37 2  EMPLOYMENT  PSYCHOLOGY

viewpoint,  his  desires  and  aversions,  has  been  the  central
and  dynamic  factor;  and  therefore,  the  superstructure  of
employment  psychology,  like  that  of  mathematics,  rests
upon  a  broad  and  substantial  basis.
Several  objections  are  likely  to  be  raised  to  what  has
here  been  described  as  a  scientific  and  thoroughgoing
method  of  obtaining  the  applicant’s  point  of  view  in  coritrast
  with  the  superficial  individualistic  and  imaginative
method.  In  the  first  place,  it  may  be  objected  that  the
scientific  method  tends  to  reduce  every  variety  of  human
being  to  a  class  or  a  type,  and  that,  in  doing  this,  it  loses
that  very  power  of  penetration  and  fine  insight  which
belong  naturally  to  the  unfettered  imagination.  There
is  a  certain  degree  of  truth  in  this  statement.  The  scientist ­
  does  tend  to  classify  individuals  and  reduce  them
to  the  level  of  types,  and  in  doing  this  he  loses  sight  of
some  of  their  finer  individual  differences.  But  the  ordinary ­
  judge  of  human  nature,  the  man  who  judges  by  intuition ­
  or  insight  or  imagination,  usually  has  just  as  strong
a  tendency  to  classify  individuals  and  reduce  them  to
types.  The  real  difference  is  that  he  does  not  make  his
classifications  consistently  or  systematically.  His  intuition ­
  or  “hunch”  may  lead  him  to  make  one  classification
at  one  time  and  another  at  some  other  time.  Consequently
though  he  can  always  classify  individuals  somewhere,  it  is
quite  difficult  to  predict  where  he  will  classify  them  next.
As  a  result  of  this  indefiniteness  he  escapes  the  appearance
of  making  any  classification  whatsoever.  This  method  or
rather  lack  of  method  has  at  least  the  merit  of  spontaneity,
but  it  is  somewhat  unsatisfactory  for  practical  purposes—
especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  classifications  of
two  individuals  are  seldom  likely  to  agree.  The  scientist ­
  differs  from  the  individual  who  classifies  by  intuition