George Kelly's Philosophical Theory

1400 WordsJun 22, 20186 Pages
1. George Kelly’s theory is a scientific alternative to personality theory. He developed an organized set of constructs to explain human phenomenon. Describe how Kelly’s philosophical theory has clinical application to Jane’s personality structure? How might Kelly’s concept of pathological anxiety apply to your understanding of Jane? George Kelly’s theory of personality was predicated upon one thought – “Man is a scientist” meaning each of us tries to make sense of the world we live in by forming hypothesis. Once we enter into adulthood, according to Kelly, we will have developed a very complex model of the world and our place in it. Kelly believed a person’s conscious thoughts, feelings and personal experiences defined their…show more content…
It is important to note that when thinking this way the action was not influenced by the person, but from an outside source. When a person reacts to something, he or she is acting this way due to a stimulus. (Duval, et., al. 2001). In studying Jane’s personality and using the casual attribution theory, it is my opinion that Jane has become a recluse not wanting to leave outside of her home, is due to a stimulus. That stimulus occurred at the time of the accident, when Jane’s husband was killed and she was spared. Ultimately this stimulus is the cause of her behavior. Self-Schemata/Self Guides According to the text, Schemas “are structures of the mind that we use to make sense of the world around us,” (Pervin et al., p 341). Self-Schema is a belief about oneself that leads to a bias that is self-perpetuating. The self-schema becomes self-perpetuating when the individual chooses activities based on expectations instead of desires. Self-schemas relate to how a person interprets and processes information, as well as how decisions are made. Individuals can have several self-schemas as people develope different views of themselves (Markus, et. al., 1987). Furthermore, self-schemas can be positive and negative ( Jane’s self concept is guiding her behavior. In Jane’s case, she is utilizing a self-schema that is negative. Jane has chosen to stay within the confines of her home based on her expectations that something traumatic will happen to her
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