Fay Fransella – författare

Originally published in 1986, this was a new and completely updated edition of the book which, since 1970 had introduced a whole generation in English psychology to Kelly’s theory of personal constructs.

By setting out a broadly designed and experimentally illustrated view of people as self-inventing explorers and interpreters of their world it challenged the ‘mechanical man’ of orthodox psychology. It proved a source of radically new ideas in psychotherapy, education and industry.

This revised edition shows how the theory’s professional applications have spread ever wider, while many have realised that personal construct psychology contains, for them, the core of a personal philosophy.

Originally published in 1986, this was a new and completely updated edition of the book which, since 1970 had introduced a whole generation in English psychology to Kelly’s theory of personal constructs.

By setting out a broadly designed and experimentally illustrated view of people as self-inventing explorers and interpreters of their world it challenged the ‘mechanical man’ of orthodox psychology. It proved a source of radically new ideas in psychotherapy, education and industry.

This revised edition shows how the theory’s professional applications have spread ever wider, while many have realised that personal construct psychology contains, for them, the core of a personal philosophy.

This is an indispensable guide to theory and skills for those wishing to use the personal construct psychology approach in their practice. It will appeal to a wide range of professionals such as psychologists, teachers, psychiatrists, nurses, system engineers and managers.

Aimed at novices as well as those already knowledgeable about grid usage, this manual provides an overview of George Kelly’s personal construct theory, which underpins repertory grid methods. The reader will learn how to design a grid, with guidance on how to choose elements and ways of eliciting personal constructs that can influence the results obtained.

The second edition includes multiple examples of grids, as well as:

This book will appeal to psychology students, practitioners and academics. Other professionals who will find this an invaluable guide include managers, teachers and educationalists, speech and language therapists, nurses, probation officers and psychiatrists.

Praise for the First Edition

`In Britain, few people can have contributed more to the development of a personal construct approach than Fay Fransella and Peggy Dalton.... Their book is primarily written for those who may wish to incorporate Kelly's ideas into their existing counselling framework.... This is an informative book which is concise, well-written and with no shortage of clinical examples, relevant to all who are interested in counselling and psychotherapy' - British Journal of Psychology

The revised and updated edition of this practical, accessible book gives a clear introduction to personal construct counselling for counselling trainees and practitioners alike. Outlining the key principles of the personal construct approach to counselling and relating them to practice, the book carefully explores ways in which counsellors, through credulous listening to everything the client says - and does not say - can build the client's awareness of the manner in which he or she construes problems. The range of methods that can be used to help the counsellor and client learn more about inherent contradictions and their implications, are described and illustrated.

The book goes on to show how the counsellor and client in partnership can then devise experiments for change through which the client can try out new and more rewarding ways of constructing and acting. A number of approaches to facilitating change are discussed and exemplified.

This book reveals that George Kelly was a man of enormous intellect, of many talents and of great complexity. Fay Fransella outlines how his views have influenced the theory and practice of psychotherapy, and illustrates how his training in physics and mathematics influenced his theory and led to the development of one of his methods of measurement - the repertory grid.

The book also describes Kelly's philosophy of constructive alternativism, which suggests that we have created and can therefore recreate ourselves, and that what is true for the individual, rather than some external truth, is what matters. This philosophy can be seen as a precursor of the current emphasis on constructivism. Criticisms of Kelly's work and examples of work carried out within this framework since his death are also featured.

Praise for the First Edition

`In Britain, few people can have contributed more to the development of a personal construct approach than Fay Fransella and Peggy Dalton.... Their book is primarily written for those who may wish to incorporate Kelly′s ideas into their existing counselling framework.... This is an informative book which is concise, well-written and with no shortage of clinical examples, relevant to all who are interested in counselling and psychotherapy′ - British Journal of Psychology

The revised and updated edition of this practical, accessible book gives a clear introduction to personal construct counselling for counselling trainees and practitioners alike. Outlining the key principles of the personal construct approach to counselling and relating them to practice, the book carefully explores ways in which counsellors, through credulous listening to everything the client says - and does not say - can build the client′s awareness of the manner in which he or she construes problems. The range of methods that can be used to help the counsellor and client learn more about inherent contradictions and their implications, are described and illustrated.

The book goes on to show how the counsellor and client in partnership can then devise experiments for change through which the client can try out new and more rewarding ways of constructing and acting. A number of approaches to facilitating change are discussed and exemplified.

Praise for the First Edition

`In Britain, few people can have contributed more to the development of a personal construct approach than Fay Fransella and Peggy Dalton.... Their book is primarily written for those who may wish to incorporate Kelly's ideas into their existing counselling framework.... This is an informative book which is concise, well-written and with no shortage of clinical examples, relevant to all who are interested in counselling and psychotherapy' - British Journal of Psychology

The revised and updated edition of this practical, accessible book gives a clear introduction to personal construct counselling for counselling trainees and practitioners alike. Outlining the key principles of the personal construct approach to counselling and relating them to practice, the book carefully explores ways in which counsellors, through credulous listening to everything the client says - and does not say - can build the client's awareness of the manner in which he or she construes problems. The range of methods that can be used to help the counsellor and client learn more about inherent contradictions and their implications, are described and illustrated.

The book goes on to show how the counsellor and client in partnership can then devise experiments for change through which the client can try out new and more rewarding ways of constructing and acting. A number of approaches to facilitating change are discussed and exemplified.