Münsterberg in 1898, Not Allport in 1937, Introduced the Terms ‘Idiographic’ and ‘Nomothetic’ to American Psychology

Abstract

Psychologists use the term ‘idiographic’ to refer to the characteristics of unique individuals and ‘nomothetic’ to refer to universal characteristics. It is widely accepted that Gordon Allport borrowed those terms from the German philosopher Wilhelm Windelband and introduced the idiographic/nomothetic distinction to American psychology. However, in this paper we argue that the terms were made a part of American psychological discourse at least as early as 1898 by Hugo Münsterberg, two generations before Allport, and were incorporated by William Stern, who had a strong influence on Allport. Recognizing Münsterberg's and Stern's contribution assists in a more secure interpretation of Allport's understanding of the importance of a balance between idiographic and nomothetic approaches.

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