance of romantic relationships during early adulthood and an association with mental health (Fincham and Cui, 2011). The experience of romantic relationships among transgender people in ‘emerging adulthood’ (Arnett, 2000, 2006) is an under-researched area. The decision making process concerning, and construal of, romantic relationships among this group have yet to be investigated using Personal Construct Theory (PCT). This study uses qualitative and quantitative methods of inquiry from PCT to investigate the experiences of transgender people encountering romantic relationships. Overarching themes emerging from the participants in this study were of identity validation through romantic relationships, having a bi-gendered lens of the world, facilitating greater understanding in society, and learning from past relationships. Participants’ experiences are analysed individually, as well as as a group. Clinical significance of this, limitations and future research are also discussed.
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Pirotta, Keith Ian. "My ideal school : a personal construct psychology approach to understanding the school constructs of children described as anxious." Thesis, University of East London, 2016. http://roar.uel.ac.uk/5219/.
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This research explores the school constructs of children described as anxious. Little research exists that looks at understanding children’s school-related anxiety through the lens of Personal Construct Psychology (PCP). This qualitative research design includes semi-structured interviews that followed a PCP theoretical framework. The interviews were carried out with five children aged between 7 and 11, who attended state schools in Malta, and who were experiencing school-related anxiety. Participants were asked to comment and produce drawings about the kind of school they would like to attend (their ideal school), and the kind of school they would not like to attend. The children’s constructs were organised according to whether they related to adults in school, their peers, the school and classroom environment, and the participants themselves in each of these two imaginary schools. Participants were also asked to think of how the school they currently attend can become more like their ideal school. Findings indicate the importance of relationships between teachers and pupils, relationships amongst pupils themselves, a positive learning environment within the classroom and the belongingness to a common value system and school ethos to which anxious children can relate. This research aims to shed light on the responsibility of professionals working with children with school-related anxiety to look beyond within-child factors and understand possible stressors in the child’s environment as potentially contributing to heightening their anxiety.
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Thayne, Jeffrey Lamar. "The Psychology of Personal Constructs as a Response to the Ethical." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2012. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3659.
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Although George Kelly's psychology of personal constructs was not originally designed to address and account for experiences of self-betrayal, as described by Warner (1986, 2001), Olson (2004, 2007), Olson and Israelson (2007), Williams (2005), and others (Arbinger, 2000), his theory (with minor modifications) may help illuminate the psychology behind the sudden gestaltic shifts and moral transformations experienced by individuals in Warner's (1986, 2001) stories, without undoing any of Warner's existing analysis of self betrayal.The end vision of the thesis is a structured theory of personality, so to speak, that borrows Kelly's insights and extends them to the phenomenon of self-betrayal. This approach allows us to (1) help others make their self-betraying constructs explicit, (2) measure and document them when we do, (3) communicate those constructs to others, (4) and do all of these things while conceptualizing human beings as moral agents responding to their moral sense, in addition to scientists seeking to predict and control their environment.
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Davies, Trevor. "Creativity : its contribution to design and technology education." Thesis, University of Reading, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.269122.
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Maitland, Patricia. "The experience of alternative to custody day centres : the client's perspective." Thesis, Cranfield University, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.285302.
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Humphreys, Carol Lee. "An alternative lens for a case of dissociative identity disorder experiential personal construct psychology /." Connect to this document online, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=miami1114197492.
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Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2005.Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [1], vi, 103 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-88).
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Humphreys, Carol Lee. "AN ALTERNATIVE LENS FOR A CASE OF DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER: EXPERIENTIAL PERSONAL CONSTRUCT PSYCHOLOGY." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1114197492.
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Chambers, Timothy. "Personal constructs on resilience in swimming." University of Western Australia. School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0023.
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[Truncated abstract] Resilience is a concept that originated from behavioural science; a branch of research aimed at explaining unexpected benign or malignant outcomes associated with human development. It is a psychological construct that encompasses both cognitive and behavioural responses to negative situations and appears to exist at both an individual and group level. As a concept, resilience receives considerable attention from researchers within developmental psychology fields, who primarily identify numerous risk and protective factors. Within sport, however, researchers have demonstrated a preference for the examination of more traditional concepts, such as coping strategies. Moreover, few investigations in either domain employ a cogent theoretical framework to guide the research. Therefore, the present research program utilises Personal Construct Psychology (PCP; Kelly, 1955) principles to direct the proposed research. PCP is a theory about theories that emphasised our underlying ambition to make sense of the world, the events people encounter and themselves. According to Kelly, PCP is guided by the fundamental postulate and 11 corollaries. The PCP research template employed by the current research program promotes the utilisation of multimethod designs (i.e., qualitative and quantitative investigations) in order to understand and facilitate the development of resilience in swimming. Three research investigations are proposed to examine resilience in swimming, and are structured according to PCP. Each investigation is outlined below. Study 1. An interview protocol based upon key elements of Kelly s (1955) psychotherapy retrospective interview protocol was employed to elicit an understanding of resilience in swimming. Fourteen interviews were scheduled with elite Australian swimmers and swimming coaches, utilising the interview schedule. ... Study 3. The aim of this study was to design, implement and evaluate a resilience intervention for youth swimmers. Utilising the data generated from the first study, a resilience enhancement program was designed and delivered to 16 developmental swimmers over a period of three months. Resilience was measured pre, during and post intervention, and three months after the intervention. Resilience was also measured on an age and ability matched control group (n = 20), at the same time points. Results revealed improvements in resilience for the experimental group following the completion of the resilience program. In summary, the present research program employed a PCP (Kelly, 1955) research template to guide the aforementioned studies of resilience. The data collected from the research investigations contributed considerable knowledge to the resilience concept, and the sport psychology field. The qualitative study was the first of its kind to examine the concept in swimming, revealing several elements and process pertaining to resilience that later formed the foundations for the resilience intervention. General conclusions propose that future research combine psychological measurement of resilience and more traditional sport psychology concepts, in addition to the development of a sport specific psychometric measure of resilience.
