What are constructs in the world of psychology?

This concept is key in the philosophy of science applied to psychology.

In psychology, a "construct" is the term and definition attributed to a phenomenon that, despite not having empirical reality, is constituted as an object of study. Constructs serve to communicate, understand and manipulate phenomena that are difficult to 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.

The following 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.

What is a construct?

As is the case in scientific disciplines, psychology has generated a series of knowledge that is very important for understanding our relationship with the world. It is often abstract knowledge about objects that, although they have no empirical reality, constitute a large part of psychological knowledge. about objects that, despite not having empirical reality, constitute a large part of psychological knowledge, both at the specialized and colloquial levels.

Thus, in order to legitimize itself as a practice that seeks both to generate knowledge and to administer that about which it generates knowledge (as a science), psychology has had to create a series of concepts that make intelligible the reality it studies.

In other words, as many of the many of psychology's objects of study are not empirical elements, psychology has had to create a series of concepts that make the reality it studies intelligible. (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 precise, but are nevertheless studied to satisfy needs related to a specific society.

Some background and examples in psychology

In the 1970s, within the social sciences, discussions were beginning to take place about the origins and effects of scientific knowledge. Among other things, it was concluded 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 and criteria are sought to generate reliable concepts to speak of phenomena that are difficult to to talk about phenomena that are difficult to observe. For example, when different responses are measured in relation to different reaction times, which translates into the construct of intelligence or IQ.

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 constructs can have therapeutic effectsHe 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 do not necessarily describe that phenomenon, but rather are reflections of our perceptions of it.

So, for example, if a teacher speaks of a child as "lazy," that is primarily a reflection of the teacher's personal perceptions, but it also has consequences on the child himself. This is so because the child is put in a certain place (that of inactivity, due to laziness), so that the teacher's expectations and demands are adapted to this perception, and the child's behaviors as well.

Kelly believed that it was possible to reconstruct, that is, to use new constructs to refer to the same phenomena, and thus, generate and share new possibilities for action.. In the case of the lazy child, for example, he would recommend replacing the construct "lazy" with one that would allow the child more freedom.

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

He applied the latter in the clinical field as a way of facilitating the people he treated to relate in different ways (through different constructs) to what they perceived as a problem.

Kelly's criticisms of traditional science

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

Such modification is important because it implies a qualitative change in the system of relationships in which the person is inscribed. Thus, what Kelly recovers are personal meanings and, far from seeking to homogenize them, he works on them and opens the possibility of transformation.

In order to do this, Kelly differentiated between the different types and functions of constructsIn order to do this, Kelly differentiated between different types and functions of constructs, as well as the different variables that participate for a construct to be considered valid or not, or 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.

Bibliographical references:

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