adjective relating to or involving the formulation of general laws or principles, as distinguished from idiosyncratic or particular instances
In psychology, nomothetic approaches aim to identify general laws and principles that apply to all individuals within a population.
In sociology, nomothetic research focuses on understanding social patterns and structures that can be applied to groups of people.
In medical science, nomothetic research looks at broad patterns of disease and treatment outcomes across diverse patient groups.
In criminology, nomothetic studies seek to uncover factors that contribute to criminal behavior across different populations.
In the field of literature, a writer may use the term 'nomothetic' to describe a style of writing that focuses on general laws or principles rather than specific details or individual cases.
Psychologists may use 'nomothetic' to refer to research methods that aim to establish general laws or principles that apply to a wide range of individuals, as opposed to idiographic approaches that focus on individual differences.
Sociologists may use 'nomothetic' to describe theories or frameworks that seek to identify universal patterns or trends in society, rather than focusing on specific events or cases.
Legal scholars may use 'nomothetic' to discuss approaches to interpreting and applying laws that prioritize consistency and predictability across cases, as opposed to more context-specific or case-by-case approaches.
Economists may use 'nomothetic' to describe models or theories that aim to identify general economic principles or laws that apply across different markets or contexts, rather than focusing on specific industries or regions.