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Cooper, Emily. "Exploring the personal constructs of looked after children and their foster carers : a qualitative study." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/8734.
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Previous research has indicated the unique contribution that the interaction between looked after children and their foster carers might have on young people’s behaviour, emotional well-being and subsequent placement stability. Furthermore, there may be differences in the way in which young people and their foster carers view a typical family. Despite this, there is a noticeable absence of studies which have specifically explored the foster carer-child relationship, particularly in terms of how their individual perspectives might be negotiated within their interpersonal relationship. The current study therefore aimed to address this gap. Three foster carer-child dyads were recruited from a local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, with young people aged between 8 and 16 years. A Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) approach was adopted. Participants each completed an individual interview, facilitated by Perceiver Element Grids (PEGs; Procter, 2002) in which interpersonal construing was explored. Looked after children and their foster carers were then interviewed together to share and discuss their completed PEGs. Interview transcripts were analysed using Thematic Analysis and PCP concepts were used to analyse the interactional processes between young people and their carers. The study highlighted a shared sense of fragmentation across participants’ accounts, with both looked after children and their carers reporting a sense of inauthenticity in the way they negotiated their interpersonal relationships. Differences in the way in which ‘family’ was perceived was also highlighted, with young people expressing a sense of ambivalence regarding their desire to be integrated into their foster family, whilst also retaining a connection to their birth family. These themes were supported in their interactions and co-constructional processes. The findings are discussed in relation to the relevant literature and clinical implications. Methodological limitations and directions for future research are also presented.
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Christopher, Michael. "An interpretive study of values regarding health, quality of life, and personal relationships held by coronary heart disease patients." Thesis, University of Bristol, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.263894.
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Gaffney, Joel Scott. "The Relational Injury of Paternal Loss: An Exploration of Grief Using Experiential Personal Construct Psychology." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1500650428556315.
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Duggan, Peter M. "Adolescent invulnerability and personal uniqueness : scale development and initial construct validation." Virtual Press, 2001. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1203838.
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Two measures, The Adolescent Invulnerability Scale (TAIS) and The Adolescent Personal Uniqueness Scale (TAPUS) were developed to quantify levels of felt invulnerability and personal uniqueness, respectively. The relationship among these two personal fables (invulnerability, personal uniqueness), and mental health variables was assessed in a large sample of adolescents (n = 248, including seventh and eighth grade students). Participants responded to the newly crafted measures of adolescent invulnerability and personal uniqueness, the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, three indices of suicidal ideation, an inventory of delinquent risk behaviors, and two subscales from the Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents. It was predicted that invulnerability would be positively associated with risk behaviors and more prevalent among boys. In addition, personal uniqueness would be positively associated with depression and suicidal ideation, and more prevalent in girls. With respect to personal fable ideation, boys demonstrated higher levels of felt invulnerability and more risk behaviors than girls. In addition, girls reported more feelings of depression than boys, however neither group differed on the amount of reported felt personal uniqueness. The results show that the personal fables of invulnerability and personal uniqueness are differentially linked to indices of mental health within an adolescent population.Department of Educational Psychology
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Schirm, Julia R. Lonoff. "Experiential Personal Construct Psychology and Severe Disturbances: Exploring Developmental/Structural Disruptions in Self-Other Permanence." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1399719556.
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Zolten, Avram J. (Avram Jeffery). "Construct Use and Self-Aspect Change in Recovery From Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: a Personal Construct Analysis." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1992. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278306/.
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Cognitive ratings that use bipolar constructs based upon similarity and contrast have been shown to be biased towards the similarity pole in approximately a 62/38 ratio. This bias has also been known to shift in the contrastive direction for individuals who have psychiatric problems. This quantitative measure of cognitive change has a potential for characterizing cognitive changes that occur during the disease process, including recovery from disease. The present study investigated changes in self-aspect ratings and bipolar construct use in adult male veterans who had undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Results indicated that treatment
subjects' self-aspect and construct ratings were more negative than controls'. Results also indicated that all subjects rated core interpersonal self-aspects closest to the expected bias, while self-aspects related to cardiac recovery problems were rated in the most contrastive direction. The results finally suggested that the greatest degree of change for the treatment subjects were in emotionally generated constructs. The results suggested a preliminary validation for characterizing cognitive changes in the disease process by measuring shifts in bipolar construct ratings.
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Murphy, Mark. "Using personal construct psychology to explore relationships for adolescents with high functioning autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, Canterbury Christ Church University, 2014. http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/12861/.
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Individuals with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) stand an increased risk of experiencing mental health problems during adolescence. The present study aimed to develop a better understanding of interpersonal relationships in the lives of adolescents with high functioning ASD. Eight adolescents with a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome or ASD without an identified intellectual disability engaged in a structured interview based on a personal construct psychology exercise exploring constructs about interpersonal relationships. Interviews were transcribed and subjected to a thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: 1) Relationships as a source of support, 2) Perceptions of similarity and difference, 3) Valued qualities in self and others and 4) The development of and maintenance of relationships. Whilst this exploratory study highlighted some commonality in terms of perceptions of family support and friendships as protective and desirable, the participant group differed in their ability to establish and maintain peer relationships. However, peers were seen by participants as being very important in the development of social skills - a finding which has implications for the delivery of social skills training and other supportive interventions. The personal construct exercise provided an accessible and useful platform for the exploration of the social worlds of adolescents with ASD.
