Summary
Summary Idiographic & Nomothetic Approaches notes
- Course
- Institution
These notes are based on Mark schemes and class notes. By using these notes I achieved an A grade.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
shana04m
Content preview
Idiographic and Nomothetic approachesThe idiographic approach
The Idiographic approach in psychology attempts to describe the nature of the individual
People are studied as unique entities, each with their own subjective experiences, motivation,
and values. There may be no attempt made to compare these to a larger group, standard or norm.
The idiographic approach is generally associated with those methods in psychology that
produce qualitative data, such as case studies, unstructured interviews and other self-
report measures. This reflects one of the central aims of idiographic research: to describe the
richness of human experience and gain insight into the person's unique way of viewing the
world.
The nomothetic approach
The main aim of the nomothetic approach is to produce general laws of human behaviour.
These provide a 'benchmark' against which people can be compared, classified and measured,
and on the basis of which, likely future behaviour can be predicted and/or controlled.
The nomothetic approach is most closely aligned with those methods that would be regarded
as 'scientific' within psychology such as experiments. These involve the study of large numbers
of people in order to establish ways in which people are similar (which will, conversely, also
inform us of the ways in which people are different from one another).
Examples of the idiographic approach in psychology
Of the approaches you have studied, humanistic psychology is probably the best example
of the idiographic perspective. Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow took a phenomenological
approach to the study of human beings and were interested only in documenting the conscious
experience of the individual or 'self'. In describing themselves as 'anti-scientific', humanistic
psychologists were more concerned with investigating unique experience 'on its own merits'
than producing general laws of behaviour.
The psychodynamic approach is often labelled 'idiographic' because of Sigmund Freud's
use of the case study method when detailing the lives of his patients. However, Freud also
assumed he had identified universal laws of behaviour and personality development (which is
more akin to a nomothetic approach).
Examples of the nomothetic approach in psychology
The nomothetic approach tends to be a feature of those approaches that are reductionist,
determinist and employ scientific methods of investigation. Hypotheses are formulated,
tested under controlled conditions and findings generated from large numbers of people (or
animals) are analysed for their statistical significance (see page 72).
Much of the research conducted by behaviourist, cognitive and biological psychologists
would meet the criteria of the nomothetic approach. For example, Skinner and the behaviourists
studied the responses of hundreds of rats, cats, pigeons, etc., in order to develop the laws of
learning; cognitive psychologists have been able to infer the structure and processes of human
memory (see Miller's Law - facing page) by measuring the performance of large samples of
people in laboratory tests; biological psychologists have conducted brain scans on countless
human brains (as well as the people who own them!) in order to make generalisations about
localisation of function (see page 38). In each of these cases, hypotheses are rigorously tested,
statistically analysed, and general laws and principles are proposed and developed - all of which
are key features of the nomothetic approach.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller shana04m. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.13. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
76449 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now