Implications of Hermeneutic Constructivism for Personal Construct Theory: Imaginally Construing the Nonhuman World

Abstract

The philosophical traditions of hermeneutics and phenomenology have permeated personal construct theory and social constructionist literature for at least the past 20 years. Recently, Chiari and Nuzzo (1996, 2000) proposed a hermeneutic constructivist approach to epistemology and psychotherapy that explicitly acknowledges its roots in these philosophical traditions. This article reviews Chiari and Nuzzo's approach, examining its relevance to Kelly's (1955) personal construct theory (PCT). Drawing from recent hermeneutics and phenomenology literature, suggestions are made for broadening the scope of hermeneutic constructivism in the context of PCT. Specifically, imaginal dialogues and role relationships with the nonhuman world are explored as possibilities for expanding hermeneutic constructivism.

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this article was presented in June 2004 at the 11th Biennial Conference of the North American Personal Construct Network in Memphis, Tennessee. I would like to thank Jonathan Raskin and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier version. I would also like to thank Matthew Allen, Jonathan Fishman, Michael Gray, Carol Humphreys, Roger Knudson, Lori Koelsch, Larry Leitner, Mark Schlutsmeyer, Bill Stiles, and Jill Thomas for hours of enlightening conversations that have challenged me to stretch my imagination and engage the topics covered in this article.