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Lakin, Jessica Anne. "A personal construct theory approach to addressing adherence in an adolescent asthmatic population." Thesis, University of Hull, 2001. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:11506.
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This study is an exploratory investigation into understanding adherence behaviour in a random sample of 13 asthmatic adolescents selected from a General Practice population. Personal Construct Theory is used as a theoretical and methodological framework within which to assess the meaning of having asthma and taking medication to each participant. Asthma and adherence perceptions are also obtained in a semistructured interview. Measures of subjective asthma status are obtained using a global severity rating scale and the Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire. Subjective measures of adherence are also obtained from the participant, their parent and their health-care provider. A qualitative analysis of the results reveals that, for the majority of the sample, self-construal of adherence is consistent with self-construal of asthma. A content analysis of elicited constructs reveals a category of themes, which show direct parallels with models of health behaviour change and adolescent development. It is proposed that these results provide the basis for the development of a model of adherence in asthmatic adolescents. The validity of the grid methodology is assessed through feedback of the results to the participants and comparison of data sources. It is concluded that the grid is a valid tool for addressing perceptions of asthma and adherence. Reliability of the methodology is not addressed. Implications for the use of the methodology within a clinical setting and recommendations for further research are discussed.
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MacLean, Sarah Gemma. "Personal constructs and adjustment in secondary hypothyroidism." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/7027.
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Secondary hypothyroidism is caused by treatment for hyperthyroidism and is a chronic condition. After adequate treatment, people can continue to experience persistent physical and depressive symptoms. There is a lack of research into the psychological factors involved in the condition, such as how people adjust to hypothyroidism. The study used Kelly’s (1955) Personal Construct Theory to explore the way in which patients construe (appraise) themselves with hypothyroidism and how this relates to coping, depression and hypothyroid symptoms. Twenty participants were recruited from an endocrinology clinic and online, through thyroid support organisations. Participants completed a semi-structured interview called a repertory grid and self-report measures of coping (Brief COPE), depression (HADS) and hypothyroid symptoms (ThySRQ). Repertory grid measures were extracted such as distances between different views of the self. The results showed that how unfavourably the self now was viewed compared to self before a thyroid disorder was positively correlated with depression, dysfunctional coping and hypothyroid symptoms. Identification with a negative view of hypothyroidism was associated with poorer mental and physical health and with dysfunctional coping. Polarized (i.e. black-and-white) construing and tight (i.e. rigid) construing were significantly and positively related to depression scores. Tightness of construing was also related to the number of hypothyroid symptoms experienced. Dysfunctional coping was positively correlated with depression and hypothyroid symptoms. Those with a history of depression experienced significantly more hypothyroid symptoms. Exploratory multiple regression analyses uncovered that how unfavourably the person viewed themselves now compared with before any thyroid problem, hypothyroid symptom frequency and dysfunctional coping accounted for 82.9% of the variance in depression. This highlights the importance of understanding how people construe the experience of hypothyroidism and their coping strategies and therefore psychological interventions may be helpful. Limitations include a small sample size and a correlational design, whereby cause and effect conclusions cannot be drawn.
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Chadwick, Sarah Louise. "Investigating recovery in psychosis : a personal construct repertory grid study." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/6372.
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Research regarding the potential value of using a personal construct psychology (PCP) framework to explore recovery in psychosis has been minimal. Mental health policy guidelines (Shepherd et al., 2008) recommend that recovery in mental health is an important area that needs further research. This study aims to further understanding of recovery in service users with psychosis, by examining personal constructs elicited from participants, in contrast to the researcher supplying constructs (Bell and McGorry, 1992). Further, it attempts to define the degree of recovery using the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS, Corrigan et al., 1999). Thirty two adults from the NHS and voluntary sector participated in the study; each completed a repertory grid (Kelly, 1955). The RAS enabled recovery to be defined by splitting the sample, and comparisons made between low to moderate and high recovery groups. The main findings of the study show that participants in the high recovery group showed less differentiation between their different selves; greater self-esteem; an experienced sense of control over their environment; a higher degree of quality and quantity of support; and a higher degree of hope and goal setting than participants in the low to moderate recovery group. In addition, content analysis (Landfield, 1971) of current self constructs showed that participants in high recovery construed themselves as being more self-sufficient, more active socially, and displayed higher tenderness compared to those in low to moderate recovery. Findings show how repertory grid methods can be applied clinically in order to help with case assessment and formulation, and help facilitate individually tailored therapeutic interventions to enhance recovery. For example, self differentiation findings suggest that to help an individual move towards a higher degree of recovery involves firstly loosening, and then tightening up their construing system. Secondly, self-esteem measures enabled identification of personal goals to strive towards in terms of an individual’s conception of their current and ideal self, and thus steps to take to progress toward recovery. Thirdly, the Pawn and Origin Scale (Westbrook and Viney, 1980) highlighted the degree of control over one’s external and internal world, thus highlighting areas that could be worked on to progress toward higher recovery. Clinical interventions addressing implicative dilemmas were also identified as enabling a change in behaviour, and therefore movement toward recovery. Limitations of the study are discussed, including using HICLAS (De Boeck, 1992) to measure self elaboration in recovery; and future research outlined, including exploring recovery in psychosis through a longitudinal study, and sampling across different mental health populations.
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Pickrell, Simone Wendy. "A surveyor's world-view : decision-making in building surveying." Thesis, University of Reading, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.301931.
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Clarke, Peter Thomas. "The professionalisation of Scottish football coaches : a personal construct approach." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/26824.
