Editor's Introduction: Combining Pragmatic Case Studies Within a Single Case Experimental Design

Abstract

The target article in the current issue of PCSP by Fredrik Folke and associates (2012) documents and interprets six case studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. This introduction places the article in a larger methodological context from my perspective as editor of the PCSP journal. I first review five types of case studies identified by McLeod (2010) in his seminal book on case study research. These include the main type of case study employed in PCSP, the Pragmatic Case Study, and four other kinds, including those that focus on theory-building, the adjudication of truth claims, the narrative experience of the participants, and single-case experimental designs. I then discuss the advantages of combining Pragmatic Case Study designs with these other types. The Folke et al. article is an example of a successful such combination, integrating parallel pragmatic case studies within a single-case experimental design structure.