Nomothetic Approach

Definition

The nomothetic approach in psychology focuses on identifying general laws and trends that apply to large groups of people, rather than studying individual differences.

Analogy

Think of the nomothetic approach like a weather forecast. It gives you an overall prediction for a large area (like a city or region), but it doesn't tell you exactly what the weather will be like in your specific backyard.

Related terms

Trait Theory: This is a psychological theory that believes personality traits are consistent patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be observed across different situations.

Factor Analysis: A statistical method used to describe variability among observed variables in terms of fewer unobserved variables called factors. In psychology, it's often used to identify clusters of related mental abilities or personality traits.

Generalizability: The extent to which research findings and conclusions from a study conducted on a sample population can be applied to the larger population.