Personal Construct Research Articles

Interpersonal Problem Profiles of Personality and Psychopathology Constructs in Chinese Undergraduates and Offenders.

The interpersonal problem circumplex is extensively used in the field as an assessment framework for understanding the interpersonal implications of a range of personality and psychopathology constructs. The vast majority of this large literature has been conducted in Western convenience and clinical samples. We computed interpersonal problem structural summary parameters for a range of personality and psychopathology variables in two Chinese offender samples (N = 424 and N = 555) and one undergraduate sample (N = 511) to test how well findings from Western samples generalize to Chinese undergraduates and offenders. The results showed that findings in Western samples generalized reasonably well to Chinese young adult and forensic contexts, although the interpersonal profiles of external variables were less specific in Chinese samples. Compared with undergraduates, interpersonal distress has stronger associations with the mental health of offenders. This study further elaborates the interpersonal correlates of individual differences in personality and psychopathology across cultures and assessment contexts, and it also extends the literature examining interpersonal problems in forensic settings.

Examining the Artistic Voices of Community College Dance Students Using a Narrative Inquiry Approach

ABSTRACT In this study, we use a narrative inquiry approach to understand how students construct their artistic voices as part of their educational experience in California community college dance classes. Data collection techniques included semi-structured interviews, video recordings of a dance performance, and a reflective one-page journal where participants described the attributes of their artistic voices. Participants included ten community college dance students. We used socio-cultural theories and the Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) framework to analyze individuals’ personal construction and movement vocabulary. We present three findings to inform dance teachers. First, deeper self-understanding was a foundational component of students’ artistic voice. Second, the performance of the artistic voice was guided by students’ construction of personal-interpretative narratives that inspired their bodily choices. Third, the construction of the artistic voice was sustained through three types of power negotiation (compliance, resiliency, and resistance).

Trait emotional intelligence revisited: Development and validation of a short measure for personal intelligence

This paper introduces an expanded Trait EI model to address deficiencies in existing models, aiming for a more comprehensive understanding of the affective dimensions of personality. The new model of Personal Intelligence (PI) incorporates emotional, social, and motivational intelligence as a set of interconnected non-cognitive competencies. In line with this new model, the present study sought to develop a short measure of the PI construct. Three adult samples were used: 1) a derivation sample (N = 846) for item selection and factor structure development; 2) an independent sample (N = 1100) for testing the replicability of the derived factorial structure; and 3) an additional sample (N = 289) for testing the replicability of the factor structure using participants who completed only items from the final version of the short measure. The 27-item instrument demonstrated good factorial structure in all samples, invariance across gender, and good internal reliabilities for all dimensions. The new scale also accounted for a considerable amount of the variability in alexithymia scores, above and beyond that accounted for by Five Factor personality traits. Overall, the new instrument provides a short and multidimensional approach to measuring the personal intelligence construct.

Associations Between Both Adaptive and Maladaptive Personality Constructs and Emotional Load and Content of Adult Dreams

Background: It seems that personality and dreams are relatively stable interwoven constructs that show many shared characteristics across cultures. The present study aimed to predict the emotional load and content of dreams using both original constructs and two extracted spectrum factors of adaptive and maladaptive personalities. Methods: The cross-sectional study data was collected from 704 Iranian adults using the brief version of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5, the brief version of the Big Five Inventory, Schredl’s Dream Emotions Manual, and the Content Analysis of Dreams Manual. Pearson correlations, hierarchical regressions, exploratory factor analysis, and analysis of variance were used to analyse the data. Results: Factor analysis revealed two factors for the adaptive and maladaptive spectrums of personality. Adaptive and maladaptive constructs of personality are almost equally related to both the negative and positive loads of dreams, while the negative load of dreams is more strongly predicted by the maladaptive spectrum factor ( R2: 13% vs. 7%, ∆ R2: 8% vs. 2%). Negative load is characterized by low agreeableness and high negative affectivity, while positive load is characterized by high agreeableness and low detachment. Compared to most negative dream content such as distress, dreamers with happy content reported higher adaptive traits and lower maladaptive traits. Conclusions: The emotional load and content of dreams are significantly related to both specific constructs and spectrum factors of adaptive and maladaptive personalities. Psychologists can refer to personality profiles when analysing the emotional load and content of dreams of adults.

