Idiographic and Nomothetic Approach

Question 1

What is the idiographic approach to research?

Answer 1

Focuses on individuals and emphasises uniqueness, favours qualitative methods in research

Question 2

What is the nomothetic approach to research?

Answer 2

Seeks to formulate generals laws of behaviour based on the study of groups and use of quantitative techniques.

Question 3

How is the idiographic approach qualitative?

Answer 3

• As it focuses on gaining insight into human behaviour by studying individuals in depth
• It employs qualitative methods like unstructured interviews, case studies and small sample sizes

Question 4

Give an example of the idiographic approach (psychodynamic)

Answer 4

• Freud used case studies of his patients to understand behaviour, e.g. Little Hans
• Freud produced generalisation, but these are still idiographic as they’re drawn from individuals

Question 5

Give an example of the idiographic approach (humanistic)

Answer 5

Humanistic psychologists are concerned with studying the whole person and seeing the world from their perspective, what matters is the person’s subjective experience

Question 6

How is the nomothetic approach quantitative?

Answer 6

• As it requires data from groups of people and its research is based on numbers
• It employs quantitative methods like structured interviews, closed-ended questionnaires and lab experiments

Question 7

Give an example of the nomothetic approach (behaviourist)

Answer 7

• Behaviourist psychologists produced general laws of behaviour through classical and operant conditioning
• Although their research doesn’t involve thousands of human participants (which is the typical nomothetic approach), they were seeking 1 set of rules of all animals

Question 8

Give an example of the nomothetic approach (cognitive)

Answer 8

• Cognitive psychology aims to develop general laws of behaviour to apply to all, such as understanding the typical memory processes.
• Their research uses case studies (e.g. HM) but these are required as to understand the normal mind, it’s necessary to look at rare abnormal cases

Question 9

Give evaluation for the idiographic approach (strength)

Answer 9

• It’s more likely to lead to qualitative data which is rich and meaningful
• This allows us to treat individuals in a way that suits them, this idea underpins the humanistic approach and their application to client centred therapy. A humanistc assumption that’s rooted in the idiographic approach, is that each individual is distinct and the therapist should facilitate the actualisation of the client.
• Allport also argues that it’s only by knowing the individual as a person that we can predict what they will do in any given situations.
• Therefore, we may only understand the causes of behaviour and appropriate treaments by adopting an idiographic approach in psychology

Question 10

Give evaluation for idiographic approach (limitation)

Answer 10

• May be considered unscientific and prone to researcher bias
• e.g. idiographic research conducted by Freud on the case of Little Hans’ fear of horses was his own interpretation based on interviews. He proposed Little Hans’ horse phobia was related to the Oedipus complex,
• This interpretation could’ve been influenced by confirmation bias, where Freud may have unconsciously wanted to find research to support his Oedipus theory
• This therefore makes it difficult for idiographic research to hold any scientific credibility, leading to the validity of theories, developed from an idiographic approach, being questioned

Question 11

Give evaluation for the nomothetic approach (strength)

Answer 11

• There’s practical application that stem from the ability to make predictions
• Conducting controlled lab experiments allows for causal relationships to be established, which has lead to laws and predictions; this has informed treatments
• e.g. nomothetic research has established that low levels of serotonin may be involved in the onset of OCD, which has allowed for treatments (like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - SSRI’s) to be developed
• Suggesting taking a nomothetic approach to research has profound benefits to society

Question 12

Give evaluation for the nomothetic approach (limitation)

Answer 12

• May overlook the richness of human experience
• The nomothetic approach is preoccupied with general laws, predictions and control which means it has been accused of ‘losing the whole person’ within psychology
• e.g. knowing there’s a 1% lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia tells us little about life for someone with the disorder. Understanding the experience might be more useful for devising appropriate treatments
• This means that, in search for generalities, the nomothetic approach may fail to relate to experience