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Sports coaching has struggled to gain credibility as a profession. It has previously been described as a pseudo profession, though in recent years there have been a number of attempts to rectify this view in order to formally recognize coaching as a profession. Most literature on the professions focuses on the more established professions, with very little research undertaken into the professional development of football (soccer) coaches. The research undertaken examined the ways in which Scottish football coaches learnt their ‘trade’ once they had achieved their initial certification – in other words, how they became socialised into the profession of football coach in Scotland. In order to achieve this aim a number of different samples were examined. First, a sample of aspiring, young professional players were examined, followed by a sample of full time young professionals. Further, two samples of coaches undertaking their initial accreditation courses (SFA UEFA ‘B’ Licence and SFA UEFA ‘A’ Licence - this latter award being essential to become a full time professional football coach in Scotland). Finally, a sample of senior coaches (those that had been practising for at least five years) was examined. The methodology of choice was that of Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) which enabled an idiographic analysis of each coach to be carried out. Using the Repertory Grid (Repgrid) technique all samples, which were exclusively male, completed a grid and the group of senior coaches also had their grid data further analysed using the ‘Laddering’ approach, which enabled a more detailed set of core constructs to be derived. In addition, the development of the ‘Snake’ interview approach, enabled a more detailed examination of senior, elite coaches’tract development. This format enabled the senior coaches to describe perceived critical incidents that had occurred in their professional lives and discussed what meaning such incidents had in their professional development. Results indicated that there was a mismatch between what young professional players thought that coaches should do and what coaches actually did in their daily practice. Further, differences in constructs between “B” level, coaches and “A” level coaches and senior coaches were clearly definable. There was little evidence to support idealistic notions of what should happen in learning situations with senior professional coaches and reasons for such were discussed. It was argued that much more attention should be paid by the National Governing Body, the Scottish Football Association (SFA), to ensure that courses should be better structured to be more relevant to neophyte coaches in their initial learning. Thus, once these coaches become formally qualified (certificated) more precise mechanisms, in terms of realistic Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes, mentoring of coaches at all levels and the establishment and encouragement of ongoing and accepted communities of practice, coaches will benefit and develop as professionals from such continuous life-long learning opportunities.
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Sandfield, Anna. "Relationship status and identity construction in heterosexual women: A discourse analytic and personal construct study." Thesis, Aston University, 2003. http://publications.aston.ac.uk/12258/.
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This thesis reports the findings of three studies examining relationship status and identity construction in the talk of heterosexual women, from a feminist and social constructionist perspective. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 women in study 1 and 13 women for study 2, between the ages of twenty and eighty-seven, discussing their experiences of relationships. All interviews were transcribed and analysed using discourse analysis, by hand and using the Nudist 6 program. The resulting themes create distinct age-related marital status expectations. Unmarried women were aware they had to marry by a ‘certain age’ or face a ‘lonely spinsterhood’. Through marriage women gained a socially accepted position associated with responsibility for others, self-sacrifice, a home-focused lifestyle and relational identification. Divorce was constructed as the consequence of personal faults and poor relationship care, reassuring the married of their own control over their status. Older unmarried women were constructed as deviant and pitiable, occupying social purgatory as a result of transgressing these valued conventions. Study 3 used repertory grid tasks, with 33 women, analysing transcripts and notes alongside numerical data using Web Grid II internet analysis tool, to produce principle components maps demonstrating the relationships between relationship terms and statuses. This study illuminated the consistency with which women of different ages and status saw marriage as their ideal living situation and outlined the domestic responsibilities associated. Spinsters and single-again women were defined primarily by their lack of marriage and by loneliness. This highlighted the devalued position of older unmarried women. The results of these studies indicated a consistent set of age-related expectations of relationship status, acknowledged by women and reinforced by their families and friends, which render many unmarried women deviant and fail to acknowledge the potential variety of women’s ways of living.
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Grundy, Wendy Elizabeth. "The management of pupils' disruptive and challenging behaviour : facilitating newly qualified teacher thinking through Personal Construct Psychology." Thesis, Oxford Brookes University, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.427083.
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Savage, David John. "A personal construct theory approach towards understanding student goals and behaviour, their influence on use of time, academic success and personal well-being." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.387306.
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Nicholls, Daniel J. "An interpretive exploration of beliefs and values related to professional practice in educational psychology." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/117465.
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In 2006 a new training route for Educational Psychologists (EPs) was introduced, which extended the entry criteria to applicants from a range of professional backgrounds. The related literature indicates that this was a contentious issue. The aim of the current study is to explore the relationship between the role of the EP and professional background using an interpretive methodology. Twelve participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format. The participants were four EPs, four primary Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos), three secondary SENCos and a Portage Worker. The aim of the study is also to establish what skills and qualities the participants perceive to be necessary to be an effective and credible practitioner. Following analysis of the interview data, a number of themes emerged. In terms of desirable EP attributes, the participants’ responses fell into three broad categories, interpersonal skills, psychological skills and other qualities. The participants perceived the EP role as either expert or collaborative, although some expressed a degree of uncertainty about the nature of the role. All of the participants alluded to a link between experience and credibility, although the nature of desirable experience varied between personal and professional experience. Participants who viewed the role of the EP within an expert model favoured teaching experience over other forms of pre-training experience. The second stage of this study is set in the context of the recent changes to the initial training of Educational Psychologists (EPs). The broad aim of the study is to explore beliefs that are held in relation to the relationship between the role of the EP and professional background. In particular, stage two aims to explore the participants’ belief systems in greater depth. It was therefore deemed that Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) would provide an appropriate psychological framework to inform the design of the study and interpretation of the data. Six of the twelve participants who were interviewed at stage one of this study participated in follow-up interviews using a self-characterisation technique. Their responses were laddered in order to elicit superordinate constructs, until an end point was agreed upon between participant and researcher, which are referred to as ‘core constructs’. The data were clustered in relation to the themes arising from stage one, resulting in six clusters, collaboration, motivation and applying psychology being ranked as most important for EPs. The use of PCP as a theoretical framework has provided a psychological perspective from which to address beliefs regarding the professional background of EPs.
