Construct Structure Associated with Alcohol-Dependent Behavior in Males

Abstract

The present study investigated the hypothesis that the dimension of construct structure may differentiate between alcohol-dependent and social-drinking individuals. Based on Kelly's theory of personal constructs, the construct structure of a hospitalized alcohol-dependent sample ( n = 60) was compared to that of a social-drinking group ( n = 60). Construct structure was operationally defined in terms of construct organization and construct content, and the results suggested that the alcohol-dependent subjects' personal construct systems could be described in terms of dilated and loose construing. Although there were significant differences in the demographic composition of the two groups, statistical control was imposed by means of a multivariate analysis of variance and covariance, and the differential pattern of construct organization scores between the two groups was maintained. Data indicated that the psychometric properties of the Repertory Grid Test did not justify the separation of the measures of cognitive complexity and constellatoriness, i.e., the tendency to construe elements in a stereotypic or undifferentiated manner, as distinct variables. In other words, these two dependent measures of construct organization represented similar psychological processes, namely, using psychological predictors (constructs) to discriminate between elements in the construer's perceptual-cognitive environment. The results were discussed in relation to the possible clinical implications for the treatment of alcohol-dependent persons.