The theory of Personality Constructs proposed by George Kelly is considered a meta-theory. It is a theory of theories that assume that each individual creates or perceives their own personal theories that shape their own personality. To grasp the picture of the meaning of this theory, I think it this way. We all live on earth hence having the same world. However, we experience this world differently from each other. Putting it simply, we all have our own beliefs of the different ways to deal with the world.
Why do we have to create this kind of explanation? The answer is parallel to the goals of other theories –to predict what will happen next and anticipate the kind of self that will take place in future events. In anticipating events, we use our personal constructs, which are the interpretations we create and apply in different events of our life. Personality constructs are the underlying reasons for how we perceive the world in such ways. For example, why do I have to be good in my studies? It is because I have a personal belief or personal construct that if I do well in class, I will get good academic standing. If I have a good academic standing, I will land a good job, pay me good money, and eventually, since I am financially stable, I can buy anything I want for myself and my family. Others would have different reasons why they do well in class because, simply, we have different personal constructs. Kelly further expounds his theory by forming a basic postulate which assumes that “a person’s processes are psychologically channelized by the ways in which that person anticipates events” and eleven supporting corollaries that can be described under this postulate.