A Dialectical Approach to Formulating and Testing Social Science Theories: Assumptional Analysis

Abstract

It is argued that the necessary step in the formulation of “good” theories and their subsequent testing and refinement is uncovering the relevant underlying assumptions that different scientists make concerning the nature of human behavior, social environments, and the interactions between these. Since assumptions are, by definition, implicit, unconscious, or even obscure, an explicit process is needed to examine this hidden domain. This paper presents such a process and illustrates how this dialectical approach can be utilized to facilitate advances in social science research.