Methodologies of Assessment in Personal Construct Psychology

Eliciting the True Self: The Effects of Doctoral Education on Students’ Implicit Leadership Theories and Authentic Leader Identity Development

“…In all applications of repertory grid, interpretation of the extracted personal construct systems is guided by the purpose of grid analysis (Bell, 2016). In this case study, the purpose of analysis was to determine the complexity of personal constructs elicited, the integration of current self with aspirational aspects of leader identity, and the differentiation of current self from undesirable leader identities, calling for a variety of qualitative and quantitative analyses.…”

“…Although all elements cluster together eventually, the analysis in this study examined two metrics: (a) the presence or absence of “current self” in the first cluster formed by participants’ grids, and (b) which other elements clustered with “current self” in the overall hierarchical cluster pattern, as these represent the most conceptually similar (i.e. most integrated) leader identities in participants’ systems of personal constructs (Bell, 2016).…”

“…Both analyses can be used to interpret individual grids and conduct comparative analysis; each offers advantages, depending upon the intent of a particular application (Bell, 1990, 2003). For research purposes, it is advantageous to use multiple methods of grid analysis concurrently to ensure triangulation of results (Bektas, 2014; Bell, 2016; Hewitt, 2005).…”

“…However, this effect was mitigated to some degree because the repertory grid technique solicits simultaneous ratings of both self and others. Despite these limitations, repertory grid is an established research methodology ideally suited for eliciting individual constructions of reality known to influence behavior, and was employed consistent with recommended protocols for assessing cognitive complexity among adult populations (Beail, 1985a; Bell, 2003, 2016).…”

Rational Validity

“…For example, while the elements are usually people, including the self, they can entirely consist of aspects of the self (e.g., self now, self as a child, self as a parent, future self, ideal self, myself as my partner sees me) or can be relationships, life events, body parts, jobs, paintings, or any other aspects of the world. Constructs may be elicited in different ways, including by the use of other personal construct assessment procedures (Bell 2016;Caputi et al 2012), or not at all if the constructs included in a grid are entirely supplied by the investigator. Although the latter option is not really within the spirit of personal construct theory, with its emphasis on the individuality of construing, it may facilitate the making of group comparisons.…”