Personal Construct System of a Runaway Adolescent: An Illustrative Case Study

Personal constructs of an 18-year-old adolescent were explored by the use of a repertory grid focusing on the domains of family, self, and world. Results indicated that the runaway adolescent construed his family in a negative and rejecting way, whereas important people outside the family were perceived in a more accepting and friendly manner. It was also found that although the young man construed himself in a positive manner, at the same time he perceived himself as aloof and distant from both family and nonfamily members. The findings indicate that a young adolescent's decision to run away from home and jump into the world of the unknown is the consequence of certain push factors in the home environment and pull factors in the external world. Results of the grid are discussed in light of key elements in construct space.