Constructive alternativeism ( eng. Constructive alternativism ) is a philosophical setting, formulated by George Kelly , according to which reality can be interpreted by people in many different ways based on "constructive alternatives" (that is, different points of view on reality, individual models of reality). [1] In constructive alternativeism, in principle, abstract or correct interpretations of environmental signals are not considered, and all hypotheses that allow to interact adequately with the environment have a right to exist. In other words, in constructive alternativeism, the acceptability of a hypothesis is determined not by the degree of approximation of the model to the “original”, but by its heuristic value. [2]
Content
The philosophy of constructive alternativeism
The philosophy of constructive alternativeism is described in George Kelly's Psychology of Personal Constructs ( The Psychology of Personal Constructs , 1955 ). According to her, reality is what we interpret as reality, and facts can always be viewed from different points of view. [3] Reality as such has no meaning for a person , until it is somehow interpreted by him. A person learns the world in terms of similarities and differences of events, establishing with their help the identity of the objects of the surrounding world. [2] [4] As the doctrine of constructive alternativeism proves, "that our entire modern interpretation of the world needs to be revised or replaced." [3] To explain how a person creates a picture of the world, Kelly introduced the concept of personal, or personal, constructs .
Constructs are “transparent stencils or templates” that a person “creates himself and then tries to fit them according to the realities of which this world consists”. [5] They are used to predict recurring events. According to Kelly, the personality construct is the simplest mechanism of this kind of activity, which is a kind of rule for manipulating values, a bipolar scale , by means of which events are analyzed . It is through the comparison of personal constructs, in his opinion, that people interpret reality. In order to form a complete picture of the world in humans, the constructs function in the system, thereby forming an interpretation system. A person, according to constructive alternativeism, can perceive and interpret reality only by means of such interpretation systems, outside of which no physical stimuli can acquire any subjective meaning for him. [2] [4]
George Kelly believed that the universe could not be viewed in terms of universals or absolutes . Kelly's idea that scientists, like any other people, are actively constructing an interpretation of the world, contrasts sharply with the conventional idea that scientists somehow “discover” or “reveal” pieces of absolute truth that await them as if the world was “abandoned.” a monument. " The approach according to which one can know the absolute truth of the Universe, having mechanically collected all such pieces, Kelly described as “ accumulative fragmentation ” and considered it as a precondition antagonistic to his own constructive alternativeism. [one]
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Kenny, Vincent. Psychology of George A. Kelly // Irish Journal of Psychotherapy, Vol. 3 no. 1 March 1984. (eng.)
- ↑ 1 2 3 Baksansky O. E., Kucher E. N. Cognitive sciences: from knowledge to action. M .: KomKniga, 2005.
- ↑ 1 2 Kjell L., Zigler D. Chapter 9. The cognitive direction: George Kelly // Theories of personality: basic principles, research and application . - SPb .: Peter Press, 1997. - K .: PSYLIB, 2006.
- ↑ 1 2 Kucher E. N. Constructive Alternativeism by J. A. Kelly in the Context of the Network Approach .
- ↑ Kelly J. Personality Theory: The Psychology of Personal Constructions Archival copy of March 5, 2007 on the Wayback Machine . - SPb .: Speech, 2000.
Bibliography
- J. Kelly. Personality Theory: Psychology of Personal Constructs . - SPb .: Speech, 2000. ISBN 5-9268-0007-2
- Baksansky O. E., Kucher E. N. Cognitive sciences: from cognition to action. - M .: KomKniga, 2005. ISBN 5-484-00003-3
- Kucher Ye. N. Constructive Alternativeism by J. A. Kelly in the Context of the Network Approach .
- Kjell L., Ziegler D. Theories of personality: the main provisions, research and application. - SPb .: Peter Press, 1997. ISBN 5-88782-412-3 , ISBN 0-07-029079-2 . Al. Version - K .: PSYLIB, 2006.
See also
- Personal construct ( J. Kelly )
- Constructivism
- Social constructivism
- Radical constructivism
- The subjective nature of the experience
- Map is not a territory
Links
- Website devoted to the psychology of personality constructs (English)
- Repertoire grids in the network - a site about the psychology of personality constructions by J. Kelly