Overview of the Construal Level Theory: history of formation, main provisions and research potential

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of Construal Level Theory (CLT), which was founded by Nira Liberman and Yakov Trope. CLT describes the relationship between psychological distance (subjective experience of remoteness of a phenomenon) and the level of its construal (representation) in consciousness. According to this theory, phenomena perceived more distant, will be presented in a more abstract way in the mind of the subject. At the moment CLT is one of the most actively developing interdisciplinary psychological theories. At the same time, it remains virtually unknown within the Russian-speaking psychological community. The main purpose of the article is to help the reader get an idea of the history of CLT development, its main assumptions, and to demonstrate its high research potential. The first part presents the most significant works, which determined the direction of the theory’s development. The second part summarizes its key points. The last part considers the possibilities of CLT in building a deeper understanding of the nature of prediction, evaluation, choice, self-regulation, and a number of other processes.