“Nobody tells us how…”: experiences of high schools Ecuadorian teachers with respect to the implementation of sexuality education as a Cross-curriculum approach

ABSTRACT Although in various contexts it is mandatory for teachers to address sexuality education (SE) as a cross-curriculum approach of the school curriculum, its implementation represents a particular circumstance which implies certain complexities. In order to delve into the way SE is addressed, this study aimed to explore the experiences of teachers in Ecuador who work with adolescents with regard to the implementation of SE as a cross-curriculum approach. This qualitative study used a semi-structured interview in which a total of 15 teachers participated. The information was analysed using Thematic Analysis and the results are presented in three themes. The findings of this study show that, for teachers it is difficult to implement SE as a cross-curriculum approach axis of the school curriculum syllabus as stipulated by official laws. Although teachers recognise the importance of working on SE, there is no a clear awareness of SE as part of their responsibilities. As such, the lack of guidelines or support and the scant preparation provided, together with the fact that personal constructs of sexuality and SE are basically built on negative views, eventually lead teachers to an improvised implementation of this subject in schools.

Exploring special guardianship: experiences of school belonging from the perspectives of the young people, guardians, and designated teachers

ABSTRACT This research explores school belonging (SB) experiences of young people in the UK who live under the legal status of a special guardianship order (SGO). A high proportion of these young people have had adverse childhood experiences, some are care experienced. This research uses case study to triangulate the perspectives of the young people, their guardians, and designated teachers (DTs) to develop understanding of school belonging, and considers the implications for educational psychologists (EPs), school policy, and staff practice. Seven case studies were undertaken, each including a young person, their guardian/s and their school DT, resulting in 21 semi-structured interviews. A hierarchical structured approach was used in all adult interviews, and personal construct psychology techniques were used in young people’s interviews. Individual case data were analysed using thematic analysis. Superordinate themes generated included identity, fitting in, diagnosis, agency, individuality and association, school’s community connection, systems as obstacles, relationship and connection to others, protection and autonomy, school processes, support and features, and organisational change. The findings emphasise the broad influences on the school belonging of this group, including individual characteristics, peer and staff relationships, school processes, and the communication and interaction between school, home, and the wider community.

Social cognition, personality and social-political correlates of health behaviors: Application of an integrated theoretical model

ObjectiveDispositional, intra-personal constructs such as personality traits and generalized beliefs are consistently related to health behaviors, but relatively few studies have tested the theory-based mechanisms by which these constructs relate to health behaviors and compared them across behavior type. In the current study we tested an integrated theoretical model in which belief-based social cognition constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control) were proposed to mediate effects of personality traits (conscientiousness, extroversion) and socio-political beliefs (political beliefs, locus of control, free will beliefs) on participation in three health-related behaviors: physical activity, COVID-19 vaccination, and sugar-sweetened beverage restriction. MethodsProposed integrated model effects were tested in a five-week prospective correlational study. Finnish residents completed measures of personality, socio-political, and social cognition constructs with respect to physical activity participation (N = 557), COVID-19 vaccination uptake (N = 1,115), and sugar-sweetened beverage restriction (N = 558) and self-reported their behavior at follow-up. ResultsStructural equation models revealed direct effects of intention on behavior, and of social-cognition constructs on intention, across all behaviors. We also found indirect effects of political beliefs on behavior mediated by social cognition constructs and intentions for COVID-19 vaccination and sugar-sweetened beverage restriction behaviors, indirect effects of conscientiousness on behavior mediated by social cognition constructs and intentions for physical activity and sugar-sweetened beverage restriction behaviors, and indirect effects of health locus of control on behavior mediated by social cognition constructs and intentions for physical activity behavior. Finally, we found a negative total effect of populist beliefs on behavior for COVID-19 vaccination behavior. ConclusionFindings contribute to an evidence base for the effects of dispositional and social cognition constructs of health behaviors, point to a possible mechanism by which these generalized constructs relate to health behavior, and outline how the pattern of effects varies across the different behaviors.

