Nomothetic and ideographic:

• +

  • Idiographic approach is that it contributes to the nomothetic approach
  • Idiographic approach uses in-depth qualitative methods of investigation and this provides a global description of one individual
  • May complement the nomothetic approach by shedding further light on general laws
  • IE a single case may generate hypotheses for further study the pebble that starts an avalanche like HM may reveal important insights about normal functioning which may contribute to our overall understanding

  Focus on fewer individuals the idiographic approach may still help form scientific laws of behaviour
• COUNTERPOINT:

  • That said supporters of the idiographic approach should still acknowledge the narrow and restricted nature of their work
  • Meaningful generalisations cannot be made without further examples as this means there is no adequate baseline with which to compare behaviour
  • Methods associated with the idiographic approach, ie case studies, tend to be the least scientific in that conclusions often rely on the subjective interpretation of the researcher and are open to bias

  Difficult to build effective general theories of human behaviour in the complete absence of nomothetic research
• X

  • Nomothetic approach is loss of understanding of the individual
  • The fact that the nomothetic approach is focused with general laws prediction and control means it has been accused of 'losing the whole person' within psychology
  • IE knowing that there is a 1% lifetime risk of developing schizo tells us little about what life is like for someone who has it
  • Understanding the subjective experience of schizo might well prove useful when it comes to devising appropriate treatment options

  In its search for generalities the nomothetic approach sometimes fail to relate to 'experience