Introduction to the special issues on the unified theory

Abstract

AbstractA unified theory of psychology has recently been proposed (Henriques, 2003), and the next two issues of the Journal of Clinical Psychology are devoted to its elaboration and evaluation. The current issue consists of a target article, “Psychology Defined,” which adds to the existing formulation and specifies how the theory can be used to effectively define the science of psychology. Distinguished experts in psychology contribute 13 commentaries offering a wide variety of perspectives on the proposed model. These are followed by two full‐length articles in which one author articulates the need for the unified theory and the other offers a different but compatible approach at integrating psychotherapy and personality. In the next special issue, authors either elaborate on or critique elements of the unified theory. How the new theory lays the foundation for the development of a useful mass movement that could transform the discipline of psychology in a manner that unleashes its constructive potential is the subject of the concluding article. When viewed as a whole, the two issues show that the unified theory provides fertile ground for scientific and philosophical inquiry on multiple levels of analysis, and that it may play a central role in helping the discipline of psychology fulfill its constructive potential. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol.