Table 1: The main differences between clinical psychology practice and academic psychology.
Features of clinical psychology (in practice) | Academic psychology that dominate research and training of psychologists at universities |
Individual and personal focus (idiographic approach). |
Focusing on generalities (nomothetic approach). |
Contextual point of view (including intersubjective, interpersonal, life historical, cultural and historical contexts). |
Decontextualizing phenomena. Reductionism. |
The aim is to unfold the structure and the meaning of the patients' personal experiences and behavior. |
Trying to unfold correlations and causal relationships. |
Using complex and holistic models. |
Based on using scientific models that are similar to natural scientific models (e.g. "Evolutionary Psychology"). |
Using qualitative and historical-interpretative methods (W M Runyan). |
Using experimental and qualitative research methods. |
The "first person point of view" is as important as the "third person point of view". |
The "first person point of view" is more important, because it is more scientific. |
Understanding is the main target. |
Scientific explanation is the main target. |
Requires personal and epistemological reflexivity (the role of subjectivity). |
Striving for objectivity. |
Based on narrative form of thought (J Bruner) and contextualist world view (Th Sarbin). |
Based on paradigmatic/logical scientific form of thought (J Bruner). Based on mechanistic world view (Th Sarbin). |
Meta-theoretical framework should be methodological hermeneutics (D Rennie). | Positivism as meta-theoretical framework. |