Clinical psychology: what type of science?

Abstract

To identify the main task of clinical psychology, we cannot neglect that it studies the whole existence of the individual (Bosinelli, 1982; Cargnello, 1980; Codispoti, 2000; Minkowski, 2015). Starting from the term existence (from the Latin exsistĕre, whose prefix indicates a meaning related to going out, to coming forth; see Georges Calonghi, 1915), we understand that clinical psychology examines the open and unstable nature (Dazzi et al., 2006; Ehrenberg, 1999; Marzillier Hall, 1999; Nietzsche, 2011) of patients. This means that the space of psychological inquiry, which cannot be limited to the determinations of causal relationships – through which knowledge is typically acquired in the natural sciences – (Cartesio, 1999; Frisone et al., 2020) – requires a broader framework.

Keywords

• clinical psychology
• science
• human science
• psychotherapy
• clinical research.