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Ortiz, Garzón Eliana. "Malestar psicológico, construcción del sí mismo, estructura y conflictos cognitivos en estudiantes de psicología = Psychological distress, self-construction, structure and cognitive conflicts in psychology students." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/404877.
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El objetivo de la presente tesis doctoral es identificar las características de malestar psicológico, construcción del sí mismo, estructura y conflictos cognitivos en una muestra de estudiantes de Psicología en comparación con los datos ya disponibles de una muestra comunitaria y otra clínica. Así mismo, se pretenden explorar las diferencias según el género y el nivel de estudios, y evaluar la estabilidad de las medidas derivadas de la técnica de la rejilla interpersonal. Igualmente, se busca explorar la relación entre las medidas cognitivas evaluadas, el nivel de autoestima, los síntomas depresivos y las medidas que indican malestar psicológico. En el estudio participó una muestra incidental de 430 sujetos, distribuidos en tres grupos diferentes: 183 estudiantes de la Facultad de Psicología de la Universitat de Barcelona, 117 voluntarios de una muestra comunitaria y 131 participantes de una muestra clínica.
Los resultados confirman que los estudiantes y la muestra comunitaria presentan puntuaciones similares en las medidas cognitivas, en el malestar psicológico, los síntomas depresivos y el nivel de autoestima. Comparativamente, la muestra clínica presenta puntuaciones significativamente más elevadas en la discrepancia yo-ideal y yo- otros, el nivel de indefinición y el porcentaje de constructos dilemáticos. Se encontró una tendencia a una mayor presencia de constructos dilemáticos en la muestra clínica, mientras que la presencia de dilemas implicativos fue similar entre los estudiantes y la muestra clínica. Como era esperable, se presentó más sintomatología depresiva y un mayor nivel de psicopatología general en la muestra clínica. No se hallaron diferencias significativas según el género ni la edad en ninguna de las medidas evaluadas. Con respecto al nivel de estudios, se encontraron diferencias significativas en el porcentaje de constructos dilemáticos, en el funcionamiento general y los síntomas depresivos, con puntuaciones más elevadas en los estudiantes de grado con respecto a los de posgrado. En el análisis correlacional destaca la relación directa entre el malestar psicológico y los síntomas depresivos, y la relación inversa entre estos últimos y el nivel de autoestima. Finalmente se constata la estabilidad de los índices de la TRI mediante el método test- retest.The objective of this doctoral thesis is to identify the characteristics of psychological distress, self-construction, cognitive structure and cognitive conflicts in a sample of college students compared with available data from community and clinical samples. Likewise, differences according to gender and academic level are analyzed and the stability of measures derived from the interpersonal repertory grid technique (RGT) is evaluated. Also, the relationship between cognitive measures, self-esteem level, depressive symptoms and psychological distress will be explored. In the study, an incidental sample of 430 subjects was used, distributed into three different groups: 183 college students of Universitat de Barcelona, 117 volunteers of the community sample and 131 participants of clinical sample. The results show that student and community samples scored similarly on cognitive measures, psychological distress, depressive symptoms and level of self- esteem. Comparatively, the clinical sample reveals scores which are significantly higher in the self-ideal and self-others discrepancy, the indefinition level and the percentage of dilemmatic constructs. A tendency of a greater presence of dilemmatic constructs in the clinical sample was found, while the presence of implicative dilemmas was similar between students and the clinical sample. As expected, there were more depressive symptoms and a greater level of general psychopathology found in the clinical sample. There were no significant differences found between gender and age in any of the variables evaluated. Regarding the level of studies, significant differences were found in the percentage of dilemma constructs, in general functioning and depressive symptoms, with higher scores in undergraduate students than in postgraduate students. The correlational analysis emphasizes the direct relationship between psychological distress and depressive symptoms, and the inverse relationship between depression and self- esteem level. Finally, the stability of the RGT indices is verified by the test-retest method.
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Gucciardi, Daniel F. "Mental toughness in Australian football." University of Western Australia. School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0007.
