A developmental case methodology to address new clinical questions

Standard research designs, literature reviews, and case study methodologies do not meet the need for development of new clinically relevant hypotheses. To the contrary, these standard forms of publication have tended to promote conformity and stifle divergent research. This paper describes a method of producing empirically based clinical hypotheses that is more open-ended than standard methods, but also more empirical than clinical opinion. A developmental ordered set of cases, each with standardized assessments and set within its own family system across two or sometimes three generations can approximate the advantages of a sequential, cross-sectional longitudinal research design. A review of the literature suggests the need for more divergent approaches to research. This approach is described here and applied to sexual signs and behavior in children in the accompanying paper.