idiographic vs nomothetic

P1

A strength of the idiographic approach is that the in-depth, qualitative methods lead to rich and full accounts of the individual.

E1.1

Such detailed case studies may provide new evidence to challenge a nomothetic theory or reveal new insights into human functioning, even if meaningful generalisations cannot be drawn from individual studies.

E1.2

Nevertheless, the fact that the nomothetic approach is preoccupied with general laws, prediction and control means it has been accused of losing the whole person within psychology. For example, knowing there is a 1% lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia tells us little about what life is actually like for someone that has it.

L1

This means that, in its search for generalisations, the nomothetic approach may sometimes fail to relate to lived experience, unlike the idiographic approach.

P2

A strength is that both approaches fit with the aims of a science.

E2.1

The processes involved in nomothetic research are similar to those used in traditional sciences. Nomothetic research in psychology establishes objectivity through standardisation, control and statistical testing.

E2.2

Idiographic researchers also seek to objectify their methods: triangulation is used to compare findings between different sources of information from varying qualitative studies/methods as a way of increasing their validity.

L2

This suggests that both idiographic and nomothetic approaches raise psychology’s status/credibility as a science.

P3

A limitation is that the idiographic vs nomothetic debate may be exaggerated.

E3.1

Holt (1967) argued that the idiographic/nomothetic distinction is a false separation because generalisations are made from idiographic studies. He claimed there is no such thing as a unique individual; idiographic eventually becomes nomothetic (as with Freud’s approach).

E3.2

Cognitive and biological approaches take a nomothetic approach but, when the opportunity arises, they will utilise the case study method to provide evidence to support their theories.

L3

This suggests that they should be viewed as complimentary, not contradictory, therefore making the idiographic and nomothetic distinction meaningless.