What are the constructs in the world of Psychology?

In psychology, a "construct" is the term and definition attributed to a phenomenon that, despite not having empirical reality, constitutes itself as an object of study. The constructs serve to communicate, know and manipulate phenomena that we can hardly define, precisely because they are not concrete objects. They shape much of psychology and as such have determined much of our individual perception of everything around us.

Here is a definition of the construct in psychology and we will review the applications it has had in clinical psychology, specifically from the Theory of Personal Constructs.

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What is a construct?

As in the scientific disciplines, psychology has generated a series of very important knowledge to understand our relationship with the world. Often it is about abstract knowledge about objects that, despite not having empirical reality, constitute a large part of psychological knowledge, both at a specialized and colloquial level.

This is so because, in order to legitimize itself as a practice that seeks both to generate knowledge and to manage what generates knowledge (as a science), psychology has had to create a series of concepts that make intelligible the reality that study.

In other words, like many of the objects of study of psychology are not empirical elements (concrete, material, visible elements; for example, intelligence, consciousness, personality), the same discipline has had to generate a series of concepts that can represent what it studies.

These concepts are known as constructs, and they are precisely entities whose existence is neither uniform nor accurate, but in any case they try to study to satisfy needs related to a specific society.

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Some background and examples in psychology

In the 1970s, within the social sciences, discussions began about the origins and effects of scientific knowledge. Among other things, the conclusion was reached that any science is the product of a specific time and place.

As Berger and Luckmann (1979) would say, belief systems are the product of a social construction. This questioning together with these proposals also generated a debate on the constructs that psychology has generated within the framework of scientific development.

In fact, much of the research in psychology has focused on the validation of psychological constructs. This means that a series of studies are carried out and it seeks to follow parameters and criteria that generate reliable concepts to talk about phenomena that we hardly observe. For example, when different responses are measured in relation to different reaction times, which translates into the construct of intelligence or intelligence quotient.

George Kelly's Theory of Personal Constructs

The American psychologist George A. Kelly (1905-1966) developed a theory called Personal Construct Theory. Through this theory, Kelly proposed that the constructs may have therapeutic effects., whereupon, he suggested a way to apply them in clinical psychology.

According to Kelly, the terms we use to refer to things, or to ourselves, reflect how we perceive those things. From there, what Kelly was saying was that the words by which we interpret a phenomenon, they do not necessarily describe that phenomenon, but rather reflect our perceptions of it.

So, for example, if a teacher talks about a child as "lazy", that is mainly a reflection of the teacher's personal perceptions, but it also has consequences for the child himself. This is so because it is placed in a certain place (that of inactivity, due to laziness), with which, the expectations and the demands of the teacher are adapted to said perception, and the behaviors of the child also.

Kelly believed that it was possible to reconstruct, that is, to use new constructs to refer to the same phenomena, and in this way, generate and share new possibilities of action. In the case of the lazy child, for example, I would recommend replacing the “lazy” construct with another that allows the child more freedom.

The psychologist recommended thinking of ourselves as if we were scientists, that is, as builders of concepts that allow us to relate in one way or another with the world and with each other. As if we could constantly formulate different theories and put them to the test.

I apply the latter in the clinical field as a way of making it easier for the people he cared for to relate in different ways (through different constructs) to what they perceived as a problem.

Kelly's critiques of traditional science

This is how Kelly challenged scientific objectivism and the idea of ​​"objective reality", proposing that more than realities objective, there is a set of beliefs and fictions, with which, and if necessary, new beliefs and new fictions.

Said modification is important because it supposes a qualitative change in the system of relations where the person registers. Thus, what Kelly recovers are the personal meanings and, far from seeking to homogenize them, he works on them and opens up the possibility of transformation.

In order to do this, Kelly differentiated between different types and functions of the constructs., as well as the different variables that participate for a construct to be considered valid, or not, or for them to form different systems. Likewise, in his theory he discusses the permeability of constructs, that is, how much they can be applied or modified and under what circumstances.

Bibliographic references:

• Berger and Luckman (1979). The social construction of reality. Lovertu: Buenos Aires.
• Bottle, L. and Feixas, G. (1998). Theory of personal constructs. Applications to psychological practice. [Electronic version]. Retrieved June 4, 2018. Available in https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Luis_Botella/publication/31739972_Teoria_de_los_Constructos_Personales_aplicaciones_a_la_practica_psicologica/links/00b4952604cd9cba42000000.pdf-