Autonomy and its relevance for the construction of personhood in dementia– a thematic synthesis

BackgroundThis article examines the concept of autonomy in the context of person-centred dementia research and care, which is frequently being used but not clearly defined. Also, there is no clear conceptual relation between autonomy and personhood in this context.MethodsTherefore, literature on person-centred dementia research and care was examined to answer the following question: How is the concept of autonomy discussed in person-centred dementia research and care literature?ResultsThis analysis revealed heterogeneous perspectives on autonomy within the context of dementia. These were assigned to two different perspectives on personhood: one that links personhood to the existing cognitive abilities and the other one, that understands personhood relationally as the result of a socially constructed process. These results are discussed with regard to a nursing and care practice that could be considered as being deficit-oriented, but also with regard to the concept of social health in dementia.ConclusionsDerived from this analysis, there is a clear need for general conceptual sensitivity in this field. Also, an in-depth examination of the social constructionist approach to personhood in the context of dementia is warranted.

The Social Comparison Rumination Scale: Development, Psychometric Properties, and Associations With Perfectionism, Narcissism, Burnout, and Distress.

In the current article, we describe the development and validation of the Social Comparison Rumination Scale. This measured was developed as a supplement to existing social comparison measures and to enable us to determine its potential relevance to perfectionism and other personality constructs. The Social Comparison Rumination Scale (SCRS) is a six-item inventory assessing the extent to which an individual is cognitively preoccupied and thinking repetitively about social comparison outcomes and information. Three studies with five samples of university students are described. Psychometric analyses established the SCRS consists of one factor assessed with high internal consistency and the measure is reliable and valid. Analyses showed that elevated levels of social comparison rumination are associated with trait perfectionism, perfectionistic automatic thoughts, perfectionistic self-presentation, ruminative brooding, burnout, depression, and fear of negative evaluation. Links were also established between social comparison rumination and both narcissism and dispositional envy. Overall, our findings support the further use of the SCRS and highlight the tendency of many people to think in deleterious ways about social comparisons long after the actual comparisons have taken place. We discuss social comparison rumination within the context of concerns about excessive social media use and young people being exposed to seemingly perfect lives that became a vexing cognitive preoccupation.

The Contribution of Mental Capacity to Personality Formulation. An Overview

Mental capacity, encompassing cognitive abilities, emotional intelligence, and reasoning skills, plays a pivotal role in shaping one's personality. This study delves into the intricate relationship between an individual's mental faculties and their personality construct. Drawing from empirical research and theoretical frameworks, we posit that mental capacity influences not only the expression of personality traits but also their adaptability and resilience in various contexts. Higher cognitive abilities may correlate with increased self-awareness, complex problem-solving, and nuanced social interactions, all of which inform personality dynamics. Furthermore, variations in emotional intelligence can determine how individuals perceive, process, and respond to emotional stimuli, directly impacting interpersonal relationships and self-concept. By understanding the profound influence of mental capacity on personality formulation, this research sheds light on the multifaceted nature of human identity, emphasizing the symbiotic interplay between cognition and character.

The Encounter With the Other: The Space Where Love and Threat Confront Each Other

The construing process allowing people to give shape and meaning to their experience is what personal construct psychology (PCP) is primarily interested in. Particular emphasis is placed on one’s construction of experience of other people, which makes PCP psychology concerned first and foremost with relationality. It would therefore be improper to speak of a relational turn in PCP, as is often done about the recent developments in psychoanalysis and in other psychological and psychotherapeutic approaches. But, based on the PCP literature of the last few decades, it is our opinion that we are witnessing what seems to be an attempt to highlight even more clearly the centrality of human relatedness in Kelly’s theory, to the point of clarifying, extending, or partially revising its original formulation. The contributions to this special issue of the journal present varying aspects and ways of being in relation through a diversity of lenses in terms of approach (philosophical vs psychological research), contents and focus.

The influence of a business game on the formation of the internal lexical-semantic context of a speech act: an empirical study

