The purpose of this article is to develop aspects of a classification theory for reflexive graphs. A first important step was already taken in [2]; throughout we follow, at least the spirit, of the classification theory for ordered sets initiated in [1].

For a graph G let V(G) denote its vertex set and E(G) ⊆ V(G) × V(G) its edge set. A graph K is a subgraph of G if V(K) ⊆ V(G) and for a, b ∊ V(K), (a, b) ∊ E(K) just if (a, b) ∊ E(G). The subgraph K of G is a retract of G, and we write K ◅ G, if there is an edge-preserving map g of V(G) to V(K) satisfying g(v) = v for each v ∊ V(K); g is called a retraction. A reflexive graph is an undirected graph with a loop at every vertex. The reason for a loop at a vertex is that an edge-preserving map can send the two vertices of an adjacent pair to it. The concept is illustrated in Figure 1. From here on, though, we shall for convenience suppress the illustration of the loops in the figures of reflexive graphs.