Historically speaking, the behavioral tradition advanced functional analysis as a method of applying existing principles to novel situations. In the more than half a century since that idea was advanced, functional analysis has either fallen into disuse, as in most of applied psychology, or has been used but modified to a point that is virtually inapplicable elsewhere, as in applied behavior analysis work with severe developmental disabilities. In this paper we argue that the current challenges with COVID-19 present an ideal time to reinvigorate functional analysis by combining it with the growing body of evidence on processes of change, organized under an extended evolutionary meta-model. This new form of process-based functional analysis takes advantage of the strengths of contextual behavioral science, while opening avenues of fruitful interaction with other wings of intervention and evolutionary science more generally. Using the psychological flexibility model as an example, we show how this approach solves the key problems of classical functional analysis and helps professionals deal with novel challenges such as those posed by COVID-19. Humanity is now facing an extraordinary and unexpected situation. Behavioral science needs to rise to that challenge in a way that provides both immediate practical value and greater assurance of long-term benefits for our understanding of human complexity more generally. Process-based functional analysis can be a vehicle to do just that.

从历史上讲，行为传统将功能分析作为一种将现有原理应用于新情况的方法。自从该思想提出以来的半个多世纪中，功能分析要么像大多数应用心理学中那样被废弃，要么已经被使用但被修改为在其他地方几乎不适用的点，例如在应用行为分析中，严重的发育障碍。在本文中，我们认为当前COVID-19面临的挑战是将功能分析与在扩展的进化元模型下组织的，不断变化的变化过程的证据相结合的理想时机，它可以重振功能分析。这种基于流程的功能分析的新形式充分利用了情境行为科学的优势，同时更广泛地开辟了与其他干预科学和进化科学之翼进行卓有成效的互动的途径。以心理灵活性模型为例，我们展示了这种方法如何解决经典功能分析的关键问题，并帮助专业人员应对诸如COVID-19所带来的新挑战。人类现在正面临着一种非同寻常的意外情况。行为科学需要以一种既可以立即产生实际价值，又可以为我们从更广泛的角度理解人类的复杂性提供更大的长期利益保证的方式来应对这一挑战。基于流程的功能分析可以做到这一点。