Mutation and its types can be categorized in several ways: 1. Based on origin, mutations can be spontaneous or induced. 2. Based on the cell type involved, mutations can be somatic, only affecting the individual, or germline, affecting future generations. 3. Based on direction, mutations can be forward, changing from wild type to mutant, or reverse, changing back from mutant to wild type. 4. Based on phenotypic effect, mutations can result in loss of function, gain of function, be lethal, or conditional depending on circumstances.