Clinical Method
An important variation on naturalistic observation is the clinical method, which simply inolves observing people while they receive help from a psychologist for their psychologial problems. Although clinical observation is not as useful as observing people in the tural situations where they encounter problems-at home, school. or work-it does pro. de useful information. Sigmund Freud, for example. developed his theories of. abnormal havior from years of intensive work with patients in his "consulting room." He was able to observe their behavior in this situation over long periods of time until he felt he saw consistent patterns in what they did. thought, and felt. The clinical method is also often used ay for the preliminary evaluation of clinical treatment methods. For example. daily easures of anxiety might be taken on an individual before. during. and after treatment to evaluate a new method of treating excessive anxiety.
