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Abstract

The work reported in this article is part of a larger research project to test the validity of a personal construct theory model of learning from experience in sensitivity training groups (Beck, 1980a, 1980b). This article is concerned with the defensive responses that participants make to the invalidation of the constructs that they apply to themselves, the training situation, and their relationships with other participants. Two major dimensions of defensiveness are outlined: hostility and constriction. Hypotheses about the relationship between these defensive processes and measures of participants' construct system structures and other variables are presented and tested.

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Testing A Personal Construct Theory Model Of The Experimential Learning Process

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