Cited by 293Mental Health Research TopicsPersonality Disorders and PsychopathologyPsychometric Methodologies and Testing

Bridging the Nomothetic and Idiographic Approaches to the Analysis of Clinical Data

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Beltz, Adriene M., Wright, Aidan G. C., Sprague, Briana N., Molenaar, Peter C. M.·2016·Assessment

Abstract

The nomothetic approach (i.e., the study of interindividual variation) dominates analyses of clinical data, even though its assumption of homogeneity across people and time is often violated. The idiographic approach (i.e., the study of intraindividual variation) is best suited for analyses of heterogeneous clinical data, but its person-specific methods and results have been criticized as unwieldy. Group iterative multiple model estimation (GIMME) combines the assets of the nomothetic and idiographic approaches by creating person-specific maps that contain a group-level structure. The maps show how intensively measured variables predict and are predicted by each other at different time scales. In this article, GIMME is introduced conceptually and mathematically, and then applied to an empirical data set containing the negative affect, detachment, disinhibition, and hostility composite ratings from the daily diaries of 25 individuals with personality pathology. Results are discussed with the aim of elucidating GIMME’s potential for clinical research and practice.

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  • Research guided by the independence assumption can at best show how individuals change from one point to another, usually at two time points, in accordance with the nomothetic approach.

    “At best, research guided by such an assumption would apply methods to analyze outcomes that could show only how individuals change from one point to another (and usually just at two time points) in accordance with the nomothetic approach (i.e., with the objective of making general predictions about the population) (Beltz et al., 2016).”

    From Researching what we practice—The paradigm of systemic family research: Part 2 (2023) · cites this paper as Beltz et al., 2016

    In “The Idiographic Versus Nomothetic Approach” (page unavailable), the paper says nomothetic analysis aims to make population-level predictions. In “Alternatives to GIMME” (page unavailable), it says nomothetic longitudinal models can assess how participants change relative to others. It does not say such research is limited to change between two points, usually measured at only two time points; it also discusses longitudinal models with many measurements. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Authors
Beltz, A. M., Wright, A. G. C., Sprague, B. N., & Molenaar, P. C. M.
Affiliations
  • Pennsylvania State University (US)
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
Corresponding author
Beltz, Adriene M.
Venue
Assessment
Published
2016-05-10
Volume
23
Issue
4
Pages
447-458
ISSN
  • 1073-1911 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-3489
OpenAlex
W2358148633
Cited by
293
References
49
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 4
FWCI
34.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Assessment (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Institute of Mental Health (F32MH097325, R01MH080086, L30-MH101760)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
Keywords
nomothetic approach, idiographic approach, group iterative multiple model estimation, GIMME, within-person variability, interindividual variability, daily diary, personality pathology, negative affect, detachment, disinhibition, hostility
MeSH terms
Biological Variation, Population, Adult, Female, Humans, Individuality, Male, Mathematics, Models, Psychological, Personality Disorders, Statistics as Topic

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