Taxonomic models of individual differences: a guide to transdisciplinary approaches

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
J Uher

Abstract

Models and constructs of individual differences are numerous and diverse. But detecting commonalities, differences and interrelations is hindered by the common abstract terms (e.g. 'personality', 'temperament', 'traits') that do not reveal the particular phenomena denoted. This article applies a transdisciplinary paradigm for research on individuals that builds on complexity theory and epistemological complementarity. Its philosophical, metatheoretical and methodological frameworks provide concepts to differentiate various kinds of phenomena (e.g. physiology, behaviour, psyche, language). They are used to scrutinize the field's basic concepts and to elaborate methodological foundations for taxonomizing individual variations in humans and other species. This guide to developing comprehensive and representative models explores the decisions taxonomists must make about which individual variations to include, which to retain and how to model them. Selection and reduction approaches from various disciplines are classified by their underlying rationales, pinpointing possibilities and limitations. Analyses highlight that individuals' complexity cannot be captured by one universal model. Instead, multiple models phenotypically taxonomi...Continue Reading

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Feb 28, 2018·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·I TrofimovaJ Uher

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Citations

Feb 28, 2018·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·I TrofimovaJ Uher
Feb 28, 2018·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Jana UherLouis A Schmidt

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