3.1.5 Idiographic & Nomothetic

• Idiographic Approach = aims to describe the nature of the individual by studying the unique and subjective experiences and motivations of people; no attempt to compare or create a norm
• Idiographic approach - research methods

  • Uses methods that produce qualitative data (eg case studies and unstructured interviews/observations)
  • Aim is to describe richness of human experience & individual's unique way of viewing the world
• Example of Idiographic Approach

  • Humanistic approach = Rogerian/client-centred
  • Carl Rogers based his ideas on the development of the self from the detail he gained from in-depth conversations from clients in therapy
• Nomothetic Approach = aims to produce general laws of human behaviour; allows comparison, measuring and classification
• Applications of Nomothetic Approach

  • Classifying people into groups – e.g. the DSM-5; Strange Situation
  • Establishing principles of behaviour that can be applied to people in general – e.g. findings from conformity studies or any explanations
  • Establishing dimensions along which people can be compared and placed – e.g. IQ scores; BSRI, F-scale
• Nomothetic approach - research methods

  • Use methods that are considered scientific such as experiments
  • Involve a large sample to attempt to have representative samples
  • Strong emphasis on quantitative data that can be statistically analysed
• Evaluation: Objective vs Subjective

  • Objectivity = nomothetic, Subjectivity = idiographic
  • Laws only possible if research is conducted in standardised manner, allowing replication for objective approaches
• Evaluation - argument for the idiographic approach

  • An idiographic approach can actually compliment the nomothetic approach
  • Raises awareness on general laws or even by challenging those laws (existing theories). 
• Evaluation - arguments against the idiographic approach

  • The approach can be narrow and restrictive in nature.
  • Methods associated with the approach, like case studies, are often subjective and prone to subjective bias.
• Evaluation - argument for the nomothetic approach

  • These methods tend to be more scientific and in line with the techniques used by the natural sciences.
  • Tests are under standardised, controlled conditions, using data that can undergo statistical analysis. 
• Evaluation - argument against the nomothetic approach 

  • Due to its preoccupation with creating general laws, prediction and control, the approach has been accused of ‘losing the whole person’ within psychology. 
• Evaluation - complementary approaches

  • Instead of seeing the approaches as contradictory we can look at them as complimentary. 
  • Goal of modern psychology = provide rich, detailed descriptions of human behaviour as well as the explanations of these behaviours through general laws. 
  • Both approaches needed in order to gain a full understanding of human behaviour. 
• Examples of Nomothetic Approach

  • Classification = OCD, Depression, Schizophrenia, Strange Situation
  • Principles for behaviour = Maternal Deprivation, Explanations of [eg obedience]
  • Creating dimmensions for comparison (F-scale, BSRI. Locus of Control)