Contextual Behavioral Science: An overview

To begin a discussion of scientific strategy inside a pragmatic approach to the behavioral sciences, it is worth stepping back and appreciating the scope of challenges faced as a society. The prevalence of human suffering is staggering, with almost half of the population meeting criteria for a psychological disorder in their lifetimes and many more struggling with difficulties in functioning and major life stressors (e.g., divorce, bereavement, trauma, unemployment). Prejudice and discrimination continue to occur toward a broad range of marginalized groups. Armed conflicts and other large-scale forms of violence continue, rates of obesity are growing, and challenges related to pollution and depletion of environmental resources exist, such as diseases due to climate change. Although these issues are multifaceted, for each human behavior is both a core contributor and an agent for change. The scope, significance, and difficulty of addressing these challenges highlight how crucial it is to be strategic about behavioral science and its applications. Creating a progressive and pragmatic science requires careful consideration of each of the key facets adopted in a scientific approach (i.e., philosophical assumptions, theory, and methods), and equally, if not more importantly, how all of these facets can be integrated to best meet one\u27s scientific and applied goals. This chapter provides an overview of the approach to behavior science described in this volume: contextual behavioral science (CBS). In the sections to follow, each of the core facets of CBS will be presented as well as considering how they interact in the service of building a progressive approach to science that helps address the breadth and depth of human struggles and potential