Clinical Dysfunction and Psychosocial Interventions: The Interplay of Research, Methods, and Conceptualization of Challenges

Abstract

I describe the development and course of my research in studying clinical dysfunction among children, adolescents, and adults. This is an autobiographical account that highlights programs of research, career moves, and experiences along the way that were particularly influential. Research on specific topics and the methods to study them were inherently fascinating but invariably led me to broader issues well beyond what I was studying. The research alerted me to how and why current methods, assumptions, and research practices might be constraining and perhaps slightly misguided. My research and specific findings in a given area were not necessarily part of any particular breakthrough but rather helped me see how more, different, and better work was needed. Collaborations with a diverse set of colleagues and models from other disciplines than psychology helped me conceptualize the goals of research on a given topic (e.g., developing evidence-based treatments, reducing the burden of mental illness, promoting a sustainable environment to mitigate climate change) and propose a shift from current practices as a means to obtain them.