Some Relations between Clinical and Environmental Psychology

Abstract

Toward assessing some relations between clinical and environmental psychology, this article focuses on problems of mutual interest for scholars in both subfields. Broad definitions of both clinical psychology (i.e., as a content area dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders as well as a more general method for research and practice) and environmental psychology (i.e., as a content area that treats the environment as consisting of physical, interpersonal, and sociocultural aspects as well as a more general perspective on all organism-environment functioning) are used. Empirical studies described include the relocation of a psychiatric therapeutic community (physical aspect of environment), social networks and people-place relationships in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (interpersonal aspect of environment), and systemic issues in families practicing open versus closed adoption (sociocultural aspect of environment). General implications for problem, theory, method, and practice are also discussed.