Idiographic and nomothetic approaches

Question 1

What does this debate question?

Answer 1

Whether it is more important to look at the individual as unique or as part of a group to establish similarities for that group

Question 2

Define idiographic

Answer 2

Everyone is unique and no generalisations can be made. All experiences are private and subjective. Qualitative data.

Question 3

Which approach is extremely idiographic?

Answer 3

The humanistic approach

Question 4

Define nomothetic

Answer 4

Applies laws and generalisations to everyone using qualitative data. Focus on similarities between people and putting people in groups

Question 5

What research method is an illustration of the idiographic approach?

Answer 5

Case studies and other qualitative, small-scale research

Question 6

What are the three types of general laws the nomothetic approach tries to find?

Answer 6

Classification - People can be put into groups according to characteristics, attitudes or behaviour

Establishing principles - Trying to establish laws/principles that can be applied to all human behaviour, such as the “Law of Effect” proposed by Thorndike. These are easily weakened by case studies

Establishing dimensions - This is the attempt to document continuums upon which an individual can be placed in comparison with others and facilitates scientific measurement

Question 7

What methods are, broadly speaking, seen as nomothetic and idiographic?

Answer 7

Nomothetic: Quantitative methods

Idiographic: Qualitative methods

Question 8

What within schizophrenia is idiographic or nomothetic?

Answer 8

Nomothetic: Drug treatments

Idiographic: CBT