UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING ABNORMAL-BEHAVIOR - THE NEED FOR A NEW CLINICAL SCIENCE

The biomedical model of abnormality and its therapeutic management are discussed. Two central notions, the disease entity and biological cau sality, are examined critically and found unsound. An alternative, psy chologically oriented model is also critically evaluated. We propose t hat the scientist-practitioner therapist should be agnostic about ulti mate, causal, etiological beliefs, in order to encompass the valid ele ments of both the medical and the psychosocial approaches to intervent ion. Clinical evaluation would, however, reverse current biomedical pr actice and arrive at a diagnosis only after assessing the person's psy chosocial context.