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PEIRCE'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO CONSTRUCTIVISM AND
PERSONAL CONSTRUCT PSYCHOLOGY: I. PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS
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Harry G. Procter |
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Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, UK
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Abstract
Kelly’s work was formed and
developed in the context of the American philosophical movement known as
pragmatism. The major figures to which this tradition is attributed are Charles
S. Peirce, William James and John Dewey. In Personal Construct Psychology,
Dewey was acknowledged by Kelly and by subsequent writers as perhaps his most
important influence. It has recently become increasingly apparent, however that
Peirce was a much more pervasive and crucial influence on James and Dewey than
has previously been recognized. Kelly did not mention Peirce but a close
reading of the two writers reveals a remarkable correspondence and relationship
between their two bodies of work. To set these two thinkers side by side proves
to be an interesting and productive exercise. In this paper, after introducing
Peirce and examining the relationship between him and Dewey, Kelly’s basic
philosophical assumptions, as outlined at the beginning of Volume 1 of the
Psychology of Personal Constructs, are used as a framework for exploring their
similarities and differences. The result is an enrichment of our understanding
of Kelly’s philosophy which allows us to make links with many different
subsequent thinkers’ ideas and provides a basis for exploring the psychological
aspects of the two men’s work. The latter forms the subject of Part II of this
series which is in preparation.
Keywords: Peirce, Kelly,
Pragmatism, Personal Construct Psychology, Constructivism
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REFERENCE
Procter, H. G. (2014). Peirce's contributions to constructivism and
personal construct psychology: I. Philosophical aspects.
Personal
Construct Theory & Practice, 11, Suppl. No 1, 6-33, 2014
(Retrieved from http://www.pcp-net.org/journal/pctp14/procter14.html)
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