RESEARCH: PURE AND APPLIED

Abstract

Today it is no longer newsworthy to find someone who is interested in rigorous research working with mentally disturbed persons. As a matter of fact, while there is always some caution toward the person who is known as a methodological specialist, there is a considerable seeking out of such specialists by clinicians. Sometimes these specialists develop among the practitioners, and sometimes they are methodological experts who become interested in the substantive problem. Clinicians, whether they are social workers, counselors, psychologists, or psychiatrists, have come to realize that these specialists are important in two kinds of problems which are very real to them. The first is the evaluation of the clinical services offered, and the second is the exploration of theories through which social behavior may be understood and predicted. The first is usually described as applied research, the latter as pure research.