DDC:s avdelning 150 : en analys av psykologins klassifikation under perioden 1932-2011 ; DDC's section 150 : an analysis of the classification of psychology during the period 1932 to 2011

This master’s thesis focus on Dewey Decimal Classification during the period 1932 to 2011, where the classification of the psychological knowledge domain is analyzed and discussed. In the light of the recent swedish switch from the swedish classification system SAB to DDC, this research area deserves prominence. The aim of this study is to investigate how DDC represents the historical development of the psychology subject with its underlying epistemology, to identify and analyze values and prejudice, and to analyze problems with DDC’s classification of psychology in relation to three other classification systems. The theoretical framework consists of Birger Hjørland’s Domain Analysis and Critical Classification represented by Hope A. Olson among others. The results show that DDC is updating slowly in relation to subject developments, and that the multidisciplinary character of the psychological field causes problematic spreading of its disciplines in the system. These problems are to a certain degree due to the fact that DDC is a universal classification system, leading to the creation of compromise solutions, that are to a large degree avoided in specialized systems, like Birger Hjørland’s. Moreover, results show that the system’s choice of terms indicates certain values and prejudice occurring at certain times, thereby marking the system’s non objective character. The findings are also discussed in relation to postmodernism and poststructuralism, showing that the universal classification system DDC isn’t compatible with these viewpoints.