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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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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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Johnson, Graham. "Teaching competence : a personal construct view." Thesis, Brunel University, 1994. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/4383.
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Attempts to incorporate all the views of competence and quality in teaching into definitive check lists of behaviours are doomed to failure, despite the current political pressure to constrain the assessment of teaching. The reflective process in education, expressed through PCP and Self-Organised-Learning is discussed and located within the competence debate in teaching and current models of competence. The value of a conversational and reflective approach in the assessment and understanding of teaching is stressed. Twelve members of staff engaged in teacher training completed a SPACed-FOCUSed repertory grid and their personal constructs of teaching competence at the end of a four year B.Ed course were elicited. A further reiterative process of review reflection and structures of meaning exercises resulted in the production of an initial set of criteria of competence that represented the staff group#s construct dimensions. The initial criteria set was applied to students undertaking their final teaching practice and the results fed back to the staff in the form of a feedback for learning exercise. This application is compared with a review undertaken as part of a conversational methodology. Three further groups followed a broadly similar pattern to that of the staff group - Students; Newly Qualified Teachers and their Mentors. with each undertaking a group repertory grid exercise. The constructs/elements elicited lead to a criteria or competency set for each group. Comparisons are drawn between all groups, and a detailed analysis is made of each group's responses with Circular 14/93 (DFE 1993A). Recommendations for future practice are made which return to the central theme that criteria or competency sets alone cannot adequately describe the complex set of activities that is called teaching. Profiling approaches, different forms of evidence and professional development portfolios are proposed as some alternatives and additions to present practice. The final chapter reviews the author's personal learning prior to and during the research process. Influences are discussed, and critical incidents listed and analysed through a SPACed-FOCUSed repertory grid employing a conversational and reflexive processs that mirrors the study methodology.
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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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Morçöl, Göktuğ. "Problem structuring: a personal construct theory perspective." Diss., Virginia Tech, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/37394.
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Why problem structuring is a crucial activity in policy analysis is discussed making references to literature. The shortcomings of the rational model of decision making and problem solving are pointed out. A theoretical perspective with its ontological and epistemological assumptions are elaborated and developed as an alternative to the rational model. Problem structuring is defined as a cognitive process, and George Kelly's personal construct psychology is adopted as the theoretical basis to develop a problem structuring method. The method developed uses Kelly's repertory grid technique in a particular form that is modified for the specific needs of problem structuring in groups. A computer software developed particularly for this method is used interactively in elicitation of personal constructs and their analyses. The applications of the method are illustrated in two group cases, and the implications for theory and further applications are discussed.Ph. D.
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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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White, Lauren. "Borderline personality disorder : a personal construct approach." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/14439.
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In 2003, Winter, Watson, Gillman-Smith, Gilbert and Acton criticised the DSM-IV’s psychiatric conceptualisation of BPD, proposing a set of alternative descriptions based on Kelly’s (1955) Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) and diagnostic constructs. According to Winter et al. (2003), PCP offers not only a less “pre-emptive” stance towards BPD but is more clinically useful given its intrinsic implications for treatment. This correlational research study aimed to determine whether BPD symptomatology is associated with these proposed characteristics of construing. In addition, it was hypothesised that those with a belief that BPD was a part of their identity and untreatable would display higher levels of hopelessness. Ten participants with an existing diagnosis of BPD completed the following measures: a) Personal Construct Inventory (PCI; Chambers & O’Day, 1984); b) Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, Third Edition, (MCMI-III, Millon, 1994); and c) Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS; Beck & Steer, 1988). Participants were also asked to complete a repertory grid and a Likert Scale indicating the extent of their belief that: a) BPD is an intrinsic part of them; and b) BPD is a treatable condition. Two of the participants are presented as case examples. The most significant finding related to the hypothesis that greater BPD symptomatology would be associated with a higher degree of change in self-construction over time (‘slot-rattling’). Contrary to our prediction, similarity of construing of the elements ‘Me Now’ and ‘Me in the Past’ was correlated with greater BPD symptomatology. This may indicate a belief among participants that they are unable to change or may represent Kellian hostility. Construing one’s mother and father similarly to one’s therapist was associated with greater BPD symptomatology, as was construing one’s father and partner similarly, suggesting, as hypothesised, that those diagnosed with BPD tend to construe current relationships in the same terms as early relationships. Pre-emptive construing and poorly elaborated self-construction were also found to be associated with increased BPD symptoms as predicted. Content analyses performed on elicited constructs revealed that emotion regulation is the most salient area for participants. While the majority of participants considered that BPD was a part of their identity, most were uncertain as to whether BPD is treatable although these findings were not significantly correlated with levels of hopelessness. Participants’ feedback about their experiences of being diagnosed with BPD raises important ethical questions. Further hypotheses are generated based on the study findings and suggestions are made for a revision of the way in which psychological distress is conceptualized, with a particular emphasis on the utility of the PCP approach towards BPD. Clinical implications, limitations of the study and possibilities for further research are discussed.
