idiographic & nomothetic

• Idiographic - focuses on the uniqueness of the individual. It looks at in-depth details and subjective experiences. Uses qualitative methods such as case studies.
• Nomothetic - aims to establish laws and generalisations that apply to many people. Focuses on similarities between people and gaining objective knowledge. Collects large amounts of quantitative data.
• The use of case studies provides rich detailed information to rarely occurring natural phenomena.
• meaningful generalisations cannot be made from case studies
• The nomothetic approach uses the scientific method so has increased credibility
• Using laws to predict outcomes can lose the rich individual experiences within psychology.
• Humanistic psychologists investigate unique experiences, focuses on self
• Psychodynamic approach uses case studies
• Skinner and the behaviourists studied the responses of hundreds of rats, cats, pigeons etc. to develop the laws of learning so used a nomothetic approach
• examples of nomothetic approach:

  • behavioural approach
  • Biological approach use of brain scans in localisation of function
  • Cognitive approach use of brain scans in cognitive neuroscience
• An individual may give rise to further hypotheses and provide valuable insight to further understand behaviour. E.g patient HM
• As the basis of the nomothetic approach is scientific, testing under standardised instructions, using statistical analysis, prediction and control to establish norms of behaviour mean there is an increased scientific credibility of psychology
• the nomothetic approaches use of statistical analysis has allowed psychologists to infer things about a given sample or population so explanations of human behaviour are created which apply universally