Issues and Debates - Idiographic vs Nomothetic Flashcards
Idiographic
Understanding behaviour through studying individual cases
Nomothetic
Understanding behaviour through developing general laws that apply to all people
What methods are used under the nomothetic approach?
Methods such as experiments and observations
Two examples of idiographic approaches
Humanistic approach
Psychodynamic approach
How is the humanistic approach idiographic?
States that we are all unique and should be studied as individuals, We all have an innate desire to self-actualise, meaning we all have our unique set of goals that we want to achieve
What treatment does the humanistic approach offer?
Client-centred therapy (CCT)
How is the psychodynamic approach idiographic?
All theories were based on case studies of 11/12 Viennese women. Case study of Little Hans also used to support Oedipus complex
Evaluation of the psychodynamic approach relating to idiographic
He still formed theories of human behaviour and created a general law, stating that we all go through these stages and use defence mechanisms in the same way
Why does the nomothetic approach study large groups of people?
So the findings can be generalised
How is the nomothetic approach scientific?
It uses scientific methods and gains quantitative data. It equally meets all the features of science, unlike the idiographic approaches
How did Milgram take a nomothetic approach?
He created general laws of how we will behave in specific situations
Examples of approaches that are nomothetic
Biological approach
Behaviourist approach
Cognitive approach
Social learning theory
How does the biological approach take a nomothetic approach in explaining psychological disorders?
General laws are created as treatments are given to different people for the same disorder. Large samples are tested to see how well the treatments work and then they are generalised
How is the behaviourist approach nomothetic?
Based on large amount of research