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Foster, Heather. "Changing lives a personal construct approach to menopause /." Access electronically, 2003. http://www.library.uow.edu.au/adt-NWU/public/adt-NWU20050120.105856/index.html.
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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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Rasile, Karen D. "Object Relations Theory and Personal Construct Theory: Rapprochement Opportunity." Thesis, North Texas State University, 1987. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc500772/.
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Empirical investigation of the tenets of Object Relations Theory is recent. This study of the theoretical convergence between Object Relations Theory and Personal Construct Theory brought a new direction to the empirical investigation. It was hypothesized that individuals who displayed a well developed level of object relations, as measured by Object Relations Theory, would also display a highly adaptive blend of cognitive complexity and ordination, as described by Personal Construct Theory, and vice versa. A correlational analysis of personality measures on 136 college students approached but did not attain statistical significance. Results indicated no significant theoretical convergence between Object Relations Theory and Personal Construct Theory. Further research is warranted only if greater variability in sample age, life experience, and psychopathology is assured.
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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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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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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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Rasile, Karen D. "Self Cognitions of Depressed Adolescents: a Personal Construct Approach." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1989. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc331833/.
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The primary purpose of the study was to quantify the characteristics of certain self cognitions that occur in depressed adolescents. A secondary purpose was to assess the change that occurs in
these self cognitions during a depressive episode. The intervention, in the form of guided imagery about a previous drug-using episode, was used to induce a mood change. The REP, a Personal Construct Theory measure, and the Beck Depression Inventory were used in a repeated measures
design.
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Longhorn, Alison J. (Alison Jane). "Depressive Subtypes and Dysfunctional Attitudes: a Personal Construct View." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1990. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc504344/.
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The influence of cognitive organization, dysfunctional attitudes, and depressive "subtype" on the perceptions of negative life events is explored. BDI scores are used to delineate symptomatic and non-symptomatic groups. Construct content (sociotropic versus autonomous, as first defined by Beck) is used to identify predominant schema-type. Subjects completed a Problematic Situations Questionnaire with Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale. Results indicate that depressed individuals display more dysfunctional attitudes and negative affect in all types of negative situations; further the endorsement of dysfunctional attitudes is significantly more likely to occur in the context of schema-congruent situations. Findings are discussed a) in terms of the utility of personal constructs in the assessment of schema-type and b) in accordance with a person-event interactional model of depression.
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Ahmed, Almeera. "Selection of trainee clinical psychologists : a personal construct analysis." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.431717.
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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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Dexter, Linsey Graham. "A critical review of the impact of counselling training : courses on trainees." Thesis, Durham University, 1996. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1569/.
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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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Bradley, G. "Risk perception and communication within a personal construct theory framework." Thesis, Queen's University Belfast, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.273180.
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Gains, Neil. "The integration of personal construct theory in food acceptability research." Thesis, University of Reading, 1989. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.329375.
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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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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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Loos, Victor Eugene. "Communication and Conflict in Marital Dyads: A Personal Construct Approach." Thesis, North Texas State University, 1986. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc332170/.
