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 cori- 
trast 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 scien 
tist 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 ordi 
nary judge of human nature, the man who judges by intui 
tion 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 intui 
tion 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 scien 
tist differs from the individual who classifies by intuition