What can we learn from unsuccessful theories?

We still have a long way to go when it comes to designing good theories, at least in psychological science. On the topic of 'we have a long way to go', psychology is often juxtaposed with physics, where one might get the impression that physics is doing better than psychology, as a science, on all counts. Embarrassingly for psychologists, Popper famously compared Einstein's and Freud's theories,…