Issues and Debates - nomothetic vs idiographic Flashcards
nomothetic
looking at populations of people to draw conclusions and generalise. future behaviour can be predicted and/or controlled
idiographic
considers individuals, with an emphasis on the self and uniqueness of each person
research methods for idiographic approach
self-reporting, qualitative data, case studies, unstructured interviews
3 types of general laws of the nomothetic approach
classifications, establishing principles, establishing dimensions
classifications
classifying people according to characteristics, attitudes and behaviours. e.g. diagnosis of disorders
establishing principles
creating general laws based on behaviour. e.g. conformity
establishing dimensions
creating continuums people can be placed on. e.g. LOC
how can nomothetic and idiographic be complementary to eachother
some case studies. e.g. HM can be used to prove/disprove nomothetic ideas
is standard deviation nomothetic or idiographic
nomothetic
what did holt say about idiographic and nomothetic approaches
idiographic approaches create general laws and become nomothetic
what did Millon and Davis say about idiographic and nomothetic approaches
research should be nomothetic to create laws and then focus on an idiographic understanding
strengths of the idiographic approach
+ qualitative methods provide rich detail, can complement or challenge nomothetic
+ focus on individual = focus on what it means to be human
limitations of idiographic approach
- Little Hans case study created law of oedipus complex. should have more examples to back up
- research is time consuming
strengths of nomothetic approach
+ more scientific methods means we can provide predictions and control behaviour (e.g. IQ testing norms)
limitations of nomothetic approach
- stats and general laws don’t explain what people’s lives are like
- treats humans as scores and removes subjective experience
