Six Criteria of a Viable Theory: Putting Reversal Theory to the Test

In the wake of differential quality of theories, where some outshine others by way of, for instance, scope of explained phenomena or track record of empirical support, I review a series of criteria to judge the merit of multiple theories. The six criteria include comprehensiveness, precision and testability, parsimony, empirical validity, and both heuristic and applied value. I then utilize these criteria to review various leading personality theories, and include among them – for comparison – meta-motivational Reversal Theory, which challenges the universality of stable traits and instead embraces the notion of changeable states according to circumstances. Finally, I offer the reader a graphic representation (via cluster analysis) of the partnerships and families that unite together various theories based on similar criteria of evaluation.