Integrating the Differentiated: A Review of the Personal Construct Approach to Cognitive Complexity

Abstract

This article reviews personal construct psychology (PCP) research on cognitive complexity. It examines conceptual foundations, measures of cognitive complexity, and a large body of empirical findings. It identifies several ambiguities in the conceptualization of the two components of cognitive complexity: differentiation and integration. These ambiguities lead to inconsistent interpretations of indexes proposed for their measurement and consequently to an inconsistent interpretation of empirical findings. The review of empirical studies identifies many valuable findings that are, however, quite fragmented. After reviewing the relevant cognitive complexity literature, suggestions for future research are discussed. In accordance with PCP's organization corollary, two different types of integration that have different relationships to the component of differentiation are identified that enable researchers to consistently distinguish various types of construing in terms of cognitive complexity and to formulate hypotheses that are open to empirical testing.