Kelly's legacy in personality theory: Reasons to be cheerful

Personal Construct Theory (PCT) appears to be frozen in history. Kelly’s work is usually mentioned respectfully in any review of personality theories, yet virtually all contemporary work on PCT is ignored in orthodox psychology. In this article I examine this paradox and suggest reasons for it. I review the way in which PCT is treated in introductory texts, pointing to two types of account. In one, PCT is seen as a pre-scientific prototype of a cognitive approach to personality. In the other, it is seen as working at the phenomenological level of analysis (a level seen as of limited importance). I conclude by thinking about possible futures for PCT, and arguing for its importance as an approach for understanding (not explaining) human action.