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.

从历史上看，行为传统推动了功能分析作为将现有原理应用于新情况的方法。自从这个想法提出以来的半个多世纪里，功能分析要么已经被废弃，就像在大多数应用心理学中一样，要么已经被使用但被修改到在其他地方几乎不适用的程度，就像在应用行为分析中一样严重的发育障碍。在本文中，我们认为，当前 COVID-19 带来的挑战提供了一个理想的时机，可以通过将功能分析与在扩展的进化元模型下组织的变化过程的越来越多的证据相结合来重振功能分析。这种基于过程的功能分析的新形式利用了情境行为科学的优势，同时开辟了与干预和进化科学的其他分支进行富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，并帮助专业人士应对新的挑战，例如 COVID-19 带来的挑战。人类现在面临着非同寻常的、意想不到的局面。行为科学需要以一种既能提供直接的实用价值，又能为我们更广泛地理解人类复杂性提供长期利益的更大保证的方式来应对这一挑战。基于流程的功能分析可以成为实现这一目标的工具。