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[Truncated abstract] At the commencement of this research project in February 2005, there was a paucity of empirical investigations that focused on understanding the psychological construct of mental toughness in sport (Bull, Shambrook, James, & Brooks, 2005; Fourie & Potgieter, 2001; Jones, Hanton, & Connaughton, 2002). Although impressive, the available literature did little in offering consensus in terms of a definition and operationalising the construct in a consistent manner as well as understanding those factors contributing to its measurement and development. The absence of theoretically guided research, in particular, was noted as a major limitation of this research. The potential significance of mental toughness for performance excellence combined with the conceptual confusion and lack of rigorous empirical research highlighted the need for further research on mental toughness in sport. Accordingly, the purpose of this thesis was to examine issues pertaining to the understanding, measurement, and development of mental toughness in sport, using personal construct psychology (Kelly, 1955/1991) as the guiding theoretical framework. Australian football was chosen as the context to explore these issues. In the opening empirical chapter, two qualitative manuscripts in which Australian football coaches perspectives on mental toughness and those factors contributing to its development are reported. Three central themes for understanding mental toughness in Australian football were generated: characteristics (self-belief, motivation, tough attitude, concentration and focus, resilience, handling pressure, personal values, emotional intelligence, sport intelligence, and physical toughness); situations (e.g., injuries, success); and behaviours (e.g., superior decision-makers, consistent performance). '...' In the final empirical chapter, two manuscripts in which the effectiveness of two different psychological skills training programs in enhancing mental toughness among youth-aged (15's) Australian footballers are reported. The first presents a quantitative analysis while the second presents a qualitative analysis. Multisource ratings (self, parent, and coach) of the AfMTI and self-reported resilience and flow indicated more positive changes in mental toughness, resilience, and flow than the control group. Similar patterns in the findings were evident across rating sources. Interviews with several players and one of their parents as well as the coaches generated their perceptions on the benefits of participating in the program (e.g., increased work ethic, tougher attitudes) and the processes by which the program had an effect (e.g., self-awareness; self-monitoring; self-regulation; and multi-perspective discussions) as well as suggestions for program improvement (e.g., parent and coach education programs). In summary, the results of the five studies presented in this thesis provide a comprehensive account of issues pertaining to the understanding, measurement, and development of mental toughness in Australian football. The findings are supportive of several aspects of previous research but also extend this line of inquiry in a number of ways. It is my hope that other researchers will be stimulated to engage in further research extending what is presented here and that practitioners will use this information to inform their professional endeavours.
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Watson, Susan Belinda. "A process and outcome study of personal construct, cognitive, and psychodynamic therapies in a NHS setting." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.245357.
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Patterson, Fiona. "Personal constructs of adolescents with selective mutism." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/7117.
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Due to the nature of the condition, research into selective mutism has tended towards quantitative analyses or individual case studies. This study aimed to explore the personal experiences of adolescents with selective mutism whilst considering the threats to validity that exist in previous qualitative studies. In a series of case studies (n=6), methods of eliciting data derived from Personal Construct Psychology were employed. Experience Cycle Methodology was used to explore the process of construing, whilst the Repertory Grid Technique enabled an exploration of the structure of construing. It was hoped that these methods might identify obstacles to change and inform appropriate interventions. Results suggested that mutism may be ‘chosen’ because it may enable greater anticipation of their interpersonal relationships than does speaking. Furthermore, there were suggestions that selective mutism may be a way of avoiding possible invalidation. Further research into sociality and systemic discourse was proposed in order to understand this condition further.
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Connabeer, Rebecca Ann. "Train drivers' experiences of witnessing a railway suicide : a repertory grid study." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/11957.
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Over 200 railway suicides occur on the British Rail Network (BRN) every year. Research into the physical and psychological effects of this traumatic event on train drivers has been limited, and has focused very little on the mediating influence of personal factors. Kelly’s Personal Construct Psychology (PCP, 1955) was used in the current study to explore the relationship between train drivers’ views of themselves and others, and the psychological impact of witnessing a railway suicide. This was achieved through the use of repertory grid technique. Repertory grid measures of tightness of the overall construct system, level of elaboration of the self and others, construed distances between the self and others, conflict, extremity of ratings, and superordinacy were compared with participants’ scores on a measure of the psychological impact of the event (Impact of Event Scale Revised, IES-R, Weiss & Marmar, 1997). The fifteen participants in the study also completed a background information questionnaire. A content analysis of the constructs used in the repertory grids, and a thematic analysis of a follow up interview with two of the participants was also conducted. The findings indicated that most drivers experienced symptoms suggestive of a significant posttraumatic stress (PTS) reaction following the incident. For many this appeared to be short-lived, but for some the incident had longer lasting effects, and a third of the sample had been given an official diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Possibly due to the small sample size, many of the correlations did not achieve statistical significance. However, discrepancy between the self and ideal self, and the number of moral constructs employed by participants, were both positively associated with reported levels of psychological distress. The superordinacy of the traumatised construct, and the number of emotional constructs employed by participants, were both negatively associated with reported levels of psychological distress. These findings therefore gave some support to Sewell and Cromwell’s (1990) PCP model of trauma, and to the importance of emotional processing of traumatic events. The thematic analyses added information about the nature of the changes experienced by train drivers following these events, and the impact of contextual factors. The repertory grid technique proved useful in measuring the influence of personal meaning making on the impact of traumatic events. The findings suggest that drivers can best be supported clinically by reducing the discrepancy between their self after the event and their ideal self, increasing their ability to emotionally process their experience, and by giving consideration to issues such as anger and blame. Limitations of the research are presented, as well as suggestions for further research.
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Thommessen, Sara. "Exploring the experiences and needs of asylum-seeking and refugee individuals through qualitative and Personal Construct methods." Thesis, City, University of London, 2016. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/17244/.
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This thesis is concerned with first-person accounts of the needs and experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee individuals in European asylum countries. The aim of the research programme was twofold. Firstly, to explore how participating asylum-seeking and refugee individuals understand and make sense of their experiences and how societies can best support them through qualitative methods. Secondly, to determine the value of using a method based on George Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory (PCT) as a ‘working tool’ to elicit constructs that guide meaning-making and understanding in asylum-seeking and refugee individuals in European countries. An inherent goal throughout the research was to give voice to asylum-seeking and refugee children, youths and adults, whose voices are rarely heard. The research programme included two types of studies. There were two exploratory studies based on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, and three studies that examined the value of applying a method based on Kelly’s PCT method, where the resulting data were analysed using a thematic analysis. Overall, the studies focus on first-person accounts and personal constructs of asylum-seeking and refugee children, youth and adults, and highlight aspects of the social world that are perceived to be critical to these individuals. In all of the studies, the immense importance of social support and social relationships were found to be main themes, in addition to possibilities related to education, work and being able to make a positive contribution to the resettlement country. Furthermore, challenges related to language difficulties, isolation, stigmatisation and cultural clashes were identified as central themes. It is hoped that these findings may be implemented in theoretical and practical work, when seeking to develop intervention and support strategies for these groups. Additionally, it is hoped that the participants’ willingness to share their perspectives will lead to an increased understanding of the complexity of asylum-seeking and refugee experiences.
