The Great Ideas of Clinical Science » (1st Edition)

Scott O. Lilienfeld, Ph.D., is associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Emory University and a past president of the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology. He is founder and editor-in-chief of The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, and sits on the editorial boards of nine other publications, including Clinical Psychology Review, Psychological Assessment, and Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

William T. O'Donohue, Ph.D., is a full professor in the Department of Psychology and honorary associate professor of philosophy, at the University of Nevada at Reno. He is director of the university's Victims of Crimes Treatment Center, and also its Sexual Assault Prevention and Counseling Services.

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.

Foreword     ix
About the Editors     xiii
Contributors     xv
Introduction     xxiii
How to Think Clearly About Clinical Science     1
Science Is an Essential Safeguard Against Human Error   William T. O'Donohue   Scott O. Lilienfeld   Katherine A. Fowler     3
The Clinician as Subject: Practitioners Are Prone to the Same Judgment Errors as Everyone Else   John Ruscio     29
Decision Research Can Increase the Accuracy of Clinical Judgment and Thereby Improve Patient Care   David Faust     49
Psychometrics: Better Measurement Makes Better Clinicians   James M. Wood   Howard N. Garb   M. Teresa Nezworski     77
Classification Provides an Essential Basis for Organizing Mental Disorders   Roger K. Blashfield   Danny R. Burgess     93
Psychotherapy Outcome Can Be Studied Scientifically   Gordon L. Paul     119
Clinical Case Studies Are Important in the Science and Practice of Psychotherapy   Gerald C. Davison   Arnold A. Lazarus     149
Treatment and Assessment Take Place in an Economic Context, Always   Nicholas A. Cummings     163
The Great Paradigms of Clinical Science     185
Evolution-Based Learning Mechanisms Can Contribute to Both Adaptive and Problematic Behavior   William Timberlake     187
Behavior Genetic Approaches Are Integral for Understanding the Etiology of Psychopathology   Irwin D. Waldman     219
Evolutionary Theory Provides a Framework for Understanding Abnormal Behavior   Richard J. Siegert   Tony Ward     243
Personality Traits Are Essential for a Complete Clinical Science   Allan R. Harkness     263
The Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective Allows Us to Understand Abnormal Behavior at Multiple Levels of Complexity   Stephen S. Llardi   Kevin Rand   Leslie Karwoski     291
The Great Crosscutting Perspectives of Clinical Science     311
Early Developmental Processes Inform the Study of Mental Disorders   Erin C. Tully   Sherryl H. Goodman     313
Mental and Physical Health Influence Each Other   Neil Schneiderman   Scott D. Siegel     329
Some Forms of Psychopathology Are Partly Socially Constructed   Steven Jay Lynn   Abigail Matthews   John C. Williams   Michael N. Hallquist   Scott O. Lilienfeld     347
Cultural Factors Influence the Expression of Psychopathology   Yulia E. Chentsova-Dutton   Jeanne L. Tsai      375
The Great Ideas of Clinical Science Redux: Revisiting Our Intellectual Roots   Scott O. Lilienfeld   William T. O'Donohue     397
Index     401