ABSTRACT
One of the most distinctive features of control-mastery theory is the strong interconnection between clinical observation, theory development, and empirical research. Clinical observations lead to the development of the theory, which gave rise to a large program of research. The results of the research studies in turn shaped subsequent clinical discoveries and theoretical elaboration. The research has consistently followed general principles of the scientific method. First, theoretical concepts are articulated precisely and clearly so that the links between the concepts and observation may be specified. Second, the research verifies that (clinical) observations can be made reliably (i.e., judges or raters must be able to agree about the phenomenon being observed). Finally, results are evaluated based on a reasonable correspondence between theoretical predictions (hypotheses) and actual observations.
