Idiographic v Nomothetic - AO3

• Idiographic approach


  • Contributes to the nomothetic
  • Provides a global image of one person
  • Can shed further light onto the nomothetic approach by backing up general laws or challenging them
  • Cases like HM can contribute to insights on normal functioning which can lead to better understanding
• The idiographic approach is very narrow and restricted so generalisations can be made without further examples
• There isn't an adequate baseline to compare behaviour in the idiographic approach
• Case studies that are used commonly are the least scientific as conclusions rely on subjective interpretation of the researcher and are open to bias
• The idiographic approach struggles to build effective general laws and theories for human behaviour but nomothetic can do this
• Idiographic approach


  • High focus on the individual
  • Results in an in depth and complete understanding of an individual
  • Global understanding allows developments of hypotheses to be studied in a nomothetic manner
  • Time consuming
• Schizophrenia patients require treatment using CBT


  This can cost a lot of money as it is expensive to provide this type of treatment, therefore putting economic strain on the healthcare system
• The best option could be to complement the idiographic approach in an interactionist way, complementing the idiographic approach and the nomothetic approach
• Nomothetic approach


  Strange Situations
• Idiographic approach


  Case studies on extreme neglect
• Nomothetic and idiographic approaches are two ends of a spectrum and should be treated as such
• Diagnosing mental disorders


  1. Start with nomothetic symptoms

  2. Then focus on the individual
• Nomothetic approaches


  Accused of 'losing the whole person'
• Knowing there is 1% lifetime risk of developing SZ tells us little about what life is like for someone who is suffering from the disorder</b>
• In its search for generalities, nomothetic approach overlooks the richness of human experience
• Lab studies involving tests of memory

  • Participants treated as a series of scores rather than individual people with subjective experience of the situation (e.g. Jacobs Digit Span research)
• Lack of external validity and do not accurately reflect real life and individuals