Discuss the idiographic vs nomothetic debate in psychology [16 marks].
The idiographic approach focuses looks at what makes each person different and avoids making general
laws and theories. It uses research methods such as case studies, interviews, and observations, that
focuses on the individual. It usually uses qualitative methods to analyse its findings. For example, case
studies such as HM have been used to identify people who have suffered from brain damage which has
given psychologists an insight into humans having different memory stores as HM’s long-term memory
was impaired, but his short-term memory was partially intact. This research has supported the MSM.
On the other hand, the nomothetic approach applies general laws and principles to explain behaviour
across the whole population. The approach uses research methods such as lab experiments which
involves groups, in order to gather mass data and draw general conclusions. It generally uses
quantitative methods. For example, lab studies such as Bandura’s bobo doll experiment involved 36 girl
and 36 boy participants in the aim of finding how aggressive behaviour is learnt. The research used
children between the ages of 3-6 years of age and it was found that aggressive behaviour was learned
through observation then imitation.
An argument in favour of using the idiographic approach in psychological investigations is that it
provides a complete and global account of the individual. This is because of the in-depth qualitative
methods of investigation used, such as unstructured interviews, case studies and thematic analysis. For
example, the case study of Genie, who was a feral child, and a victim of severe abuse and social isolation
by being kept in a locked room, strapped to a chair from 20 months to 13 years, provided a rare
opportunity for psychologists to study human development and the effects of extreme neglect on a
child. Therefore, using the idiographic approach allows psychologists to gain more insight into individual
cases/topic areas that would usually be unethical to carry out experiments on.
On the other hand, critics of the idiographic approach argue that the research is narrow and restricted,
so meaningful data and generalisations are not possible. For example, some of Freud’s key concepts,
such as the Oedipus complex come from the single case study of ‘Little Hans’. This case study cannot be
replicated to verify Freud’s claims which is an issue with the idiographic approach as evidence is based
on unique individuals with unique characteristics, therefore findings cannot be generalisable.
Furthermore, collecting evidence from case studies can be problematic as they are seen as the least
scientific research method as conclusions often rely on the subjective interpretation of the researcher
and therefore are subject to bias.
The nomothetic debate, on the other hand, is deemed more scientific than the idiographic approach and
can be useful for predicting and controlling behaviour. F or example, the nomothetic approach can be
used to understand biological explanations underpinning depression in a large group of people
(e.g. serotonin imbalance) then use this data to mass-produce drugs (SSRIs) to treat mental illnesses
based on quantitative data and analyses about the causes of disorders. The idiographic approach would
not be able to do this effectively as it would be far too time-consuming to produce personal therapies
for unique individuals. Therefore, the nomothetic approach adopts far more stringent methods of
collecting data, which can lead to more generalisations and predictions which benefic society.
The idiographic approach focuses looks at what makes each person different and avoids making general
laws and theories. It uses research methods such as case studies, interviews, and observations, that
focuses on the individual. It usually uses qualitative methods to analyse its findings. For example, case
studies such as HM have been used to identify people who have suffered from brain damage which has
given psychologists an insight into humans having different memory stores as HM’s long-term memory
was impaired, but his short-term memory was partially intact. This research has supported the MSM.
On the other hand, the nomothetic approach applies general laws and principles to explain behaviour
across the whole population. The approach uses research methods such as lab experiments which
involves groups, in order to gather mass data and draw general conclusions. It generally uses
quantitative methods. For example, lab studies such as Bandura’s bobo doll experiment involved 36 girl
and 36 boy participants in the aim of finding how aggressive behaviour is learnt. The research used
children between the ages of 3-6 years of age and it was found that aggressive behaviour was learned
through observation then imitation.
An argument in favour of using the idiographic approach in psychological investigations is that it
provides a complete and global account of the individual. This is because of the in-depth qualitative
methods of investigation used, such as unstructured interviews, case studies and thematic analysis. For
example, the case study of Genie, who was a feral child, and a victim of severe abuse and social isolation
by being kept in a locked room, strapped to a chair from 20 months to 13 years, provided a rare
opportunity for psychologists to study human development and the effects of extreme neglect on a
child. Therefore, using the idiographic approach allows psychologists to gain more insight into individual
cases/topic areas that would usually be unethical to carry out experiments on.
On the other hand, critics of the idiographic approach argue that the research is narrow and restricted,
so meaningful data and generalisations are not possible. For example, some of Freud’s key concepts,
such as the Oedipus complex come from the single case study of ‘Little Hans’. This case study cannot be
replicated to verify Freud’s claims which is an issue with the idiographic approach as evidence is based
on unique individuals with unique characteristics, therefore findings cannot be generalisable.
Furthermore, collecting evidence from case studies can be problematic as they are seen as the least
scientific research method as conclusions often rely on the subjective interpretation of the researcher
and therefore are subject to bias.
The nomothetic debate, on the other hand, is deemed more scientific than the idiographic approach and
can be useful for predicting and controlling behaviour. F or example, the nomothetic approach can be
used to understand biological explanations underpinning depression in a large group of people
(e.g. serotonin imbalance) then use this data to mass-produce drugs (SSRIs) to treat mental illnesses
based on quantitative data and analyses about the causes of disorders. The idiographic approach would
not be able to do this effectively as it would be far too time-consuming to produce personal therapies
for unique individuals. Therefore, the nomothetic approach adopts far more stringent methods of
collecting data, which can lead to more generalisations and predictions which benefic society.
