Social psychological research and clinical practice: An academic paradox.

Social psychological research has not had the impact on clinical practice that the nature of its subject matter indicates is appropriate. A major reason for this lack of impact is a paradox inherent in academic life. As they climb the academic ladder, social psychologists, who presumably have chosen their field of study because of an interest in the way in which people live and think, become increasingly remote from and increasingly aloof from the everyday life of normal people. Five aspects of academic training and institutional life that reinforce and maintain this paradox are identified. Two examples of a type of research that can overcome the paradox and increase the impact of social psychology on clinical practice are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)