Personal Construct Psychology and the Arts

The foremost aim of personal construct psychology (PCP) is to understand the individual's ways of making sense of the world. The arts form an important part of many people's lives. Hence, the ubiquitous encounter with works of art, for creators and recipients alike, makes it worthwhile to use the tools provided by PCP for exploring this realm. Four major themes were identified in the recent literature on the arts from a PCP perspective - constructivist criticism, reflexivity, artistic identity and co-construction. They warrant further research, given that this domain has emerged as a focus of research only recently. The findings from such research would be of theoretical interest, for example in extending our understanding of artistic creativity, but may also be of practical importance within arts education, appreciation, and criticism.