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A typology of marital dyads derived from Kelly's (1955) Personal Construct Psychology was used to investigate the communicative behaviors of married companions. Four groups based on Kelly's Commonality (dyadic similarity) and Sociality (dyadic understanding) corollaries were contrasted: similar-understanding, dissimilar-understanding, similar-misunderstanding, and dissimilar-misunderstanding couples. It was expected that dyadic understanding would contribute more to self-disclosure, cooperative involvement, and marital satisfaction than dyadic similarity. Furthermore, it was anticipated that couples high in understanding and low in similarity would represent optimally functioning couples, as evidenced by disclosure, satisfaction, and involvement with each other. Sixty-three married couples who had known each other at least two years completed questionnaire items assessing demographic variables, marital satisfaction (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) and self-reported communication behaviors (Partner Communication Inventory, Dyadic Disclosure Inventory). Each spouse also completed an 8 X 8 Repertory Grid and predicted the mate's responses on the Rep Grid. Subjects then participated in three different audio-taped discussion tasks (an informal conversation, a consensus decision-making task, and a role-played conflict-resolution scene) which were rated for avoidant, competitive, and cooperative responses, as well as overall self-disclosure. Although understanding facilitated disclosure in conflict situations and similarity fostered marital satisfaction, communicative behaviors generally reflected the joint influence of both similarity and understanding. Dissimilar-understanding couples were intensely involved with each other and freely disclosed, but were not highly satisfied. Similar-understanding couples were the most content and had the greatest sense of validation as a couple. Similar-misunderstanding couples restricted their relationship by attempting to avoid expected confrontations. Dissimilar-misunderstanding couples viewed themselves in a socially desirable light, tried to maintain congenial, nonintimate interactions, and were moderately contented. Implications for therapeutic programs, for Kelly's theory, and for future research were discussed.
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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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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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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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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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Gibbons, H. I. "Educating for peace impact assessment : a role for personal construct theory?" Thesis, University of Bradford, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.509012.
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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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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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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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Rolph, Paul W. "An investigation into an application of personal construct theory to curriculum evaluation." Thesis, University of Bath, 1985. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.356387.
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The concern for quality in English education has resulted in pressure on educational institutions to evaluate their curricula as a matter of normal professional practice. This thesis consists of a critical account of the development, design and testing of a curriculum evaluation process which could be used by teaching staff to evaluate the curricula of their own institutions. Curriculum problems are practical ones, decisions have to be made about what to do. It is argued that a deliberative approach is an appropriate one for such problems. That is, an approach which identifies the issue(s), seeks to discover the perspectives of those involved, generates a range of possible solutions, and leads to decisions as to what solutions might be most appropriate for that context. In 1976, the author had developed an evaluation process based on personal construct theory and the related repertory grid methodology. He found this process encouraged active participation, together with the identification and exploration of the perspectives of those involved. The experience gained in this research encouraged the author to investigate whether personal construct theory and repertory grid methodology might assist in the design and development of a curriculum evaluation process for use in a wider range of educational settings. In this research the author has been able to demonstrate that personal construct theory and repertory grid methodology has assisted in the design of a curriculum evaluation process and that the process has been successfully carried through in a range of educational settings. However, the author did not find that extending the process by giving participants a statistical analysis (in a particular form of a cluster analysis) of their own data added to its usefulness.
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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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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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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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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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York, Richard H. "A new methodology to measure body/self-concept based on personal construct theory." Thesis, Boston University, 1987. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/38120.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityPLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you.
The objective of this dissertation is to describe and test the reliability and validity of the Body/Self-Concept Methodology (BSC). It measures body attitudes as consequences of body/self-concept. The BSC Methodology was constructed from insights of the debate about the self in American psychology. This debate included philosophical, neurological, psychological, spiritual, and theological issues. These were integrated into Kelly's methodology producing a psychotheological research perspective. This methodology consists of a research philosophy, theory and measures for body/self-concept, and statistical methods. The BSC Method is the six techniques for collecting qualitative and quantitative data. This collection depended on a computer. The quantitative data are ratings of bipolar adjective pairs and a Q-sort of body items. The BSC Method was tested in a study with 40 subjects. The qualitative results included affective self-report data. It was concluded that some of these results implied that this method pierced denial defense mechanisms. The quantitative results were highly valid and reliable for the attitude ratings, but less for the Q-sort. It was concluded that there was sufficient reliability and validity to justify further development of the BSC Methodology. The next step is to write a computer program for data collection and analysis.
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Echelbarger, Mary Ellen Eakin. "Negotiated meaning of health : a transactional perspective based in construct theory /." The Ohio State University, 1985. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487261919110037.
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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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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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Shann, Stephen Charles, of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, Faculty of Social Inquiry, and School of Social Ecology. "Mating with the world : on the nature of story-telling in psychotherapy." THESIS_FSI_SEL_Shann_S.xml, 2000. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/93.
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What is going on in a therapeutic setting when one person tells a story to another? Is it really as it appears to be, with the story being told in order to communicate some information, either affective or factual? Or is this way of thinking about the business of therapy limiting, both for the people concerned (therapist and patient) and for those who theorise about the therapeutic process? These are the questions around which this work is organised. The thesis itself takes the form of a story being told, the story of a therapist, his client, and his clinical supervisor.The story of these relationships is used to argue that stories are told more to create something (a relationship) and forge something (a more vital connection to an animating world) than to communicate something.The author draws on both a philosophical, and a psychoanalytical tradition to show what he suggest are more vital ways of thinking about human behaviour in general and the therapeutic encounter in particular.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Muncey, Tessa Kathleen. "The good nurse : born or made?; the implications for selection and retention from an investigation of the relative importance of previous socialisation and current education of nurses." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.340960.
