Evaluation

• Strength of the idiographic approach: provides rich data

  The idiographic approach provides a complete and global account of the individual, such as the study of HM. A single case may generate hypotheses fro further study (e.g. the case of HM in memory research helped our understanding that some procedural memories are more resistant to amnesia). Such findings from unique cases may reveal important insights about normal functioning which may contribute to our overall understanding of behaviour
• Limitation of the idiographic approach: lack of scientific rigour

  Supporters of the idiographic approach may have to acknowledge the subjective and restrictive nature of their work. One criticism of Freud is that many of his key concepts (e.g. the Oedipus complex) were largely developed from the detailed study of a single case (e.g. Little Hans). Meaningful generalisations cannot be made without further examples, which means conclusions tend to rely on the subjective interpretation of the researcher and are therefore open to bias
• Strength of the nomothetic approach: scientific value

  The processes involved in nomothetic research tend to be more scientific, mirroring those employed within the natural sciences. These processes include standardised procedures, assessing reliability and validity, and using statistical analyses to demonstrate significance. This arguably gives the discipling of psychology greater scientific credibility
• Limitation of the nomothetic approach: loss of the whole person

  The preoccupation within the nomothetic approach on general laws, prediction ad control has been accused of 'losing the whole person' within psychology. Knowing there is a 1% lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia tells us little about what life is like with in. In lab tests of memory participants are treated as a set of scores rather than as individual people. This means, in its search for general laws, the nomothetic approach may sometimes overlook the importance of human experience