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Trenoweth, Steven. "Personal Construction and Reconstruction of Meaning in a Changing Occupational World: An Exploratory Study of Mental Health Nursing Students from a Personal Construct Psychology Perspective." Thesis, University of West London, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.492220.
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This study examines the construction and reconstruction of meanings that student mental health nurses attach to their socialisation and occupational experiences during their professional education. In so doing, it adopts a Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) approach to underpin its theory and methodology. This approach was chosen to explore the personal meanings which may be attached to events in one's world, and in so doing affords the collection ofquantitative and qualitative data. This study therefore utilises a multi-paradigm, mixed method approach to explore the construction and reconstruction ofmeanings that 20 student mental health nurses attach to themselves and their experiences during the first 2 years of the mental health nursing programme. In this study, 2 types ofinterviews were employed; a semi-structured interview affording content analyses to explore the meanings people use to interpret their contexts, experiences and situations; and a structured interview based around the elicitation ofconstructs, subsequently captured by RepGrids, which seek to explore the micro-processes ofpersonal meanings. The study is therefore concerned with the normative and nomothetic (as indicated by areas of commonality amongst participants), and the phenomenological and idiographic (as reported by individuals regarding their personal subjective experiences). The findings illustrate that there are some areas of commonality amongst participants in this study, suggesting that at each time sampling periods there were a number of themes and issues which were resonating with participants. In broad terms participants described moving from feeling uncertain, through to increasing awareness and understanding ofthemselves and others, and, ultimately, feeling more accomplished in relation to their occupational world. Most participants felt changed in terms of their occupational competency with some people feeling that they had changed as a person, and that their views of themselves, and in some cases their views oflife, had altered. Additionally, while there were individual differences in perceptions of social relationships over time, there was a tendency to describe an initial uncertainty and inadequacy in helping relationships that gave way, over time, to feeling an increasing part ofa team and an ability to initiate helping relationships. The overall findings suggest that personal change tends to reflect individual paths of development rather than a common socialisation effect. Moreover, people's constructions ofmeaning seem to be a dynamic process, influenced by the significance that an individual attaches to their experiences. That is, while participants were exposed to comparatively similar events in terms of theoretical and clinical/practical components ofthe programme, the meanings that they attributed to their experiences are seemingly varied. Such personal and individual differences are illustrated by the presentation ofthree case studies. The limitations ofthe study and the implications of the findings are explored. Overall, it is concluded that to meet the challenges ofmodem complex mental health care, there is a need to be able to respond to clinical uncertainty and ambiguity and how one might manage stress and personal anxiety surrounding uncertainty; to develop 'wisdom'; to consider how one might develop an understanding self and others; and the overall benefits ofa plurality of approaches to mental health nursing care. A discussion regarding the possible benefits ofpersonal constructivism for nurse education is undertaken along with suggestions as to how student mental health nurses may be supported to elaborate their constructions systems so as to be able to better predict, anticipate and make sense oftheir occupational world and respond meaningfully to the needs and wishes of their client group.
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Dasch, Kimberly B. "Daily stress and coping correlates of sociotropy and autonomy evaluation of the construct validity of the Personal Style Inventory /." Access to citation, abstract and download form provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company; downloadable PDF file 0.17 Mb., p, 2006. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?did=1163266781&Fmt=7&clientId=8331&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Dobbin, Mervyn. "Women's environmental experience in Milton Keynes New Town : a case study in personal construct theory." n.p, 1985. http://oro.open.ac.uk/18871.
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Bollinger, Hautina K. (Hautina Kay). "Self-Other Perceptions under Challenge: a Personal Construct Approach to Hostility and the Type A Behavior Pattern." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1994. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278333/.
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The purpose of the study was to determine if exposure to a challenging interpersonal situation would have an adverse impact on intra- and interpersonal constructs. Individual difference variables including level of hostility and anger, Type A behavior, control in social situations, depression and sex were examined as "predictors" of those more likely to be adversely affected by personal challenge. Eighty subjects, 40 male and 40 female, completed questionnaires at a pretesting session including measures of hostility, the Type A behavior pattern, trait anger, exaggerated social control, depression, and self-other constructs. Twenty subjects then participated in a "supportive" role-play condition where the confederate was agreeable and friendly. Sixty subjects participated in a "challenge" role-play condition; the confederate was disagreeable, confrontive, and unpleasant. The posttesting measures were then completed.
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Groves, Roy. "A reflective approach to sport psychology and personal construct theory which includes a study of a group of international rowers." Thesis, Brunel University, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.295762.
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Lonoff, Julia Rachel. "An Experiential Constructivist Exploration of Bulimia and Women’s Relationships." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1270916848.
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Wincott, John. "Self-uncertainty and work-related stress: a personal construct investigation of the Type A and Type B behaviourpattern." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1986. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31231391.
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Smith, Holly Jane. "Methodological issues in the exploration of teacher thinking about reading : an evaluation of the reliability and validity of personal construct psychology." Thesis, University of Leicester, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/30958.
