ao1 idiographic

Question 1

what is idiographic?

Answer 1

• method of investigating behaviour which focuses on individuals
  and emphasises their uniqueness
• Subjective and rich human experience is used as a way
  of explaining behaviour

Question 2

what type of data does it produce?
examples:

Answer 2

• qualitative data
• include studying the individual and not groups and therefore not generalising findings to others
• e.g HM and KF research into LTM

Question 3

examples of the idiographic approach: humanistic approach

Answer 3

• holistic and ‘phenomenological’ approach = which focuses on the experience of the individual
• Such research methods were then used to develop the client-centred approach to therapy and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Question 4

examples of the idiographic approach: psychodynamic approach

Answer 4

• Freud used case studies and in-depth interviews to
  collect qualitative data from Little Hans; data which later formed the basis of the Oedipus and Electra complexes.