Introduction. Modern tendencies in education require the training of specialists for the labour market, taking into account the changing requirements and influence of the environment. The influence of sociocultural contexts is reflected in the system of human relations with the world, manifested in actions and motives, represented in the speech act. The individual internal lexical and semantic context of a speech act is deterministic by subjective predictors (type of communication, meaningful roles, consistency of the Self-real/Self-ideal, rigidly bound constructs). The article was aimed to show how the business game of the contextual type influences the formation of the individual internal lexical and semantic context of each student of the experimental group. Materials and Methods. The study covered two academic years and involved students (N=39) studying in the academic year 2021/22 in the 1st year and in the academic year 2022/23 in the 2nd year). A contextual type business game was developed for the study. The technique of repertoire lattices of J. Kelly, Cotherapeutic computer system «Kelly», methods of mathematical statistics (χ2 -Pearson for identifying the degree of consistency of nominative features - type of communication, consistency of I-real and I-ideal on the basis of role preferences) were used. Measurements were taken before and after the business game. The results were processed using the computer program «Statistica» (vers. 12). Results and discussion. It was revealed that the contextual type business game influenced the subjective predictors of individual internal lexical-semantic context of each student's speech act. Obtained on the basis of the technique of repertoire grids, personal bipolar constructs, processed in the computer system «KELLY», allowed to identify the role preferences and consistency of the real self and the ideal self, the type of communication, and individual rigidly connected constructs. Mathematical and static analysis revealed a statistically significant shift in the change in the type of communication (χ2 = 6.838; p < 0,05) before and after the business game. Conclusion. The experiment showed that a contextual business game creates conditions for the formation and development of communicative, conflict-related, sociocultural competencies.

Towards an Integrative Framework for Robot Personality Research

Within human-robot interaction (HRI), research on robot personality has largely drawn on trait theories and models, such as the Big Five and OCEAN. We argue that reliance on trait models in HRI has led to a limited understanding of robot personality as a question of stable traits that can be designed into a robot plus how humans with certain traits respond to particular robots. However, trait-based approaches exist alongside other ways of understanding personality, including approaches focusing on more dynamic constructs such as adaptations and narratives. We suggest that a deep understanding of robot personality is only possible through a cross-disciplinary effort to integrate these different approaches. We propose an Integrative Framework for Robot Personality Research (IF), wherein robot personality is defined not as a property of the robot, nor of the human perceiving the robot, but as a complex assemblage of components at the intersection of robot design and human factors. With the IF, we aim to establish a common theoretical grounding for robot personality research that incorporates personality constructs beyond traits and treats these constructs as complementary and fundamentally interdependent.

Family Climate and Personal Resilience Among Children Victims of Sexual Abuse in Abidjan

In Ivory Coast, the proportion of children victims of sexual abuse has become increasingly worrying since the post electoral crisis of 2011. This study aims to analyze the effect of family climate on the personal resilience construction of children victims of sexual abuse. It is so based on the working hypothesis that children victims of sexual abuse who benefit from a supportive family climate are more resilient than those who evolve in a non-supportive family climate. The study was conducted following a qualitative methodological approach with a descriptive aim, with 22 children of both sexes, victims of sexual abuse and aged from 06 to 13 years old. These children were selected by a reasoned choice at the Infant Guidance Center of Abidjan. They were subjected to a semi-structured interview from May 09 to August 10, 2022. The results, interpreted in the light of the theory of attachment, indicate that the family climate is decisive in the construction of personal resilience in children victims of sexual abuse. These results show the importance of raising awareness about the children sexual abuse and the need to provide support to the families of sexually abused children with a view to strengthening their capacity of resilience when facing such a serious phenomenon.

Self-perception evolution among university student TikTok users: evidence from China.

The effects of short movies on social media platforms are gaining worldwide popularity and are now attracting global academic attention. Employing self-perception theory and qualitative research methodology, the study examines the influence of short video applications (TikTok) on app-user engagement and evaluates the self-perceived cognitive psychological understanding of Chinese university students. The findings show that identity, attitude change, emotional perception, and civic engagement are the most influential aspects of Chinese youths' self-perceptions. Furthermore, the positive and negative correlated components influence the distribution of short video values. Such tactical use of personality construction contributes to the present psychological research of Chinese university students.

Peculiarities of motivation in sports training

The article examines the current issues of motivation in sports training and identifies its main features. It is noted that the study of motivation in sports training is important both from the point of view of science and practice, because during sports much attention is paid to the personality of the athlete, his professionally important qualities and individual typological features. It is determined that motivation is a process in which a person motivates himself to action, as a result of which he will achieve the goal and fulfill the tasks. It is emphasized that motivation in sports training is associated with intrinsic motivation and achievement motivation. Intrinsic motivation is what motivates a person to act to increase their self-confidence and independence, rather than for an external goal. Achievement motivation is a type of activity motivation that is associated with a person's need to succeed and avoid failure The main features of motivation in sports training are substantiated, namely: motivation in sports training has the form of a three-level pyramid, the higher the level, the higher the athlete's motivation to train; the second feature is the athlete's personal motives that encourage him or her to train systematically; the third feature is achievement motivation, which is a relatively stable attribute of the individual. However, it is also a dynamic formation and begins to act (actualizes) in interaction with situational factors, such as the value and probability (chances) of achieving success in a particular field of activity. Achievement motivation, i.e., the desire to succeed in a particular type of activity, includes not only achievement motives (stable personality attributes), but also situational factors (value, probability of success, complexity of the task). Prospect for further research is to conduct an empirical study to determine the personal constructs of motivation in sports training.

