Question

A famous psychologist, Gordon Allport, corresponded with a woman named Jenny. He used her many letters as the basis of an intensive study of her personality. The best name for the approach that Allport used in this case is ____________.

Answer 1

Idiographic is the correct answer.

According to the idiographic approach, one's psychological disorder is the product of their unique childhood experiences. Through this approach, psychologists are able to focus on an individual instead of generalizing results to the entire population. The psychologist Gordon Allport argues the importance of investigating individuals idiographically rather than by using standardised tests.