Work clinics: affiliations, assumptions and challenges

Abstract

Work is a subject matter that several psychological approaches share, each one driven by specific epistemological, theoretical, methodological and deontological assumptions. Generally speaking, the realm of Organizational and Work Psychology (OWP) involves three main focuses: cognitive, social and, more recently, clinical. This article, of a theoretical nature, attempts to outline the characteristics of work clinics. We analyze their main affiliations and theoretical roots, the assumptions made and shared by their representative approaches, and their main subjects of research and intervention. We conclude with a proposal to locate work clinics using as reference a broader paradigm analysis taking account of coexisting neo-positivist and comprehensive (non-positivist) OWP paradigms. We propose that locating them close to comprehensive paradigms may lead to certain stresses and challenges, with significant consequences for the actions of (clinics) work psychologists.