CLINICAL SOCIOLOGY: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Abstract

The notion that sociology and sociologists can be "clinical" is beginning to take roots, even though the roots are not well established in the field of "mental health" and other fields having to do with therapy and change. Other clinical professionals do not question the argument that sociology has knowledge and information that can be applied to problems affecting the individual, group, organization, industry and the community. Neither is there any question regarding sociological methods and techniques for producing information and creating knowledge about group life. However, there are various questions being raised by established clinical professionals regarding the "clinical" and "therapeutic" potential and skills of sociologists and sociology. An examination of the clinical nature of psychiatry, clinical psychology, and psychiatric or clinical social work is presented in this paper, and four brief examples are used to demonstrate the clinical nature ofsociology.