THEORETICAL ORIENTATION REVOLUTION IN CLINICAL-PSYCHOLOGY - FACT OR FICTION

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.