The Case Study of Jim, Week Four The body or text (i.e., not restating the question in your answer, not including your references or your signature) of your initial response should be at least 300 words of text to be considered substantive. Title of Activity: In class discussion of the case study of Jim, Week Four Objective: Review the concepts of the case study in Ch. 11 of Personality and then relate Jim’s case to the theorists discussed during the week. 1.    Read “The Case of Jim” in Ch. 11 of Personality. 2.    Discuss the role of the case based on the behavioral and cognitive behavioral model and the use of these methods of assessment and analysis. Jim took the group form of Kelly’s Rep test separately from the other tests (Figure 11.2). Here we have a test that is structured in terms of the roles given to the subject and the task of formulating a similarity/ contrast construct. However, the subject is given total freedom in the content of the construct formed. As noted previously in this chapter, the Rep test is derived logically from Kelly’s theory of personal constructs. Two major themes appear in these constructs. The first theme is the quality of interpersonal relationships. Basically this involves whether people are warm and giving or cold and narcissistic. This theme is expressed in constructs such as gives love/is self-oriented, sensitive/insensitive, and communicates with others as people/is uninterested in others. A second major theme concerns security and is expressed in constructs such as hung up/healthy, unsure/self-confident, and satisfied with life/unhappy. The frequency with which constructs relevant to these two themes appear suggests that Jim has a relatively constricted view of the world—that is, much of Jim’s understanding of events is in terms of the warm/cold and secure/insecure dimensions. How do the constructs given relate to specific people? On the sorts that involved himself, Jim used constructs expressing insecurity. Thus, Jim views himself as being like his sister (so hung up that her psychological health is questionable), in contrast to his brother, who is basically healthy and stable. In two other sorts of constructs, he sees himself as lacking self-confidence and social poise. These ways of construing himself contrast with those involving his father. His father is construed as being introverted and retiring but also as self-sufficient, open-minded, outstanding, and successful. The constructs used in relation to Jim’s mother are interesting and again suggest conflict. On the one hand, his mother is construed to be outgoing, gregarious, and loving; on the other, she is construed to be mundane, predictable, close-minded, and conservative. The close minded, conservative construct is particularly interesting since, in that sort, Jim’s mother is paired with the person with whom he feels most uncomfortable. Thus, the mother and the person with whom he feels most uncomfortable are contrasted with his father, wh ...

1. The Case Study of Jim, Week Four
The body or text (i.e., not restating the question in your answer,
not including your references or your signature) of your initial
response should be at least 300 words of text to be considered
substantive.
Title of Activity: In class discussion of the case study of Jim,
Week Four
Objective: Review the concepts of the case study in Ch. 11 of
Personality and then relate Jim’s case to the theorists discussed
during the week.
1. Read “The Case of Jim” in Ch. 11 of Personality.
2. Discuss the role of the case based on the behavioral and
cognitive behavioral model and the use of these methods of
assessment and analysis.
Jim took the group form of Kelly’s Rep test separately from the
other tests (Figure 11.2). Here we have a test that is structured
in terms of the roles given to the subject and the task of
formulating a similarity/ contrast construct. However, the
subject is given total freedom in the content of the construct
formed. As noted previously in this chapter, the Rep test is
derived logically from Kelly’s theory of personal constructs.
Two major themes appear in these constructs. The first theme is
the quality of interpersonal relationships. Basically this
involves whether people are warm and giving or cold and
narcissistic.
This theme is expressed in constructs such as gives love/is self-
oriented, sensitive/insensitive, and communicates with others as
people/is uninterested in others. A second major theme concerns
security and is expressed in constructs such as hung up/healthy,
unsure/self-confident, and satisfied with life/unhappy. The
frequency with which constructs relevant to these two themes

2. appear suggests that Jim has a relatively constricted view of the
world—that is, much of Jim’s understanding of events is in
terms of the warm/cold and secure/insecure dimensions.
How do the constructs given relate to specific people? On the
sorts that involved himself, Jim used constructs expressing
insecurity. Thus,
Jim views himself as being like his sister (so hung up that her
psychological health is questionable), in contrast to his brother,
who is basically healthy and stable. In two other sorts of
constructs, he sees himself as lacking self-confidence and social
poise. These ways of construing himself contrast with those
involving his father. His father is construed as being introverted
and retiring but also as self-sufficient, open-minded,
outstanding, and successful.
The constructs used in relation to Jim’s mother are interesting
and again suggest conflict. On the one hand, his mother is
construed to be outgoing, gregarious, and loving; on the other,
she is construed to be mundane, predictable, close-minded, and
conservative. The close minded, conservative construct is
particularly interesting since, in that sort, Jim’s mother is
paired with the person with whom he feels most uncomfortable.
Thus, the mother and the person with whom he feels most
uncomfortable are contrasted with his father, who is construed
to be open-minded and liberal. The combination of sorts for all
persons suggests that Jim’s ideal person is someone who is
warm, sensitive, secure, intelligent, open-minded, and
successful. The women in his life— his mother, sister,
girlfriend, and previous girlfriend—are construed as having
some of these characteristics but also as missing others.
Comments on the Data
The Rep test gives us valuable data about how Jim construes his
environment.
Jim’s world tends to be perceived in terms of two major
constructs: warm interpersonal/cold interpersonal relationships
and secure, confident/insecure, unhappy people. Through the
Rep test we gain an understanding of why Jim is so limited in

3. his relationships to others and why he has so much difficulty in
being creative. His restriction to only two constructs hardly
leaves him free to relate to people as individuals and instead
forces him to perceive people and problems in stereotyped or
conventional ways. A world filled with so little perceived
diversity can hardly be exciting, and the constant threat of
insensitivity and rejection can be expected to fill Jim with a
sense of gloom.
The data from the Rep test, like Kelly’s theory, are tantalizing.
What is there seems so clear and valuable, but one is left
wondering about what is missing. There is a sense of the
skeleton for the structure of personality, but one is left with
only the bones. Jim’s ways of construing himself and his
environment are an important part of his personality.
Assessing his constructs and his construct system helps us to
understand how he interprets events and how he is led to predict
the future.
But where is the flesh on the bones—the sense of an individual
who cannot be what he feels, the person struggling to be warm
amid feelings of hostility and struggling to relate to women
although confused about his feelings toward them?