Integrating science and practice: Reclaiming the science in practice.

Abstract

This article is intended to be somewhat provocative, stimulating discussion in our efforts to better integrate science and practice. Three major areas of divisiveness between science and practice are posited-understanding of practitioners' approach to practice, definition of scholarship, and the role of theory and diagnosis in practice. Some general principles are offered that may further our thinking about integration of the applications of science in the practice of psychology and the participation of practitioners in science: (a) all practitioners do evidence-based practice; (b) scholarship has many forms, each of which provides an important piece of the puzzle of advancing knowledge; and (c) "eclectic" is a theoretically and practically meaningful term.