Nomothetic and idiographic Totally Explained

Everything about Idiographic totally explained

Nomothetic and idiographic are terms coined by Kantian philosopher Wilhelm Windelband to describe two distinct approaches to knowledge, each one corresponding to a different intellectual tendency, and each one corresponding to a different branch of academe. Nomothetic is based on what Kant described as a tendency to generalize, and is expressed in the natural sciences. It describes the effort to derive laws that explain objective phenomena. Idiographic is based on what Kant described as a tendency to specify, and is expressed in the humanities. It describes the effort to understand the meaning of contingent, accidental, and often subjective phenomena.
   Usually, nomothetic approaches are quantitative, and idiographic approaches are qualitative, although the "Personal Questionnaire" developed by M.B. Shapiro, and its further developments (for example Discan scale) are both quantitative and idiographic.
   In the study of psychology, idiographic describes the study of the individual, who is seen as an entity, with properties setting him/her apart from other individuals. Nomothetic is more the study of a cohort of individuals. Here the subject is seen as representing a class or population and their corresponding personality traits and behaviours. The terms idiographic and nomothetic were introduced to American psychology by G. Allport in 1937, who borrowed them from the German philosopher Wilhelm Windelband.
   In sociology, the nomothetic model tries to find independent variables that account for the variations in a given phenomenon. (E.g. What is the relationship between timing/frequency of childbirth and education) Nomothetic explanations are probabilistic and usually incomplete. The idiographic model focuses on a complete, in-depth understanding of a single case. (E.g. Why do I not have any children)
   In the study of Anthropology, idiographic describes the study of a group, seen as an entity, with specific properties that set it apart from other groups. Nomothetic refers to the use of generalization rather than specific properties in the same context.

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