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Crawford, Adeline Ann. "Brain injury and the experience of caring : intrapersonal aspects from a personal construct perspective." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/14348.
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Significant proportions of carers for those with a brain injury have been found to be clinically anxious and depressed. Subjective carer burden (SCB) has been defined as the distress experienced as a result of the observed changes in the person with the brain injury. No research has looked at the individual psychological characteristics, or intrapersonal aspects, of the carer in brain injury in relation to SCB and psychological distress. Very few studies have addressed apparent methodological problems regarding the measurement of SCB; no study in brain injury has explored the meanings carers have found in their role; and very few studies have included positive elements of caring in their research. This study used a non-experimental, non-randomised, cross-sectional design. A theoretically based measure of SCB was used, in combination with a Personal Construct Psychology methodology, to investigate the relationship between the intrapersonal aspects of carers and their relationship to SCB and psychological distress. Positive appraisals of caring and meanings the carers derived from their role were also investigated. Few predicted study hypotheses were supported. Results showed that a significant proportion of carers were anxious and or depressed and that the majority of carers were shown to have very tight construct systems reflective of having limited flexibility in thinking. Novel findings included the previously unreported relationship between perceived burden, a measure of SCB, and anxiety. The manner in which carers construed the brain injured person was found to be related to the appraisals they form, thus adding to the evidence of the importance of the role of construing of the brain injured person by family members. Meanings derived from caring emerged in a number of themes. 60% of carers' meanings could be categorised in the following three themes: life circumstances, emotional states and health and illness. Carers generated positive as well as negative meanings. Findings were considered in relation to previous SCB and Personal Construct Psychology research. Clinical implications of the structure of construct systems in this population were considered. Suggestions for future research with an emphasis on the development of clinical practice were included.
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Hawkes, Suzan L. "Development and assessment of personal belief system scales : dimensionality, reliability, and preliminary construct validity /." Search for this dissertation online, 2003. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ksu/main.
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Vigar, Deborah Ann. "An application of personal construct theory to a study of retail sales person effectiveness." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9487.
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Includes bibliographical references.The term effectiveness is used extensively to describe organisations, groups and individuals. The fact that some organisations, groups and individuals are measurably more effective than others is a basic assumption of economic, organisation and behavioural theory. However, despite this frequent use, there is very little agreement amongst the users, both academic and business, as to what exactly 'effectiveness' means. The dictionary definition of 'effective' is 'capable of producing the desired result', however, the definition used in practice appears to depend on the mindset or reference point of the researcher. Most researchers reference point is management and therefore the definition of effectiveness is management's. It is possible that the definitions held by the job holders themselves, and by customers with whom they deal, are different from that of management. There is even less agreement on how effectiveness of an organisation or individual should be measured, i.e. what criteria should be used to measure effectiveness. More specific to the current study is sales person effectiveness research. There has been a large amount of research on effectiveness of sales people but it has tended to focus on industrial salespeople rather than retail salespeople. The research that has focused on retail sales people has suffered from several problems. The first relates to the problems with research involving effectiveness generally. The researchers rarely explain what they mean by effectiveness or what criteria they use to measure effectiveness. Much of this research also suffers methodologically, from the epistemological problem of being either too subjective or too objective. This is a problem that has plagued research in the social sciences throughout the subject's history. The methodologies used to research behaviour have been problematic in that they either adopt the methodologies of the natural sciences.in an attempt to quantify the phenomenon under study, or they use assumptions and methodologies that are subjective and prone to researcher or experimental bias. George Kelly's Personal Construct Theory claims to bridge this epistemological divide. The methodology allows for the indepth study of individuals but without bias from the researcher. By using the Repertory Grid technique developed by Kelly for the measurement of personal constructs, the results can be quantified, thus also satisfying the objectivist requirements. It is for this reason that Personal Construct Theory and the Repertory Grid technique are used in the current research. This research aims to discover whether the groups involved in the retail arena (i.e. top managers, branch manageresses, sales people and customers) have similar views of what constitutes sales person effectiveness.
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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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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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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.