The person in personality research: An alternate lifestyle case study

Abstract

The current crisis in personality research, with large-scale, objective, reductionistic, vs. individual, subjective, holistic paradigms, is seen as a real issue that reflects the prevailing schism between academic and professional, applied psychology. Each approach is seen as uniquely useful, but limited in its conception of man. A clinician-personologist approach that allows the combined implementation of the best of both traditions is proposed. A case study of a homosexual is presented as an illustration of this method, which also substantively provides a new perspective on man. Methodological considerations and refinements of this technique and closely related techniques also are discussed in the context of their relevance for both the "helping" orientation of professional psychology and the heuristic orientation of personology.

A critique of the clinical-personological approach to idiographic personality study

“…Although it is possible for the second and third criticisms to be rectified, without too great a distortion of the aims and methodology implied by the approach, the first presents a greater problem. This is because a position of theoretical eclecticism is advocated (Fowler & Epting, 1976;White, 1975). It is difficult to envisage how information from several levels can be organized and interrelated systematically, i.e., multilevel description, other than when an appropriate and carefully structured theory is employed.…”

“…The former relates to the formulation of the inductive hypothesis and the latter to its validation. The inductive hypothesis is formulated according to a principle of "convergent validation" (Fowler & Epting, 1976). This involves the location of co-occurrances of content, within overlapping or partially overlapping sub-areas of the data base.…”

“…Although t.he clinical-personological approach claims to be theoretically eclectic (Fowler & Epting, 1976;White, 1975)) it is possible to discern an implicit model of personality from the relevant writings.…”

“…This approach, a variant on the clinical case study method, was not originated by Fowler and Epting (1976), but has been represented in the psychological literature for some considerable time (Weiss, 1958; cf. also White, 1975).The present review examines the formal attributes of the clinical-personological approach more critically, extensively and deeply than attempted by Fowler and Epting (1976). Although the latter nominally make explicit such features as the data base, procedures for information integration and goals, they fail to provide adequate critical appraisal and evaluative comparison with alternative approaches.…”

“…mented man" (Bannister & Francella, 1971). The former attempts to encompass the "full range of human attributes'' possessed by a person, including "potentially important developmental phenomena and existential considerations'' (Fowler dz Epting, 1976). It is described frequently by protagonists as humanistic, meaningfully integrative and molar and by detractors as unsystematic and woolyminded.…”