Idiographic and nomothetic

• Nomothetic approach forms general laws of behaviour based on the study of groups and the use of statistical, quantitative techniques. It attempts to summarise the differences between people through generalisations, whilst developing general laws and unifying principles which can be used to accurately predict and control behaviour.
• The nomothetic approach:

  • Experimental techniques - Highly controlled experiments and structured observations.
  • Data - Quantitative.
  • Scientific - Generalisations are made from the data to create universal laws of human behaviour. This data tends to have high reliability.
  • Approaches - Behaviourism, Social learning, Biological and Cognitive.
• Idiographic approach is a method of investigating behaviour which focuses on individuals and emphasises their uniqueness. Subjective and rich human experience is used as a way of explaining behaviour, without the aim of developing general principles and unifying laws (which is the view of the nomothetic approach).
• The idiographic approach:

  • Non-experimental techniques - Case studies, content analysis and unstructured interviews.
  • Data - Qualitative.
  • Unscientific - Data is unreliable as two case studies will always differ, BUT they are more valid in their descriptions of behaviour.
  • Approaches - Humanistic and arguably Psychodynamics.
• The nomothetic approach and the 3 general laws - Radford and Kirby:

  1. Classifying people into groups.
  2. Establishing the principles of behaviour that can be applied to people in general.
  3. Establishing dimensions in which people can be placed, compared and measured.
• Examples of the nomothetic approach:

  • The cognitive approach uses objective methods of measuring brain activity, such as EEG and PET scans. This allows cognitive psychologists to draw inferences about the workings of mental processes.
• Examples of the nomothetic approach:

  • Biological approach use large-scaled and well-controlled drug trials to test the efficacy of novel drug treatments. These trials assume it is a general law that neurotransmitter levels influence the symptoms of mental health conditions. The reliability of such findings has allowed for doctors to treat mental heal conditions with confidence in prescribing drugs.
• Examples of the nomothetic approach:

  • Learning theory and its use of animals in classical and operant conditioning has been used to accurately predict animal and human behaviour, leading to applications in therapy. Using controlled and reliable nomothetic techniques has given modern psychology scientific legitimacy.
• Examples of the nomothetic approach:

  • Behaviourists explain all behaviour in terms of simple stimulus-response links which have been learnt through experience. In order to collect valid and reliable data, behaviourists often use laboratory experiments, where strict control upon extraneous and confounding variables allows for a ‘cause and effect’ relationship between variables to be established.
• Examples of the idiographic approach:

  • The humanistic approach adopts a holistic and ‘phenomenological’ approach to research, which focuses on the experience of the individual. Such research methods were then used to develop the client-centred approach to therapy and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
• Examples of the idiographic approach:

  • The psychodynamic approach - Freud used case studies and in-depth interviews to collect qualitative data from Little Hans; data which later formed the basis of the Oedipus and Electra complexes. However, Freud also established his psychosexual stages of development on the basis of similar research methods, arguing that all children pass through the same sequence of stages. This is more similar to a nomothetic approach.
• Strengths of the nomothetic approach:

  • Generalisation - Data is easier to replicate, gather precisely and analyse using statistics. This allows psychologists to be more confident in generalising findings and predicting future behaviour.
• Strengths of the nomothetic approach:

  • Objective measurements - Subjective bias is reduced through standardised methods and measurements. Enables unifying laws and general principles to be reliably established by the focus on objectively collecting reliable data, leading to certain ‘norms’ or standards of behaviour to be established, such as the average IQ score being 100. Such norms act as a good baseline comparison for intellectual abilities and mental disorders.
• Limitations of the nomothetic approach:

  • Misrepresentation - General trends may not accurately represent every individual in a group.
• Limitations of the nomothetic approach:

  • Superficial - Fixed criteria do not give a complete picture of the individual. Two people with a depression diagnosis have different experiences.
• Limitations of the nomothetic approach:

  • May undervalue the impact of individual experiences. Some have criticised the nomothetic approach as ‘losing the whole person’ in psychology due to such an emphasis on establishing universal norms and unifying laws of behaviour. For example, research into the frequency of depression or bipolar disorder tells us little about the experiences of sufferers and so little about what treatments may be most beneficial. Therefore, the nomothetic approach, from this standpoint, has done little to improve people’s lives in comparison to the idiographic approach.
• Strengths of the idiographic approach:

  • Rich, detailed data - Level of detailed information collected is argued to provide a more valid perspective on human behaviour.
• Strengths of the idiographic approach:

  • Hypothesis generation - While unusual cases are not generalisable, they can generate new interesting areas of research or overturn incorrect theories.
• Limitations of the idiographic approach:

  • Time-consuming - Due to the depth and detail, the approach can be a drawn out process.
• Limitations of the idiographic approach:

  • Subjectivity / bias - Intensive data collection techniques can result in the researcher losing objectivity when interpreting data.
• Limitations of the idiographic approach:

  • Narrow and restrictive perspective - Theories developed from case studies and (unstructured) interviews may not be generalised beyond the individual, reducing the ecological validity. For example, the humanism widely uses the idiographic approach but is still viewed by many as a set of rather loose, abstract concepts, due to a lack of empirical evidence as well as being specific to the individual. Generalisations cannot be made without further examples to act as a baseline comparison. This means that it does not improve the scientific credibility.
• Discussion point of both approaches:

  • Complementary - Taking an integrative approach by using both idiographic and nomothetic methods allow for researchers to combine the strengths of each, providing a more holistic understanding of behaviour. For example, the general trends may be identified to using the nomothetic approach following an idiographic study to explore the trends in individuals. Alternatively, idiographic findings can generate hypotheses tested on a larger scale using nomothetic methods.