Functional analysis in applied psychology

Various clinical problems in recent years have been described under the general heading of 'functional analyses'. The present paper considers the background to the notion of a functional analysis and some of the differences between functional analysis and more traditional approaches. The processes involved in producing such analyses of the origin and maintenance of clinical problems are outlined, using a clinical case as an illustration. It is suggested that, amongst the features highlighted by such analyses, feedback loops will often be apparent, and that these may provide particularly valuable targets for intervention. Moreover it appears that the use of such analyses transcends, at least to some extent, the type of problem or client (in being applicable to institutional or individual problems) and in particular that the use of functional analyses transcends theoretical biases of the clinician. In this respect it provides a potential common ground for workers of different orientations.