A Manual for Repertory Grid Technique, 2nd Edition

About the Authors ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgements xiii

1. The Basis of Repertory Grid Technique 1

Grids: What Are They? 1

The Grid as Part of Personal Construct Theory 5

Grids: a Measure of What? 5

Grids are about Constructs 7

Some Personal Construct Theory Corollaries 9

Different Kinds of Construct 12

Constructs in Transition 12

Conclusions 12

2. Constructs And Elements 15

What is an Element? 15

What is a Construct? 15

Elements in a Grid 18

The Nature and Types of Constructs in a Grid 23

Ways of Eliciting Personal Constructs from ’Elements’ 27

Eliciting Personal Constructs in Ways other than from ’Elements’ 30

Eliciting Constructs from Constructs 39

To Elicit or to Supply Constructs? 46

Classification of Constructs 49

Which are more Important in a Grid – Elements or Constructs? 50

Constructs and Elements: the Debate 50

Comment 52

3. Varieties Of Grid In Use Today 54

The Grid Form of the Role Construct Repertory Test 54

The Split-Half Method of Allocating Elements 56

A Grid Using Rankings 56

A Grid Using Ratings 59

Implications and Resistance-to-Change Grids 65

Resistance-to-Change Grid 70

A Bipolar Implications Grid 73

Dependency Grid 76

A Textual Grid 78

A Qualitative Grid 79

Comment 80

4. Analyzing Grid Data 82

Repertory Grids 82

Analyzing Constructs 83

Analyzing Elements 91

Joint Representations of Constructs and Elements 93

Representations of Multiple Repertory Grid Data 98

Dependency Grids 101

Implications Grids 104

Comments 108

5. Some Summary Measures Of Structure 113

Cognitive Complexity 114

Extremity and Ordination 121

Conflict 122

Element Indices 124

Measures of Superordinacy 126

Measures of Intransitivity 127

Implications Grids 128

Dependency Grids 129

Comment 130

6. Reliability and Validity 132

Reliability 132

Conclusions 143

Validity 143

Conclusions 151

7. Specific Ways Of Using Grids 153

The Individual and the Grid 154

A Decision-Making Grid 162

Wholly or Partially Standardized Grid Formats 163

Conclusions 167

8. Some Uses To Which Grids Have Been Put 168

Grids in General 169

In the Clinical Setting 170

Working with Children 188

Teachers and Teaching 192

The Construing of Professionals 195

Those With Learning Difficulties 196

Social Relationships 199

Language 204

Dependency 210

The Use and Abuse of Drugs 211

The Family 212

Forensic Work 213

Maps, Planning and Environment 215

Market Research 217

Politics 218

Careers 219

Sport 220

Organizational and Business Applications 220

More Unusual Uses of Grids 226

Appendix Computer Programs and Websites 230

References 232

Author Index 258

Subject Index 262