Theories and Models

Kelly's Construct Theory

Kelly's Construct Theory, also know as Personal Construct Theory, says that people make sense of the world by personal constructs they develop through their own experiences. This results in everyone perceiving the world differently. It highlights the importance and role of thoughts and memory on personality, rather than just genetics.

As a health professional, Kelly's theory says that it is important to aid a participant to help themselves change their perception of the world, rather than trying to force your own opinions on them (Zhikun & Fungfai, 2008).

Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change)

the Transtheoretical model is a theory of how an individual goes through the process of change. it involved six stages;

• Precontemplation- during this stage the person doesn't know there is an issue that needs fixing. This is usually due to misinformation or a lack of education, leading the individual to think they don't need to change. It is unlikely that change will occur within the foreseeable future when one is at this stage.

• Contemplation- this is the point at which the individual realises there is a problem. They become aware of the pro's and con's of changing and weigh up whether it is beneficial to change or not.

• Preparation- at this stage it has been decided that the change will be made. It is likely that change will be made in the foreseeable future and some small actions may be taken to prepare for the next stage, action.

• Action- this is the point at which action is taken. Changes have been made to bring about a change in a hope to improve the problem.

• Maintenance- During the maintenance phase change has occurred, the individual now must focus on maintaining the change and preventing relapse. As time goes on, relapse becomes less likely (Wilson et al, 2016).

Theory of Planned Behaviour

The theory of planned behaviour is a model that says people will develop an intention after they have developed a positive attitude towards their behaviour, seeing is as a norm and believing they have the ability to act (Case, P, 2016). The theory says that peoples behaviour is the result of three areas of belief; behavioural, normative and control.

• behavioural belief is how one believed a behaviour will affect them.

• normative belief is how one perceives others expectations.

• control belief is how one believes other factors may affect them.

So, a person will behave in either a positive or negative aspect towards a particular stimulus depending on their own beliefs about that particular subject (Finke et al, 2015).

Five Factor Model of Personality

The Big Five Personality Traits are currently the most dominant approach to personality constructs and our understanding of how personality is constructed. The major contributors to this model are Costa and McCrae (1992) who came up with a testable way to measure the five personality traits.

These five personality traits are;

Extroversion

Neuroticism

Openness to experience

Conscientiousness

Agreeableness

These traits have been tested repeatedly and have been found to represent the dimensions of personality, not categorise it, as personality is an interaction of these factors.

References

Case, P, Sparks, P & Pavey, L 2016, 'Identity appropriateness and the structure of the theory of planned behaviour', British Journal Of Social Psychology, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 109-125, viewed 15 August 2016, <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/command/detail?sid=f974042a-d54f-43c0-b5bf-ecce70aa5fc5%40sessionmgr4009&vid=15&hid=4111>.

Costa, PT & McCrae RR 1992, ‘The five-factor model of personality and its relevance to personality disorders’, Journal of Personality Disorders, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 343-359, viewed 23 August 2016, <http://search.proquest.com/docview/858134597?pq-origsite=gscholar>.

Finke, EH, Hickerson, B, McLaughlina, E, Nippold, M & Camarata, S 2015, 'Parental intention to support video game play by children with autism spectrum disorder: an application of the Theory of Planned Behavior', Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 154-165, viewed 22 August 2016, <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f974042a-d54f-43c0-b5bf-ecce70aa5fc5%40sessionmgr4009&vid=19&hid=4111>.

Wilson, J, Kirk, A, Hayes, K, Bradbury, I, McDonough, S, Tully, M, O'Neill, B & Bradley, J 2016, 'Applying the Transtheoretical Model to physical activity behavior in individuals with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis', Respiratory Care, vol. 61, no. 1, pp. 68-77, viewed 22 August 2016, <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f974042a-d54f-43c0-b5bf-ecce70aa5fc5%40sessionmgr4009&vid=22&hid=4111>.

Zhikun, D & Fungfai, N 2008, 'A new way of developing semantic differential scales with personal construct theory', Construction Management & Economics, vol. 26, no. 11, pp. 1213-1226, viewed 21 August 2016, <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f974042a-d54f-43c0-b5bf-ecce70aa5fc5%40sessionmgr4009&vid=25&hid=4111>.