PSYC 2740 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Cognitive Flexibility, Personal Construct Theory, Inferiority Complex

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2740
• Professor: Saba Safdar

Document Summary

Personal construct theory: argues that differences in eye-witness accounts may be due to the variability of each person"s constructs. Kelly felt that there were certain universals in the structure, nature and development of constructs. Kelly felt that constructs were bipolar with an emergency pole, and an implicit pole. If the implicit pole becomes submerged, then this is because the individual is preoccupied or obsessed with the emergent side of things. Emergent pole = likeness pole, implicit pole = contrast pole. Constructs also differ in the extent to which they are under conscious awareness. Kelly felt most constructs were conscious but agreed with freud that some things do take place out of our conscious awareness. Preverbal, submerged, and suspended constructs = all subconscious constructs. When a word is on the tip of your tongue and you can"t remember it, this is an example of constructing (know something, know the term, but can"t express it)