George Kelly's Personal Construct Theory - 11 Corollaries

We anticipate future events according to our interpretations of recurrent themes.

People have different experiences and therefore construe events in different ways.

We organize our personal constructs in a hierarchical system, with some constructs in a superordinate position and others subordinate to them. This organization allows us to minimize incompatible constructs.

All personal constructs are dichotomous, that is, we construe events in an either/or manner.

We choose the alternative in a dichotomized construct that we see as extending our range of future choices.

Constructs are limited to a particular range of convenience, that is, they are not relevant to all situations.

We continually revise our personal constructs as the result of experience.

Not all new experiences lead to a revision of personal constructs. To the extent that constructs are permeable they are subject to change through experience. Concrete or impermeable constructs resist modification regardless of our experience.

Our behavior is sometimes inconsistent because our construct system can readily admit incompatible elements.

To the extent that we have had experiences similar to others, our personal constructs tend to be similar to the construction systems of those people.

We are able to communicate with others because we can construe their constructions. We not only observe the behavior of others, but we also interpret what that behavior means to them.