The Classification of Psychology: A Case Study in the Classification of a Knowledge Field.

Hjørland, Birger (1998) The Classification of Psychology: A Case Study in the Classification of a Knowledge Field. . Knowledge Organization. International Journal devoted to Concept Theory, Classification, Indexing and Knowledge Representation 24(4):pp. 162-201.

Abstract

Different approaches to the classification of a knowledge field include empiristic, rationalistic, historicist, and pragmatic methods. The article demonstrates how these different methods have been applied to the classification of psychology. It shows how basic epistemological assumptions have formed the different approaches to psychology during the 20th century. The progress in the understanding of basic philosophical questions is decisive both for the development of a knowledge field and as the point of departure of classification. Applies the theoretical principles developed in a brief analysis of some concrete classification systems, including the one used by PsycINFO/Psychological Abstracts. Also briefly discusses the role of classification in modern information retrieval.