Development and Validation of the Subjective Well-Being Resources Scale

Subjective well-being (SWB) is an important construct of positive psychology and it is known that these resources should be supported to prevent mental health disorders. However, there is no measurement tool to assess individual differences concerning SWB resources. The present study aims to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure SWB resources. For this aim, two studies were conducted. As a result, the five-factor (personal, religious, health, social, and external resources) construct explaining 45.3% of the variance was derived and validated with both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The factors were related to mental health indicators and personality as expected. The internal consistency coefficient of the scale was .83), and the test re-test reliability was .88. As a result of the analysis, it is concluded that the Subjective Well-Being Resources Scale is valid and reliable and can be used to measure SWB resources.

Ritualized Relational Work: Secret Banquets and Rural Cadres in China

ABSTRACT Despite the Chinese central government’s anti-corruption policies and restrictions on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadres’ conduct, many rural cadres still hold or join lavish banquets, but in secret. Why do cadres take such risks? Why is banqueting so important for them? This ethnographic study in one rural county shows how instrumental banqueting (fanju) and associated interactions enhance exchange among rural cadres and businessmen, which can be understood as a process of relational work. This relational work exaggerates and adorns participants’ personal relationships and constructs a moral basis for corruption. This style of relational work uses the Confucian notion of li as an excuse to show benevolence(ren), creating "ritualized relational work." This paper contributes to an understanding of the resilience of guanxi practices during President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign.

The Unstable Subject: Public Constructs and Borderline Personality Disorder

Kelly’s intense focus on personal construing processes is understandable given the aims he put forth when creating personal construct psychology and the socio-cultural context in which his theory arose. Plenty of space remains, however, to elucidate the interaction between public construing processes and personal constructs to the extent that these can be separated in a relational theory such as this one. Previously, this exploration was largely theoretical, and it involved drawing parallels between Kelly and theorists such as Foucault or Bauman. In this paper, the relationship between public and personal systems of constructs is theorized with clinical applications in mind, emphasizing its practical importance as a means of understanding clients and situating their change in a wider social context, while understanding the possibilities and limitations determined by constructs structuring and governing social relations. This paper will attempt to create a new framework for further expansion of Kelly’s theory. A brief clinical vignette will be used to illustrate how this approach reframes borderline personality disorder as a primarily relational issue.

Drawing a Portrayal of Science Teachers’ Epistemic Cognitions Around Different Concepts Characterizing Science Education

AbstractThe objective of this descriptive study is to provide a detailed examination of science teachers’ perspectives regarding scientific knowledge, science learning, science concepts, and science teaching. A total of 304 science teachers created metaphors to express their cognitions about the epistemological aspects of their work. A specifically designed metaphor construction task was used to capture the participants’ epistemic cognitions. The participants’ metaphorical reasoning was captured since the metaphors might deliver experience-based conceptions, perceptions, beliefs, or comprehensions about four concepts regarding epistemic cognition. In-depth, descriptive analysis was undertaken through open, axial, and selective coding procedures with higher validity and reliability. The participants’ epistemic cognitions were gathered around five-order themes: function (accepting science knowledge and science concepts and their teaching/learning as vital entities by adopting an instrumentalist or tool-based perspective), personal epistemological stance (seeing science knowledge and science learning as an endless and immortal accumulation of factual knowledge), motivational construct (scientific knowledge attaches importance so it should be taught in the school systems in the science lessons), sociological construct (science knowledge provides power), and pedagogical construct (not the science knowledge but the science concepts should be taught in the schools in the science lesson). This study concluded that the participant science teachers mostly held conventional orientations in externalizing their epistemic cognitions. Theory-based explanations are presented in terms of the participants’ traditional epistemic orientations in the sense of future directions of further research.