ABSTRACT
Crisis theory and crisis intervention have had a long and multidisciplined history. Early on, these approaches concentrated primarily on individuals, later expanding to families, groups, and organizations; currently, crisis theory is being applied to different social systems. Thus, schools are not the only systems for the application of crisis models, but they are certainly among the most important. As crisis theory has evolved, simple views of individual variables such as personal strengths and vulnerable states have expanded and become more complex. The leading edge of current theory includes such influencing factors as ethnic, class, and gender diversity, cultural norms, and social barriers or supports. In addition, developing ideas within education and mental health—prevention, health promotion, and systems analysis and intervention—have shaped the meaning and study of crisis. An understanding of the history, development, and theoretical rationale of crisis theory clearly will be helpful to school personnel faced with increasing needs in the schools. Crisis theory underlies most of the topics ahead and leads naturally to crisis intervention.
