The idea that there is a fundamental rift between researchers and practitioners should not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the current literature, trends, and general feelings in the field of clinical psychology. Central to this scientist-practitioner gap is an underlying disagreement over the nature of knowledge - namely that while some individuals point to research studies as the foundation of truth, others argue that clinical experience offers a more adequate understanding of the causes, assessment, and treatment of mental illness.
The Great Ideas of Clinical Science is an ambitious attempt to dig beneath these fundamental differences, and reintroduce the reader to unifying principles often overlooked by students and professionals alike. The editors have identified 17 such universals, and have pulled together a group of the most prolific minds in the field to present the philosophical, methodological, and conceptual ideas that define the state of the field. Each chapter focuses on practical as well as conceptual points, offering valuable insight to practicing clinicians, researchers, and teachers of any level of experience. Written for student, practitioner, researcher, and educated layperson, this integrative volume aims to facilitate communication among all mental health professionals and to narrow the scientist-practitioner gap.
Author(s): Scott O. Lilienfeld, William T. O'Donohue
Edition: 1
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2006
Language: English
Commentary: 40767
Pages: 448
Front cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
Foreword......Page 10
About the Editors......Page 14
Contributors......Page 16
Introduction: What Are the Great Ideas of Clinical Science and Why Do We Need Them?......Page 24
PART I: How to Think Clearly About Clinical Science......Page 32
CHAPTER 1. Science Is an Essential Safeguard Against Human Error......Page 34
CHAPTER 2. The Clinician as Subject......Page 60
CHAPTER 3. Decision Research Can Increase the Accuracy of Clinical Judgement and Thereby Improve Patient Care......Page 80
CHAPTER 4. Psychometrics......Page 108
CHAPTER 5. Classification Provides an Essential Basis for Organizing Mental Disorders......Page 124
CHAPTER 6. Psychotherapy Outcome Can Be Studied Scientifically......Page 150
CHAPTER 7. Clinical Case Studies Are Important in the Science and Practice of Psychotherapy......Page 180
CHAPTER 8. Treatment and Assessment Take Place in an Economic Context, Always......Page 194
PART II: The Great Paradigms of Clinical Science......Page 216
CHAPTER 9. Evolution-Based Learning Mechanisms Can Contribute to Both Adaptive and Problematic Behavior......Page 218
CHAPTER 10. Behavior Genetic Approaches Are Integral for Understanding the Etiology of Psychopathology......Page 250
CHAPTER 11. Evolutionary Theory Provides a Framework for Understanding Abnormal Behavior......Page 274
CHAPTER 12. Personality Traits Are Essential for a Complete Clinical Science......Page 294
CHAPTER 13. The Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective Allows Us to Understand Abnormal Behavior at Multiple Levels of Complexity......Page 322
PART III: The Great Crosscutting Perspectives of Clinical Science......Page 342
CHAPTER 14. Early Developmental Processes Inform the Study of Mental Disorders......Page 344
CHAPTER 15. Mental and Physical Health Influence Each Other......Page 360
CHAPTER 16. Some Forms of Psychopathology Are Partly Socially Constructed......Page 378
CHAPTER 17. Cultural Factors Influence the Expression of Psychopathology......Page 406
CHAPTER 18. The Great Ideas of Clinical Science Redux: Revisiting Our Intellectual Roots......Page 428
Index......Page 432
Back cover......Page 448
