nomothetic

• focus on establishing general laws of behaviour that apply across the vast majority of individuals
• weakness- overlooks individuality- overlooks unique aspects of individuals, reducing people to numbers or traits, context neglect- may miss situational, cultural, or historical factors influencing behaviour
• weakness- may offer broad patterns but lack depth in explaining why individuals behave the way they do
• strength- scientific credibility- uses objective, replicable methods like experiments and surveys
• efficiency- allows for the study of large groups, making it easier to gather data quickly and generalise findings
• highly generalisable- findings based on large, diverse samples, easier to apply results to wider populations
• efficiency in research- standardized procedures allow for faster data collection and analysis, useful for identifying trends
• have had benefits with developing real life practices such as CBT in depression
• weakness- ignores individual differences - focuses on averages and general laws from a wide quantity
• over emphasis and over-reliance on quantitative methods- emphasises data collection