idiographic and nomothetic approaches

• idiographic approach

  • Focuses on individual cases or events to understand unique aspects of behaviour.
  • Utilizes methods like in-depth interviews, case studies, and personal narratives.
  • Aims to capture the complexity and uniqueness of individual experiences.
  • Less emphasis on generalising findings to all people.
• nomothetic approach

  • Seeks to establish general laws of behavior that apply across many individuals.
  • Employs methods like surveys, experiments, and statistical analyses.
  • Focuses on identifying universal principles and patterns.
  • Prioritizes the scalability and generalizability of findings.
• evaluation: comparative analysis

  • Complementarity: Both approaches can complement each other, providing a more complete understanding of behavior.
  • Distinct goals: Each has distinct objectives, with idiographic focusing on depth and nomothetic on breadth.
  • Debate on practicality: Discussion on whether the combination of both approaches provides a more realistic and practical approach to understanding human behavior.
• evaluation: scientific implications

  • Both approaches highlight the complexity of human behavior and contribute to the scientific debate about the best ways to study and understand it.
• evaluation: idiographic

  • Provides in-depth understanding of individuals.
  • Can inform broader theories but may lack general applicability.
  • Often produces rich, detailed data that may not be statistically generalisable.
• evaluation: nomothetic

  • Generates broad laws of behavior through scalable methods.
  • Risks overlooking unique or atypical cases.
  • Often prioritizes reliability and validity, possibly at the expense of depth.