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Much research relating to reading has neglected to examine the attitudes and beliefs of teachers themselves. This study seeks to redress this imbalance by articulating and exploring teachers' personal theories in their own words. The pilot work compared the viability of using semi-structured interviews, repertory grid techniques and standardised questionnaires to achieve this aim. The results revealed the theoretical eclecticism and child centred pragmatism of participating teachers. Considering the feedback from the pilot studies it was decided the main study should be undertaken within the theoretical framework of Personal Construct Psychology (Kelly, 1955). The participants were twenty KS1 and KS2 teachers drawn from eight Leicestershire Primary Schools. The main study followed these teachers over a 12 month period. At three points, approximately 6 months apart, the participants were interviewed in depth using an adapted form of Kelly's repertory grid technique. Analysis of repertory grid structure revealed that the pattern of construct relationships for individual teachers remained stable over time as the mean Coefficient of Convergence was 0.77 over a 12 month interval. Intensity and the percentage variance accounted for by the first factor (PVAFF) of principal component analysis were highly correlated with values ranging between 0.89 and 0.95 at different phases of the study, confirming that they are both measures of cognitive complexity. They also proved to be stable characteristics of the individual with test-retest reliability for Intensity of 0.87, and 0.73 for PVAFF over a 12 month interval. Thus this thesis makes a contribution to the study of reliability and validity of repertory grid techniques in a limited domain. The reliability of structural measures derived from the grid was shown to be comparable to most psychometric tests, and feedback interviews with teachers demonstrated validity in the recognition by teachers of the cluster analysis computed from their repertory grids. Directions for future research are discussed.
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Jones, Deborah (Deborah Lynne) 1958. "Conceptual Structure of HIV+ Women With PTSD: Trauma Construct Elaboration." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1998. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc279046/.
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Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as events related to illness act as traumatic stressors. This study tested some basic hypotheses of Sewell and Cromwell's personal construct model of PTSD in HIV+ women both with and without diagnoses of PTSD. Trauma-related constructs of HIV+ women with PTSD with HIV+ non-PTSD controls at varying stages of illness were compared. The elaboration, rankings, and valence of trauma-related constructs were examined using the Life Events Repertory Grid (LERG) procedure. Findings provided evidence that a
clinical diagnosis of PTSD in women was not associated with the degree of construct elaboration. These findings may imply a qualitative difference in cognitive processing of social stressors and violent stressors.
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Doh, Nah-Ree. "EXPERIENCE OF LIVING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY: MIGRATION AND MEANING MAKING." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1289626379.
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Sanders, Tom. "Personal constructs of body-mind identity with persons who experience Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS)." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/19459.
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Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) are bodily symptoms for which no organic cause has been identified, and which result in significant levels of psychological distress and functional impairment. MUS are thought to be highly prevalent in primary care settings, and have considerable costs to society. Despite evidence of overlapping psychological and physical presentations, MUS are not well understood or treated in culture that predominantly views the body through the lenses of dualism and mechanistic reductionism. An alternative 'interactive' view of the body as playing a more dynamic role is elaborated through George Kelly's (1955) Personal Construct Psychology. The author draws upon Lin & Payne's (2014) 'frozen construing' theory, and empirical literature on relationships between identity and MUS, to suggest that for people with MUS, the symptomatic body is distressing because the person is struggling to integrate its meaning with their identity. It is hypothesized that embodied processes, that may actually protect the self (and others who share a construct system with that person) from events which threaten to dramatically alter how the self is construed, are difficult to understand because of their preverbal nature. Hence symptoms, and the body itself, are dissociated from the person's more elaborated verbal self-constructions. Several hypotheses relating to this suggestion were tested using a modified form of the repertory grid technique that was designed to explore construct systems of both mind and body, for self and others. Twenty participants with MUS, recruited from the community, completed the repertory grid interviews and measures of depression, anxiety and symptom severity, which were correlated with relevant repertory grid indices to test hypotheses. Findings indicated that symptom constructs, contrary to expectations, were well integrated into participants' construct systems. The alleviation of psychological distress was significantly associated with increased perceived distance between the self in general and the self when symptoms are worst (a relationship which appeared to be independent of severity of symptoms), providing evidence of a process of dissociation that protected the current self from assimilating the undesirable characteristics that were associated with the symptom. The way in which the self when symptoms are worst is construed appeared to influence levels of distress, with more predictive power than several other indices. The study also found evidence for some participants of hypothesized relationships between desired aspects of the current self and symptoms, that would imply that symptom disappearance would actually threaten a desirable aspect of how the self is construed. Content analysis of these constructs revealed (as predicted) that such desirable aspects of self tended to relate to being responsible and sensitive to the needs of others, and were elaborated through bodily constructs in a way that suggested that they were not well integrated with the primary ways that these participants made sense of their identity. For these particular participants, discrepancies between the ideals that they had for themselves, and how they would like to be seen by others, were associated with increased depression. Several participants were identified whose constructions of self and others were dominated by constructs relating to both mental and physical strength and weakness. These participants appeared to be struggling to find coherent meaning for themselves as the result of symptoms, which were regarded as invalidating a pre-symptom construal of themselves as being 'strong'. There seemed to be a continuum of being a 'body for others' on the one hand, a previously 'strong person' on the other, and a person who is 'strong for others' in the middle. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. Although the findings of the current study are limited by a small sample size, it appears that exploring the meaning of the body in the construction of self helps to elaborate the meaning of the body and symptoms in a verbal, expressible form. This process is likely to be helpful to those who struggle to find meanings for their symptoms both in their own construct systems and in a society that objectifies the body.
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Wincott, John. "Self-uncertainty and work-related stress : a personal construct investigation of the Type A and Type B behaviour pattern /." [Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong], 1986. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B12730312.
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