Speculation and theory-building in the development of psychology as a science

Abstract

In this commentary on a classic article by Paul Wachtel on the importance of theoretical work in empirical research, the author expresses agreement that reward structures discourage the kind of theoretical speculation that may lead to new understandings of existing data and, even more critically, to new ways of formulating questions to be addressed in controlled research. Our students in particular need to be encouraged to reflect on what their own empirical research really means within the larger framework of trying to understand the world in psychological terms. New theories and paradigms do not emerge inevitably from a body of data. Rather, they represent creative insights whose sources are poorly understood and yet are overlooked at our risk.