Some Differences in the Personal Constructs of Neurotic and Normal Subjects

The subject completing a repertory grid test records a large number of comparative judgements about himself and people known to him (the elements), using descriptions (constructs) elicited from him. The analysis of this grid provides extensive numerical data requiring interpretation by the tester. In previous work we have reported the use of grids in the investigation of psychiatrically disturbed students (Ryle, 1967, 1969) and have used the grids to predict and assess the effects of psychotherapy (Ryle and Lunghi, 1969). These interpretations of grid data were initially largely subjective and were usually related to clinical formulations based upon a psycho-analytic model. With experience, the assumptions underlying the interpretation of grid data have become more explicit and the time is clearly ripe for these assumptions to be subjected to more rigorous testing.