Taxonomy in Psychology: Looking for Subatomic Units

Abstract

A taxonomy is a model helpful in subsequent theory building because it provides lawful representation of the elements that comprise a theory. A taxonomy also permits scientists to predict the internal structure of previously undiscovered elements. Though taxonomic abstractions exist in the vernacular and in the practice of psychology, no scheme comparable to that of the Linnaean or Mendeleev systems in biology or chemistry has been developed. The following discussion suggests a method for developing any of three such schemes from the systematic explication of “subatomic” units of behavior.