Shapers at Odds: Isolation, Synthesis, and Resulting Division in the Assessment and Treatment of Problem Behavior.

Abstract

Client well-being remains a central goal of research on the assessment and treatment of problem behavior. Although methodologies have evolved over the decades, the use of isolated- and synthesized-contingency functional analyses as a starting point remains debated. This article explores several factors potentially inhibiting consensus, the harm caused by division, and ways to shift the discourse regarding isolation and synthesis toward collaboration.