Element Comparisons In Repertory Grid Technique: Results And Consequences Of A Monte Carlo Study

The analysis of “quasi” grids containing arrays of random numbers was used to explore common interelement distances. Using the Unit of Expected Distance for standardization (Slater, 1976), interelement distances were computed for huge numbers of quasis and the parameters for their distributions specified. The distributions of interelement distances depended on the size of the grids (i.e., the number of constructs). The distances were not symmetrically distributed; there was a marked skewness in distribution. The “significance” of distances (Slater, 1976) should be redefined. The clinical and methodological relevance of the results is demonstrated. Solutions to the statistical problems are suggested.     

Identification,Reflection, And Correlation: Problems In The Bases Of Repertory Grid Measures

Repertory grids, deriving from George Kelly's personal construct theory, have been used to provide measures of a number of personality and cognitive variables. Several of these grid measures, such as the identification index, some measures of cognitive complexity, and other indices extracted from factor analyses of grids, are based on correlations between the columns (elements) of the grid data matrix. These measures are problematic and unstable because the intercolumn correlations depend on the direction of scoring across each of the matrix rows (constructs). This direction is not guided by explicit or theoretically justified rules and appears to be arbitrary and inconsistent between researchers. Also, correlation is a poor measure of element similarity, the basis of the identification measure. The importance of the valuating aspect of construing may provide a basis for the standardization of scoring. And scoring from the valued pole of a construct may help bring stability and meaning to the correlation-based measures.     

贮备格栅技术：一种对企业组织有价值的工具

角色建构贮备格栅技术是由乔治凯利在 1 95 5年首创的 ,能有效地应用于企业组织中。本文先讨论个人建构心理学的一些有关的主要概念 ;然后 ,对格栅的实质及其分析作了阐述 ,包括它们在心理测量方面的一些特点。对员工选择 /职业指导的文章 ,包括那些有关工作分析、工作各方面的意义和处理工作问题的那些文章作了介绍。     

A New Approach To The Identification Of Cognitive Conflicts In The Repertory Grid: An Illustrative Case Study

The concept of cognitive conflicts and its relation to the success of psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy are discussed. According to this model of therapy, patients should achieve insight into their conscious as well as unconscious conflicts. Therefore in the present study we assumed that demonstrable cognitive changes would occur over treatment for chronic pain, as measured by Kelly's (1955) Repertory Grid Test. Grids were analyzed with regard to conflicts on the basis of the concept of unbalanced triads. A triad may be described as unbalanced when logical inconsistencies can be demonstrated on the basis of a correlative comparison of three corresponding construct pairs. Construct systems were checked for unbalanced triads by means of a new computer program derived by the authors. A case study serves to demonstrate the possibilities for analysis and interpretation of unbalanced triads offered by this novel method. Results indicate that cognitive restructuring had indeed taken place during therapy and had decreased the relative number of cognitive conflicts.     

Self-Knowledge and Depressive Symptoms in Late Adolescence: A Study Using the Repertory Grid Technique

The goal of this study is to explore the relationship, suggested by recent developmental approaches, between several aspects of self-knowledge organization and depressive symptomatology in late adolescence, within the comprehensive framework of Kelly's personal construct psychology. The repertory grid technique was used to obtain six measures of self-knowledge organization: global differentiation; polarization; presence of conflicts; and discrepancies between actual self, ideal self, and others. Two inventories were used to create two samples of late adolescents according to their level of depressive symptoms. Results supported the expectations of greater global differentiation and actual–ideal self discrepancy (or lower self-esteem) for adolescents with depressive symptoms, as well as a higher likelihood of intrapersonal conflicts. However, discrepancies between self (actual or ideal) and others (identification, and perceived adequacy of others), and polarization showed no significant differences. Furthermore, the association of symptom severity with different grid measures was stronger for adolescents with depressive symptoms. Results and limitations of this study are discussed, and the potential of using personal construct theory and the repertory grid technique in studies of self-knowledge and psychological adjustment during adolescence is explored.     

The Construing Of Pain: A Comparison Of Acute And Chronic Low Back Pain Patients Using The Repertory Grid Technique

Hypotheses derived from the literature on pain and on personal construct theory were tested using the repertory grid technique on samples of acute and chronic low back pain patients. Two main differences emerged between these groups: (a) Chronic pain patients showed a small but significant tendency to associate being in pain with being sensitive to others; and (b) chronic pain patients perceived significantly less anger around them. The two groups were then pooled to examine changes in construing with increasing pain duration. Two main trends were noted with increasing chronicity: (a) Pain patients perceived significantly less depression around them, with the construct depressed/not depressed becoming increasingly subordinate, and (b) pain was seen in increasingly less negative terms. The results are discussed with reference to the literature and suggestions are made for future research areas.     

Self-Control and Weight-Loss Practices: An Exploration of Repertory Grid Constructs

Attempting weight loss is an increasingly common behavior for many people and a variety of practices are used. However, lapses in self-control may hinder progress. This study explores how women construe their weight-loss practices. In 10 semistructured interviews, the repertory grid technique (RGT) was used to explore elicited bipolar constructs using weight-loss practices as elements. Qualitative interpretation of the grids highlighted the fundamentally different ways self-control was seen as being enhanced. The amount of weight to be lost and self-esteem issues were interpreted as impacting expectations of increased self-control from practices. Suggestions for future research into these relationships are outlined.     

Transcultural wellness: An Exploratory Study

This study explored differences in wellness scores between a transcultural sample and the normative sample of the Five Factor wellness Inventory (5F‐wel; Myers & Sweeney, 2005c). Differences between the two groups were found on all scales of the 5f‐wel, with transculturals scoring higher than the normative sample. Implications for practitioners and researchers are presented for those working with transculturals. Este estudio exploró las diferencias en puntuaciones de bienestar entre una muestra transcultural y la muestra normativa de los Cinco factores del Inventario de Bienestar (5F‐wel, por sus siglas en inglés; Myers & Sweeney, 2005c). Se hallaron diferencias entre los dos grupos en todas las escalas del 5f‐wel, con las puntuaciones transculturales siendo más altas que la muestra normativa. Se presentan implicaciones para profesionales e investigadores que estén trabajando con individuos transculturales.     

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Repertory Grid Exploration of Anger in Young Offenders

Anger and its treatment is a major issue in a variety of contexts, although it remains underexplored. In this study 10 young people completed semi-structured interviews and repertory grids. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) and repertory grid analysis were conducted. Findings consistently indicated that anger is a more similar than different experience for participants within dialectical processes involving disempowering, empowering, and disengaging narratives that can be affected by positive personal and interpersonal phenomena and socially driven beliefs. Clinical and research implications are discussed.     

Navigating Family Roles Within An Institutional Framework: An Exploratory Study In One Private Chinese Orphanage

Current research in child development has espoused the benefit of family-like routines in institutional orphanage care. However, the institutional framework evident in large-group orphanage care often hampers the creation of nurturing, family-like environments. This qualitative study is part of a larger case study exploring how one private Chinese orphanage infuses a family-like structure into an institutional setting. Data is examined from an ecocultural viewpoint, looking at how caregivers and directors’ attitudes and behaviors reflect universal caregiving practices and how they reflect the distinct cultural forces within this private Chinese orphanage. Data came from conversation-like interviews with the director, co-director, and two direct caregivers. This information was combined with observations that resulted from me living within the orphanage for a period of ten days. Results indicate the family-like environment was created primarily through the staff’s articulation of and identification with family roles (father, mothers, brothers, sisters rather than director, co-director, caregivers, and children). Family-like roles often involved levels of intimacy not typically found in institutional settings such as the culturally accepted practice of co-sleeping with younger children. Results are presented in textual format followed by implications for institutional frameworks.     

An Exploratory Investigation of Three Self-Other Orientation Measures

A new non-verbal, multidimensional approach to self-concept measurement (SOO tasks) was compared to one representative of the traditional verbal measurement approach. Both self-concept measures and an anxiety measure were administered to 25 boys and 23 girls. Correlations between the measures were generally disappointing but typically more positive for the girls. The question of methods variance overshadowing any trait variance common to the self-concept measures was viewed as needing further study, since a non-verbal approach to self-concept measurement could avoid the problems of response set. Some tentative hypotheses regarding the SOO tasks and sex differences in self-concept were discussed.     

The Meaning and Impact of Head and Neck Cancer: An Interpretative Phenomenological and Repertory Grid Analysis

This study explores the personal meaning of head and neck cancer for individuals, with particular reference to the impact on the self. It employs interpretative phenomenological and repertory grid analysis with 10 people, all of whom have undergone surgical treatment for head and ceck cancer. Four themes emerged: namely, destruction of self, altered relations with the body, disenfranchised self, and conservation of self. Repertory grid analysis validated and enriched understanding of these findings. Participants described how head and neck cancer inflicted a fundamental attack on their sense of self. Nonetheless, participants were dynamic in their self-management and detailed an active process to retain a positive sense of self.     

