A Personal Construct Approach to the Conjugally Bereaved Woman

Abstract

Kelly's theory of personal constructs has been applied to generate an explanation of the normal processes of grief and mourning, using widowhood as an example. The psychological states characteristic of widowhood–shock and numbness, stress, anger, anxiety, guilt, sadness, despair, hostility, idealization, depression, and psychological reorganization–are viewed as manifestations of changes in parts of the widow's personal construct system. These changes involve the processes of personal construct dislocation and adaptation. Dislocation refers to the real or apparent failure of the widow's construct system to embrace the new events associated with her husband's death. Adaptation involves two processes, assimilation and accommodation. This proposal of concurrent processes of personal construct dislocation and adaptation differs from the phase-oriented approaches to bereavement. It also encourages the widow's active coping with her bereavement reaction.