Clinical Psychology in South Africa: A Comparative Study of Emerging Professional Trends

The attitudes of South African clinical psychologists on current issues in clinical practice and theory were investigated. A modified version of Garfield and Kurtz's (1976) questionnaire was completed by 137 registered clinical psychologists in South Africa. Demographics as well as information on professional activities, theoretical orientation, and degree of satisfaction with clinical psychology as a career were elicited. Factor analysis of the ratings of attitudinal items revealed three factors: Practitioner, Psychoanalytic-Psychodynamic, and Research. Significant associations occurred for theoretical orientation, age, and sex on Psychoanalytic-Psychodynamic and sex on Research. The present findings were compared with those of similar American and Australian studies. Analysis of responses to items measuring attitudes specifically on South African issues indicated a lack of agreement on items reflecting social, cultural, and economic concerns.