6) Idiographic vs Nomothetic Approach

Outline the idiographic approach?

Psychologists who take the idiographic approach to research focus on the individual.

• The emphasis is on the unique, personal and subjective experience of human nature, motivation and values.

• There is no formulation of laws or generalisation of results to others.

Outline what type of research an idiographic approach prefers, and provide some examples?

An idiographic approach generally favours qualitative research methods.

• Case studies

• Unstructured interviews

• Thematic analysis

It allows an in-depth analysis into individual behaviour.

Describe the idiographic approach to researching depression?

It would be based on a variety of methods.

• First hand accounts from a small number of people.

• In depth interviews focusing on a particular area related to depression.

Such data is then analysed and emergent themes are identified.

Conclusions may help other people going through similar experiences.

Describe the use of case studies within the idiographic approach?

Case studies provide an in-depth insight into an individual or group, which can then be used to evaluate a theory.

• Memory- KF

  • Impaired visual STM, but not auditory.

  • Undermines the multi-store model.

  • Also, provides support for the WMM.

Name an area of psychology which takes an entirely idiographic approach?

Humanistic Approach

Describe idiographic methods within the psychodynamic approach, and whether the actual theory itself is idiographic?

Freud conducted very detailed investigations into the lives of his patients in an attempt to understand them and help them overcome their psychological disorders.

• Yet, he makes a nomothetic theory about generalisable laws of behaviour!

Outline the nomothetic approach?

Psychologists who take a nomothetic approach are concerned with establishing general laws via:

• Studying large groups of people.

• Using statistical (quantitative) techniques to analyse data.

It aims to provide ‘norms’ against which people can be compared, classified and measured.

Outline what type of research an nomothetic approach prefers, and provide some examples?

The nomothetic approach favours methods producing quantitative data.

• Experiments

• Correlations

• Psychometric testing

Generally used in areas of psychology that are more scientifically oriented.

Name one example of an approach that uses a nomothetic approach?

• Biopsychology

Describe the use of nomothetic techniques within biopsychology?

Biological psychologists take a nomothetic approach when explaining various psychological disorders such as OCD and depression.

• Biological factors such as neurotransmitters are identified through research with large quantities of people, and biological therapies are then produced to treat large numbers of patients.

Describe the use of both nomothetic and idiographic techniques within cognitive psychology?

NOMOTHETIC:

ATKINSON AND SHIFFRIN developed general laws such as the multi-store model of memory.

• Shows how information flows through a series of stores in order to reach the LTM, which they believed could be generalised to everyone.

IDIOGRAPHIC:

It also uses idiographic techniques such as case studies.

• It is important to appreciate that whilst approaches are generally in favour of one of nomothetic or ideographic methods, some use both.

Evaluate the nomothetic and idiographic approaches?

NOMOTHETIC

STRENGTH: APPLICATION TO TREATMENTS

As the nomothetic approach is considered more scientific, it is useful for controlling and predicting behaviour.

• E.G: Biological psychologists take a nomothetic approach when explaining OCD. They claim OCD is caused by lower levels of serotonin.

• Drug therapies are then developed on the basis of this research by increasing uptake and availability of serotonin.

• Thus, reducing anxiety associated with OCD- helping to improve lives of patients.

This would not be possible in an idiographic approach, as it would be too time-consuming to produce personal therapies for unique individuals.

Therefore, nomothetic approach allows us to make predictions about the most helpful therapeutic solutions for large groups.

COUNTERPOINT: NOT ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL

However, drug treatments are not successful for all patients.

• Some psychologists argue that alternate treatments such as CBT (based on the idiographic approach) are more suitable for treating individuals with OCD.

• As they seek to understand and explain the disorder from a patient’s point of view.

IDIOGRAPHIC

STRENGTH: A FOCUS ON THE INDIVIDUAL

Humanistic and qualitative psychologists in the last century felt there was too much emphasis on measurement, and that psychology had lost sight of what it is to be human.

ALLPORT argued that it is only by knowing a person, that we can predict what the person will do in any situation.

MILGRAM:

Found 65% of participants obeyed an authority figure and inflicted a 450 V electric shock because they were ordered to do so.

• However, the results fail to provide an explanation of why each person obeyed.

• There may have been different circumstances that led to the obedience in each participant.

Equally research into schizophrenia tells us there is a 1% lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia.

• However, this tells us little about what life is like for a schizophrenic.

Thus, the great strength of the idiographic approach has been to focus psychology back onto an individual level.

BOTH

LIMITATION: A FALSE DISTINCTION

HOLT:

Argues that the distinction between the two approaches is a false one, as many approaches take advantage of both idiographic and nomothetic approaches.

• E.G: While cognitive psychologists typically take a nomothetic approach to create general laws, they also take advantage of idiographic methods such as case studies to provide evidence for a theory (E.G: PATIENT KF).

Therefore, it could be argue that the distinction between the two is meaningless, and that psychologists should employ both methods depending on the nature of the research question to produce representative, accurate and relevant theories about human behaviour.