Idiographic and Nomothetic Approaches in Psychology

The idiographic approach focusses on individual insights and feelings, it collects qualitative data in order to gain in-depth and unique details ... SkiptomaincontentSTEMEntomologyGentics&EvolutionZoologyMathMarineBiologyElectricalEngineeringChemistryGeologyBotanyComputerScienceMycologyMedicalSciencePhysicsClimatology&MeteorologyAstronomyEcologyMicrobiologyPaleontologyHumanitiesWritingTutorialsLinguisticsLiteratureLanguagesHistoryTheologyPhilosophyMythologyPerformingArtsVisualArtsArchitectureArchaeologyBiographiesAcademiaEssaysTeachingCollege&UniversityStudentLifeESLVocationalTrainingStandardizedTestsOnlineLearningSocialSciencesPsychologyAnthropologyLegalStudiesSociologyEconomicsPoliticalScienceAgriculturePrivacyPolicyAboutUsEditorialPolicyTermsofUsePrivacySettingsDecember25,2021STEMHumanitiesAcademiaSocialSciencesAgriculture&FarmingAngeliscurrentlystudyingforherA-levels(English,SociologyandPsychology)inthehopesofgoingtouniversitynextyear.Theidiographicandnomotheticapproacheshavedifferentfocusses.Theidiographicemphasisesthesubjectiveanduniqueexperienceofanindividual,whereasthenomotheticapproachstudiesthenumericalandstatisticalsidetodrawuniversalconclusions.TheIdiographicApproachinPsychologyTheidiographicapproachfocussesonindividualinsightsandfeelings,itcollectsqualitativedatainordertogainin-depthanduniquedetailsonindividualsratherthanthenumericaldata.Forexample,Freud's(1909)analysisofLittleHans(aboywhosefearofhorsesstemmedfromhisjealousytowardshisfather)consistedof150pagesofnotes.FreudspentalotoftimecollectingdetailedinformationaboutLittleHansinordertounderstandwhyhebehavedthewayhedid.Humanisticpsychologistsalsousetheidiographicapproachbecausetheybelievethataperson'ssubjectiveexperienceismoreimportanttogainanunderstandingofhumansthanauniversalgeneralisation.Allport(1961)isanotherwhousedtheidiographicapproachandevencameupwiththeterm.Hebelievedthattheidiographicapproachcantellusmoreabouthumanbehaviourandthatpersonalityteststhatprovidequantitativedataarenotasinsightful.TheNomotheticApproachinPsychologyIncontrast,thenomotheticapproachstudiesalargenumberofpeopleatoncetocollectquantitateresearch.Theyaimtogenerateexplanationsofbehaviourthatcanbeuniversalandgeneralisedtoentirepopulations,theyarguethatqualitativedatadoesn'tprovidesuchgeneralisations.Forexample,thebiologicalapproachseeksuniversalexplanationsforbehaviour,andthiscanleadtodrugtherapiesthatcanbeusedforallindividuals.Theresearchintofightorflightsuggestedthatitwasauniversalresponsetostress.However,researchbyTaylorsuggestedotherwise(womenhavea'tendandbefriend'response).Thisshowshowuniversalexplanationsignorethedifferencesthattheidiographicapproachfocuson.Eysenck,adirectcontrasttoAllport,alsostudiedpersonalitybutusedthenomotheticapproach.Hetestedalargegroupofpeopleandusedtheirdatatodividethemintopersonalitytypessuchas'introverted-neurotic'or'extroverted-neurotic'.Thismethodallowspersonalitytobeeasilyandquicklysortedintoauniversalpersonalitytest.Eysenck'spersonalitywheelEysenckPersonalityTestDothepersonalitytesthereEysenck:PersonalityisgeneticallydeterminedEysenckhadthreepersonalityparameters,extraversion,neuroticismandpsychotism,thislastoneheusedtoexplaincreativity-typicaltestquestionsEvaluationoftheIdiographicApproachAcriticismofthehumanisticapproach(whichusestheidiographicmethod)isthatitisn'tscientific.Positivepsychologistscriticisethehumanisticapproachforlackingevidence-basedfindings,thusmakingthemmeaningless.Despitethislimitation,otheridiographicapproachesarescientific.Anexampleofthisiscasestudies.Casestudiesusethescientificmethodandalsocollectsqualitativedata.Althoughthehumanistapproachisn'tscientific,otheridiographicapproachesare.ReadMoreFromOwlcationBlackButterflyIdentification:BlackandDark-ColoredButterfliesofNorthAmericaEdgarLeeMasters'"AdamWeirauch"OPATokensandWorldWarIIRationingMemorabiliaAnotherlimitationoftheidiographicapproachisthatitcannotprovidegeneralpredicationsaboutbehaviour.Suchgeneralisationscanbeusefulforsometreatmentsofmentalillnesssuchasdrugtherapies.Itisfartoodifficultandtimeconsumingtoconstructuniquetreatmentsforeveryindividual-itjustisn'tpossible.However,Allportarguesthattheidiographicapproachcanproducegeneralisations.Researcherscancollectdetailedinformationaboutindividualsthenusethisinformationtocreateauniversalprediction.HallandLindzeybelievethatthisismeansthatidiographicisinfactnomotheticandthatthereisnoactualdistinctionbetweenthetwo.Thirdly,anissuewiththeidiographicapproachisthatitistimeconsuming.Collectinglotsofdataaboutonlyoneortwoindividualstakesalotoftime.Inthetimeittakesforaresearchertocollectlotsofdataaboutjustoneperson,aresearcherusingthenomotheticapproachcangatherdataaboutalargegroupofpeople.Thenomotheticapproachcananalysedataaboutalargegroupofpeopleinmuchlesstime,theidiographicapproachislessefficient.Holtbelievesthatthereisnodistinctionbetweenthetwoapproachesandthattheyareactuallythesame.Hearguesthatthereisnosuchthingasauniqueindividualsobothapproachesultimatelyproducegeneralisedpredictionsofhumanbehaviour.EvaluationoftheNomotheticApproachAnadvantageofthenomotheticapproachisthatlargesamplesofpeoplecanbeusedtoproduceareliableandrepresentativefinding.Itisalsoscientific,sotheexperimentsconductedarereplicableandreliable.However,alimitationofthenomotheticapproachisthat,ashumanisticpsychologistsargue,ithaslostsightofwhatitmeanstobehuman.Itlacksanindividualanduniqueperspectiveandassumesuniversallawsofbehaviourapplytoallpeople(andculturalandgenderdifferencesmaynotbetakenintoaccount).Allportbelievedthattheonlywaytopredictanindividual'sbehaviouristogettoknowthem,thenomotheticmethoddoesnotallowthis.Mostexperimentsforthenomotheticapproachareinalab.Inalab,itlacksrealism,sofindingsfromthesestudiesmaynotapplytoreallife.Theresultsarethereforesuperficialandnotalwaysatruereflectionofreality.ToConcludeOverall,theidiographicapproachfocusesonsubjectiveanduniqueexperiencesofindividuals.Incontrast,thenomotheticapproachfocusesonnumericaldataanduniversalexplanationsofbehaviour.Despiteargumentsthatthetwoarenotcompatible,MillonandDavissuggestthatresearchersbeginbyusingthenomotheticmethod,thenoncetheyhavegainedthegeneralinformation,theycanusetheidiographicapproachtogainmoreinsightfulinformation.ReferenceCardwell,M.,Flanagan,C.(2016)PsychologyAlevelTheCompleteCompanionStudentBookfourthedition.PublishedbyOxfordUniversityPress,UnitedKingdom.MoreRelatedtothisTopic:CulturalBiasinPsychologyEthnocentricisminpsychologycanleadtonegativestereotypesandracism.Whatisculturalbiasandhowcanwecounterit?GenderBiasinPsychologyWhentherealmofpsychologyisandrocentric,cantheresultsofexperimentsreallybegeneralisedtoallgenders?Hereyoucanlearnaboutdifferenttypesofgenderbiasandtheeffecttheycanhaveonsociety.©2018AngelHarperCommentsTajwerShakironSeptember24,2018:GoodworkangelRelatedArticlesAstronomyTheJamesWebbSpaceTelescopeWillLaunchChristmasMorning,2021at7:20EST;LaunchLinkIncludedByChrisMills10hoursagoTeachingQualificationsNeededtoTeachataCommunityCollegeByKatherineSanger12hoursagoHistoryFadsofthe'50s:WhatWasPopularinthe'50s?ByPaulRichardKuehn13hoursagoHistoryTheIran-ContraScandal–CovertAffairinthe1980sByDougWest22hoursagoTheologyMoroni,theSonofMormon:DeathofaNationByRodricAnthonyJohnsonDec23,2021HistoryJohnGlenn:AnAmericanHeroByDougWestDec23,2021LiteratureLifeSketchofJohnDonneByLindaSueGrimesDec23,2021LiteratureJohnDonne'sHolySonnetVIByLindaSueGrimesDec23,2021LiteratureParamahansaYogananda’sPoem,"VanishingBubbles"ByLindaSueGrimesDec23,2021HistoryMulledWine'sRichGlobalHistoryByJoanneHayleDec22,2021AnthropologyABriefHistoryofKrampusinAmericaByDarcieNadelDec22,2021LanguagesWhatIsLanguage?The5BasicElementsofLanguageDefinedByRodricAnthonyJohnsonDec22,2021LiteratureAnalysisofPoem'NamingMyself'byBarbaraKingsolverByAndrewSpaceyDec22,2021HistoryFranklinD.RooseveltBiography:32ndPresidentoftheUnitedStatesByDougWestDec22,2021SocialSciencesEnglishIvySymbolism,Traditions,andMythologyByLindaCramptonDec22,2021Loading…SeeMoreCLOSECLOSECLOSECLOSE