Measuring general practitioner psychology: The personal construct perspective

Abstract

Background. According to personal construct theory (PCT), psychological processes are determined by the way in which individuals perceive differences and similarities between aspects of their environment and by the way this information is used to assist in the prediction of events. The important discriminations made by individuals are called 'constructs'. Objective. This article seeks to introduce PCT as a psychological measurement procedure to complement traditional standardized scales in research in general practice. Method. The repertory grid technique is a method of eliciting the content of the individual's constructs and determining their structure and inter-relationships. PCT and traditional measurement procedures are compared and contrasted, and the relevance of PCT to general practice psychology is discussed.