Professional Career Services: An Exploratory Study

This study assesses the willingness of three groups of job seekers to use professional career counseling services.     

Defying Unjust Authority: An Exploratory Study

This research explores the psychological factors potentially involved in fostering disobedience to an unjust authority. Our paradigm was modeled after that of the Utrecht Studies on Obedience (Meeus and Raaijmakers European Journal of Social Psychology 16:311-324, 1986) in which participants are ordered to give each of 15 increasingly hostile comments to a participant/victim whenever he fails a trial. Although 30% of our sample followed commands to insult the other participant (confederate), the majority did refuse to do so at some point in the escalating hostility sequence. Our procedure utilized conditions known from prior research to increase the ratio of disobedience to obedience: proximity of teacher to learner plus remote authority. In order to better understand some of the cognitive and affective processes that may predict such defiant behaviour, we utilized a variety of measures, among them, behavioural observations, individual difference assessments, and in depth post-experimental interviews.     

Two-Component Solutions of Repertory Grid Data: A Comparison of Three Methods

Abstract

Of the various ways in which repertory grid data can be summarized, the two-component plot has been the most popular method. These plots are derived in three main ways: (1) Slater's (1977) INGR1D program, (2) subprogram FACTOR in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (Nie, Hull, Jenkins, Steinbrenner, & Brent, 1975), and (3) Higgenbotham and Bannister's (1983) CAB program, little attempt has been made to compare the solutions produced by these programs despite widespread use. A small number of single case studies suggest that the solutions are comparable. This paper reports a study that compares the solutions derived from INGRID, SPSS, and CAB for a series of cases. The results show that correspondence was good for the first components, but for the second components the results were less satisfactory     

How Lending Officers Construe Assessments of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Loan Applications: A Repertory Grid Study

Repertory grid technique and principal component analysis were used to map and analyze how 75 lending officers (LOs) viewed their assessments of small and medium-sized enterprises’ loan applications in one bank and region. A standard set of elements and constructs, derived during pre- and pilot studies, was used. Analysis of individual grids demonstrated that the principal components indicated the existence of similarities in LOs’ construing at an aggregated level. Analysis of the mean grid of all respondents indicated that the LOs were encouraged by the bank's lending strategy and supporting system(s) to perform “procedural lending” with a focus on hard and future-oriented information. At the same time, the LOs deemphasized relationship lending, in particular, personal relationships.     

Job Attitude Organization: An Exploratory Study1

An exploratory study was conducted to examine the organization of three often used measures of job satisfaction. Employing a convenient sample of 144 workers, who also were enrolled in evening graduate school courses, relationships between these job satisfaction measures and affective (positive and negative) and cognitive attitudinal components were assessed. The job satisfaction measures were found to vary considerably in terms of their affective and cognitive content. These results were discussed in terms of their relevance to the study of job attitudes.     

Presentism And Absence Causation: An Exercise In Mimicry

If presentism is true, then no wholly non-present events exist. If absence orthodoxy is true, then no absences exist. I discuss a well-known causal argument against presentism, and develop a very similar argument against absence orthodoxy. I argue that solutions to the argument against absence orthodoxy can be adopted by the presentist as solutions to the argument against presentism. The upshot is that if the argument against absence orthodoxy fails, then so does the argument against presentism.     

Psychological Change in Everyday Life: An Exploratory Study

The innovative moments model was used in a pilot study that aimed to explore the change processes involved in everyday change outside psychotherapy. According to this model, the emergence and development of innovative moments (IMs) as exceptions to a problematic pattern are closely associated with psychological change. A longitudinal design covering 4 months of interviews was implemented with 13 adults who were coping with significant personal problems without clinical psychopathological complaints. Semistructured interviews were used to explore participants' personal accounts of their problems, and change was assessed using a scaling task at the end of the study. A total of 114 interviews were analyzed using the innovative moments coding system. A general linear model showed that higher levels of change were associated with higher proportions of complex IMs over time. Moreover, lower levels of change were associated with an increase in elementary IMs. These results support the idea that successful psychological change in everyday life shares similarities with the change pattern found in psychotherapy using the innovative moments model.