This edited volume brings together scholars from diverse theoretical traditions to present and discuss their perspective on theory-building in psychology. Amid ongoing discussions about a potential (theory) crisis in the discipline, this collection offers a timely and comprehensive overview of key debates. It serves as a foundation for further reflection and future research.

The book consists of three parts. The chapters in the first part analyse conceptual and philosophical issues underlying theory- and model-building in psychology. By contextualizing the debate with historical and interdisciplinary arguments, these chapters provide a framework for further discussion. The second part is dedicated to the challenges that emerge when inquiring into the nature of theory- and model-building in psychology. Psychology faces a unique set of meta-scientific concerns that any attempt at solution needs to recognize. Such attempts are discussed in the third part of the book. The book concludes with a final chapter, in which the individual contributions are situated within the current debate on theory- and model-building in psychology.

Fabian Hutmacher is a lecturer at the University of Würzburg, Germany. In his research, he combines empirical methods and (meta-)theoretical reflections to arrive at a better understanding of individual and collective processes of reasoning and remembering. He also holds a keen interest in the philosophy and history of psychology. He is the editor of two books and has published in leading general interest journals such as American Psychologist, Psychological Inquiry, and Psychological Science as well as in journals specializing in meta-theoretical questions, such as Theory & Psychology and the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology .

Alexander Nicolai Wendt is a lecturer at the Sigmund Freud University, Vienna, Austria, and the Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg, Germany. Besides experimental cognitive psychology, he engages with foundational problems of psychology concerning the discipline's history, meta-theory, and methodology. Recent books are dedicated to these concerns: What is Psychology About? The Philosophical Foundations of its Subject-Matter (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025), Phenomenological Psychology as Rigorous Science (Springer Nature, 2024).