Kelly’s Career

Kelly did not begin his career with the intention of developing personal construct
theory. In fact, his initial training was not even in the field of personality
psychology. Kelly’s original specialty in graduate school was physiological
psychology, and his dissertation was concerned with the areas of speech and
reading disabilities. Having received his degree around the time of the
Great Depression, however, Kelly came to the conclusion that the principles
and concepts contained within his areas of specialization offered little solace
to those who were emotionally and financially devastated in the aftermath
of the Depression. He turned to clinical psychology, with an initial emphasis
on the psychoanalytic approach. He noted that concepts such as the
id and the libido seemed of no use in dealing with victims of the Depression.
Kelly’s initial academic position was at Fort Hays State College in Kansas.
While at Fort Hays, he developed a series of traveling psychological clinics
designed to treat the emotional and behavioral problems of students. This
experience was crucial in the eventual formulation of personal construct
theory. Kelly tried numerous forms of treatment with the students and determined
that the optimal technique varied across cases. This led him to
conclude that any clinical technique that is successful should be retained,
while techniques that result in repeated treatment failure should be discarded.
This flexibility, reflected in his later theoretical claims regarding
constructive alternativism and his fundamental postulate, has made Kelly
unique among personality theorists. His willingness to respect subjective reality
as determined by each human being is reflective of his unwillingness to
commit himself totally to any one theoretical perspective. Although Kelly
was influenced by many theorists, he clearly traveled his own path in the development
of his psychology of personal constructs.
Sources for Further Study
Bannister, Donald, and Fay Fransella. Inquiring Man: The Theory of Personal
Constructs. 3d ed. New York: Routledge, 1986. Provides an excellent introduction
to George A. Kelly’s theory. In addition, a wide range of applications
are provided within the overall field of clinical psychology as well as
social psychology. The authors are dedicated advocates of Kelly’s perspective.
Bannister, Donald, and J. M. M. Mair, eds. The Evaluation of Personal Constructs.
New York: Academic Press, 1968. This excellent work provides insights
into the types of theoretical and research efforts that have been undertaken
as a result of George A. Kelly’s contributions. Particularly
relevant because it was published shortly after Kelly’s death and therefore
provides an interesting analysis of his influence at that time.
Kelly, George Alexander. Clinical Psychology and Personality: The Selected Papers
of George Kelly. Edited by Brendan Maher. New York: John Wiley & Sons,
1969. This offering is unique in that it contains many of Kelly’s last papers.
Includes papers that account for the origins of the theory and depicts
Kelly’s analysis of his work shortly before his death. The presentation
is accurate, and it faithfully depicts the essence of Kelly’s work.
__________. The Psychology of Personal Constructs: A Theory of Personality. New
York: W. W. Norton, 1955. This two-volume series, still in print after almost
half a century, provides the essence of Kelly’s theory. Covers the theoretical
basis for the theory by presenting an analysis of personal constructs,
constructive alternativism, and the fundamental postulate as well as the Role Construct Repertory Test and fixed role therapy. Kelly’s views
of the appropriate place of assessment in the therapeutic process are particularly
interesting.
Neimeyer, Robert A. The Development of Personal Construct Psychology. Lincoln:
University of Nebraska Press, 1985. Looks at the origins, development,
and impact of George A. Kelly’s theory. Includes many relevant insights
into his early work, while including applications of the theory in areas
such as personality, clinical psychology, and social psychology.
Lawrence A. Fehr
See also: Abnormality: Psychological Models; Cognitive Psychology; Cognitive
Social Learning: Walter Mischel; Cognitive Therapy. 602