Idiographic and nomothetic approaches

• Checklist


  • Idiographic approach
  • Nomothetic approach
• Idiographic approach


  Focuses on the individual to understand behavior
• Nomothetic approach


  Studies human behavior through universal laws
• The idiographic-nomothetic debate


  • Idiographic approach suggests studying individuals' behavior gives us more details and a better understanding of human behavior
  • Nomothetic approach suggests the study of varied groups makes it generalizable in different types of behavior
• Key concepts of the debate

  • The idiographic approach to psychological investigation
  • Number of participants are small
  • Qualitative research
  • Most idiographic research is qualitative
• Idiographic research process


  1. Research on depression based on first-hand information from a small number of people

  2. Participants interviewed in detail focusing on particular behavior, analyzed, then categorized

  3. Conclusions help people with similar situations and professionals determine best practices to use
• Examples in psychology associated with idiographic approach

  • Rogers explained self-development through in-depth conversations with client therapy
  • Little Hana case explained how phobias develop
• Nomothetic research process


  1. Main aim is generalization to create law

  2. Quantitative research

  3. Fits traditional models of scientific method in psychology

  4. Hypotheses are formulated, samples assessed, numerical data analyzed for statistical significance
• Examples in psychology associated with nomothetic approach

  • Skinner used animals to study laws of learning, focusing on one aspect of behavior
  • Sperry's split brain research used repeated testing and was part of the basis for understanding hemispheric lateralization
• Objective versus subjective


  • Objectivity lies at the heart of nomothetic
  • Idiographic is subjective
• Idiographic contributes to nomothetic approach

  • Uses in-depth detail providing a global description of the individual
  • May complement nomothetic by shedding light on general laws
  • Idiographic may also help form scientific laws of behavior
• Supporters for idiographic should be aware

  • Restricted nature of their work, generalization cannot be made without further examples
  • No adequate baseline to compare behavior
  • Methods associated with idiographic tend to be least scientific, relying on subjective interpretation of the researcher (causes bias)
  • Difficult to build effective general theories of human behavior in complete absence of nomothetic research
• Both fit with the aims of science

  • Processes used in nomothetic research similar to those used in natural science
  • Establishing objectivity through standardization, control, and statistical testing
  • Researchers using idiographic approach seek objectivity methods
  • Triangulation used when findings of different studies use different qualitative methods compared, increasing validity
  • Qualitative research usually careful with bias
  • Both raise psychology status as a science
• Nomothetic approach is a loss of understanding of the individual


  • Preoccupied with general laws, predictions, and control, accused of losing the whole person in psychology
  • Telling us there is a % risk of having schizophrenia doesn't tell us how a person likes to be diagnosed
  • Sometimes fail to relate to experience