Idiographic vs Nomothetic

• Idiographic approach: An approach to research that focuses more on the individual case as a means of understanding behaviour, rather than aiming to formulate general laws of behaviour.
• Nomothetic approach: Aims to study human behaviour through development of general principles and universal laws.
• Idiographic approach to investigation:

  • Small sample sizes, usually a case study.
  • Use qualitative research.
• The idiographic approach is most associated with the humanistic and psychodynamic approach.
• Nomothetic approach to investigation:

  • Main goal is to generalise and create 'laws'.
  • Uses quantitative research to quantify human behaviour.
• The nomothetic approach is most associated with the behaviourist and biological approaches.
• Idiographic Evaluation (strength)

  • This approach contributes to the nomothetic approach.
  • It may shed further light onto conclusions reached by a nomothetic study.
  • This shows how it can still help create general 'laws'.
• Idiographic Evaluation (limitation)

  • It is narrow and restricted.
  • Meaningful generalisation cannot be made without further examples.
  • This means it is difficult to build effective theories pf human behaviour in the complete absence of nomothetic approaches.
• Idiographic Evaluation (strength)

  • They both fit within the aims of science.
  • They both use methods used by the natural sciences.
  • This means they both help raise psychology status to a science.
• Nomothetic Evaluation (limitation)

  • There is a loss of understanding of the individual.
  • It is too preoccupied with creating general rules that it loses the person.
  • It may fail to relate to experience.