Books / Cognitive & behavioural
The Psychology of Personal Constructs (Volumes 1 and 2)
George A. Kelly’s two-volume work, published in 1955, presents personal construct psychology and its applications to assessment and psychotherapy.
Book details
Author of listed edition: George A. Kelly
Edition: 1955 Norton first edition (two volumes)
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Edition year: 1955
Language and origin: English (United States)
Form and genre: Clinical & Theoretical Monograph
Level: Advanced
Historical era: 1940–1959 · Object Relations, Existential & Client-Centred
Covers: Personal construct theory and anticipation; The Role Construct Repertory Test; Clinical diagnosis and psychotherapy; Fixed-role therapy
APA 7th reference: Kelly, G. A. (1955). The psychology of personal constructs (Vols. 1–2). W. W. Norton & Company.
What it is
The Psychology of Personal Constructs is a two-volume work by George A. Kelly, published by Norton in 1955. The first volume is subtitled A Theory of Personality and the second Clinical Diagnosis and Psychotherapy.
What it covers
Kelly’s personal construct theory describes people as interpreting and anticipating events through personal constructs. He also developed the Role Construct Repertory Test as a way of examining constructs. These are elements of his theory and assessment approach, rather than established descriptions of every person’s thinking.
Therapy and research
Fixed-role therapy is associated with Kelly’s approach and involves trying out alternative ways of acting. A 2007 review examined 22 published controlled studies of personal construct therapy. Its abstract reported different findings depending on the outcome measured; this review does not establish that any technique will help every person.
Limits of this entry
The 1955 volumes and the paired handbook were not read in full. This entry draws on catalogue records, a scholarly chapter summary and a review abstract. It does not assess the suitability of a treatment for an individual.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: International Handbook of Personal Construct Psychology (Fay Fransella (Ed.), 2003)
Reference: Fransella, F. (Ed.). (2003). International handbook of personal construct psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
An edited handbook on personal construct psychology. The full handbook was not consulted for this record.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: Kelly’s work was published in two volumes by Norton in 1955. (The catalogue records the 1955 edition and two volumes; the complete work was not consulted.) [Source 1: Tarlton Law Library. The psychology of personal constructs, catalogue record. University of Texas at Austin.]
Claim 2: Personal construct theory describes how people use and revise interpretations to anticipate events. (The summary of a later scholarly chapter was consulted. The theory is not established as a universal account of behaviour.) [Source 2: To, B., & Wong, K. K.-Y. (2020). Personal construct theory of George A. Kelly. The Wiley Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.]
Sources and inspection notes
Supports: Catalogue records Kelly, Norton, 1955, the first edition and two volumes; the full work was not reviewed.
Supports: Chapter summary describes the theory, its use in assessment and the Role Construct Repertory Test; only the summary was consulted.
WorldCat. The psychology of personal constructs, volume 2: Clinical diagnosis and psychotherapy.
Supports: Catalogue identifies the second volume, its subtitle and the 1955 Norton publication.
Supports: Review abstract describes 22 published controlled studies and differences across outcome measures; full text was not reviewed.
Routledge. The Psychology of Personal Constructs: Volume One, later edition.
Supports: Publisher’s contents for the later edition list the repertory test and fixed-role therapy. The contents are not a clinical effectiveness assessment.