ABSTRACT
104Despite the popular definition, a theory is not just a hunch or an educated guess. A good theory is usually based on a hypothesis that is researched and backed by empirical evidence. In psychology, a theory provides a basis for understanding development of emotions, cognitive processes, and behaviors so a prediction can be made about people’s future behaviors. There are a great number of old, modern, as well as emergent developmental and learning theories doing exactly that. To name a few, there are behavioral, maturational, social learning, cognitive learning, psychosocial, and systems theories, not to mention the theory of multiple intelligences and the emotional intelligence theory. There are also theories specifically used in counseling and therapy, like the humanistic theory, and there are others more commonly used in education, like the constructivist learning theory.
