ABSTRACT
The fundamental problem of how to define cluttering has concerned, and at the same time confused, researchers from around the world for a great number of years (for a review Reichel & Draguns, chapter 16 this volume). Readers new to the study of cluttering will, on skimming most chapters from this book, quickly become aware of the ubiquitous and sometimes conten tious issue of definition. The issues raised by problems with definition appear in almost every chapter, perhaps most notably those by Bakker, Myers, Raphael, and St. Louis (chapter 4); Reichel and Draguns (chapter 16); Scaler Scott and St. Louis (chapter 13); Van Zaalen, Wijnen and Dejonckere (chap ters 7 and 9), as well as those writing with a therapeutic focus in mind, such as Bennett Lanouette (chapter 11) and Myers (chapter 10). In addition to these chapters, diagnosis comprises the primary focus of St. Louis and Schulte (chapter 14). In this present short chapter, I will first offer my perspective on current thinking on the subject matter, and conclude by outlining a model that integrates two current conceptualisations of diagnosis. The intention is to present a framework for describing and defining cluttering that is both functional and constrained, but at the same time acknowledges the importance in considering the implications of a wider diagnostic criteria.
