Derives general laws by looking at similarities between multiple people
Emphasis on quantitative over qualitative data
Prefers experiments with large sample sizes rather than individual case studies
The behaviourist, cognitive, and biological approaches are all highly nomothetic: They want to identify general laws
More objective, less subjective
The idiographic approach (‘idios’ = ‘distinct self’) seeks to understand the individual as a unique being without comparing them to others. The idiographic approach believes that the uniqueness of each person means it is difficult/impossible to identify general laws that apply across populations.
Characteristics of the idiographic approach:
Looks at individuals as unique cases and describes them
Emphasis on qualitative over quantitative data
Prefers individual case studies and self-report methods over large-scale experiments
Most strongly associated with the humanistic approach to psychology and to a lesser extent psychodynamic approaches
