Questioning Psychological Constructs: Current Issues and Proposed Changes

Abstract

Constructs are central to psychology. We describe two current trends as responses to dissatisfactions with the abstract nature of constructs and with uncertain and variable research findings: a trend away from constructs toward specific notions and effects, and sharper construct definitions with improved construct measurement. We explain that the issues in psychology reflect the complexity and variable nature of psychological phenomena. Rather than following the trends, we propose a reformulation of the construct notion to accommodate complexity and uncertainty. To provide background, we describe the historical development and epistemology of constructs, and highlight the explanatory and integrative role of constructs. Our reformulation implies that constructs are (1) composite, (2) organized in a hierarchy with overlap, (3) variable, with heterogeneous measurement results. Methods can be and are being developed accordingly. We close with considerations for further debate.