idiograpic vc nomothetic

Define idiographic

From Greek work ‘idios’ meaning ‘own’

Focus on the individual and emphasise the unique experience of human behaviour Holistic treatments

Study individuals using qualitative data

Example of idiographic

Case studies - Clive Wearing

Humanistic and psychodynamic - Freud - Little Hans

Define nomothetic

From Greek word ‘nomos’ meaning ‘law’

Concerned with establishing general laws about behaviour from the study of groups of people

Uses quantitative statistical techniques

Example of nomothetic

Biological psychologists - explaining OCD

Psychopathology - classification systems - ICD - DSM

Behaviourists - Pavlov - Skinner - Watson

Phobias - systematic desensitisation - flooding

Social psychologists - Asch - Milgram

Evaluation of debate

Psychology as a science - quantitative vs qualitative

Nomothetic approaches are useful - application - drug therapies - SSRIs

Idiographic + nomothetic should be used in combination - cognitive approach - mixed methods approach