Ma. Milan et al., THEORETICAL ORIENTATION REVOLUTION IN CLINICAL-PSYCHOLOGY - FACT OR FICTION, Professional psychology, research and practice, 25(4), 1994, pp. 398-402
The 1980s have been depicted as a decade of revolution for theory and
practice in modern clinical psychology. Some have postulated a move to
ward eclecticism and the integration of the major theoretical orientat
ions. Others have posited trends away from some major orientations, su
ch as behaviorism, or a renewal of commitment to classical views, such
as psychoanalysis. Unfortunately, the data supporting these assertion
s are typically lacking or flawed. This study offers a more methodolog
ically sound analysis of changes in theoretical orientation during the
1980s. The proclaimed shift to eclecticism, death of behaviorism, and
resurgence of psychoanalysis were not confirmed. However, the possibl
e beginnings of a move to the cognitive perspective and the continuati
on of the behavioral, interpersonal relations, and psychoanalytic orie
ntations as major forces in clinical psychology were identified.