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Case Study Method — Previous Year Questions

📊 Topic Overview​

MetricValue
Total Questions8 (3.6%)
Priority🟡 MEDIUM — Section A or B

🎯 Must-Know Concepts​

  1. Definition of case study method
  2. Purpose and goals
  3. Types of case studies (clinical, illustrative, exploratory, critical instance)
  4. Sources of data in case studies
  5. Steps in conducting a case study
  6. Strengths and limitations

📝 Master Answer — Section B (250 words / 6 marks)​

Q. Explain the purpose and types of case study method. (6 marks)​

Also: "Critically analyze the case study method." (2014-Jun); "Discuss case study method as a study of individual behaviour." (2020-Jun)

Case Study Method

The case study method is an in-depth, comprehensive investigation of a single individual, group, or event. It is an idiographic approach — seeking to understand the particular rather than establish general laws. In personality assessment, it involves collecting data from multiple sources (interviews, psychological tests, personal documents, medical records, observations) to construct a detailed understanding of the individual's personality and behaviour.

Purpose

  1. Clinical purpose: Formulate diagnosis, plan treatment, monitor progress
  2. Research purpose: Generate hypotheses, illustrate theoretical concepts, study rare conditions
  3. Educational purpose: Training therapists through case examples

Types of Case Studies

  1. Illustrative Case Study: Describes a particular situation or individual to illustrate a concept or theory (e.g., Freud's case studies — Little Hans, Dora)
  2. Exploratory Case Study: Preliminary investigation into a poorly understood phenomenon to generate hypotheses for further research
  3. Critical Instance Case Study: Examines a single case that challenges or confirms a theoretical assumption
  4. Clinical/In-depth Case Study: Comprehensive study for diagnosis and treatment planning — the most common type in clinical practice

Strengths

  • Rich, holistic data; captures complexity of individual functioning
  • Useful when experimental methods are impractical or unethical
  • Generates hypotheses for quantitative research

Limitations

  • Cannot generalise findings to other individuals
  • Prone to researcher bias and selective interpretation
  • No control over variables; cannot establish causal relationships
  • Time-consuming and resource-intensive

💡 Exam Tips​

  • Always list 4 types with examples — this is the most frequently tested component.
  • "Critically analyze" questions require balanced coverage of both strengths and limitations.
  • Freud's case studies (Little Hans, Dora, Schreber) are classic examples — mentioning them earns marks.