Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. Front Page : Case study[Heading in capital bold letters], your name, class and section,
board roll no. and name of the school
2. Acknowledgement by the student
3. Certificate
School logo
This is to certify that _____________ [your name] of class XII – D [your class
and section] has completed this case study under my supervision and this case
study may be considered as a part of the practical exam of AISSCE 2015-16
conducted by CBSE.
A case study is an in-depth study of the individual in terms of his/her psychological attributes,
psychological history in the context of his/her psycho-social and physical environment. Case
studies are analyses of persons, events, decisions, periods, projects, policies, institutions, or other
systems that are studied holistically by one or more method. The case that is the subject of the
inquiry will be an instance of a class of phenomena that provides an analytical frame —
an object — within which the study is conducted and which the case illuminates and explicates.
Case studies are widely used by clinical psychologists, case analyses of the lives of great people
can also be highly illuminating for those willing to learn from their life experiences.
The case study method often involves simply observing what happens to, or reconstructing ‘the
case history’ of a single participant or group of individuals (such as a school class or a specific
social group), i.e. the idiographic approach. Case studies allow a researcher to investigate a topic
in far more detail than might be possible if they were trying to deal with a large number of
research participants (nomothetic approach) with the aim of ‘averaging’.
The case study is not itself a research method, but researchers select methods of data collection
and analysis that will generate material suitable for case studies such as qualitative
techniques (unstructured interviews, participant observation, diaries), personal notes (e.g. letters,
photographs, notes) or official document (e.g. case notes, clinical notes, appraisal reports).
The data collected can be analyzed using different theories (e.g. grounded theory, interpretative
phenomenological analysis, text interpretation (e.g. thematic coding) etc. All the approaches
mentioned here use preconceived categories in the analysis and they are ideographic in their
approach, i.e. they focus on the individual case without reference to a comparison group.
Case studies are widely used in psychology and amongst the best known were the ones carried
out by Sigmund Freud. He conducted very detailed investigations into the private lives of his
patients in an attempt to both understand and help them overcome their illnesses.
The main characteristics of the case study
1. A descriptive study
a. (I.e. the data collected constitute descriptions of psychological processes and events, and of the
contexts in which they occurred (qualitative data).
2. Narrowly focused.
a. Typically a case study offers a description of only a single individual, and sometimes about
groups.
b. Often the case study focuses on a limited aspect of a person, such as their psychopathological
symptoms.
a. i.e. the researcher may combine objective and subjective data: All are regarded as valid data
for analysis, and as a basis for inferences within the case study.
ii. Details of the subjective aspect, such as feelings, beliefs, impressions or interpretations. In
fact, a case study is uniquely able to offer a means of achieving an in-depth understanding of the
behaviour and experience of a single individual.
4. Process-oriented.
a. The case study method enables the researcher to explore and describe the nature of processes,
which occur over time.
b. In contrast to the experimental method, which basically provides a stilled ‘snapshot’ of
processes, which may be continuing over time like for example the development of language in
children over time.
Case studies are often used in exploratory research. They can help us generate new ideas (that
might be tested by other methods). They are an important way of illustrating theories and can
help show how different aspects of a person's life are related to each other. The method is
therefore important for psychologists who adopt a holistic point of view (i.e. humanistic
psychologists).
Because they are based on the analysis of qualitative (i.e. descriptive) data a lot depends on the
interpretation the psychologist places on the information she has acquired. This means that there
is a lot of scope for observer bias and it could be that the subjective opinions of the psychologist
intrude in the assessment of what the data means.
Deviant Case analysis: The researchers starts with difference already found between
two people or groups and his/her task is to read backwards, to deduce the condition
that might have produced the differences.
Isolated Clinical Case Analysis: Related to individual units with respect to some
analytical problems, such studies have become popular in psychoanalysis.
The case study is a research method involving an up-close, in-depth, and detailed examination of
a subject of study, as well as its related contextual conditions. It involves assessment of
individual`s psychological, physical, social, and emotional dimensions with the help of specific
psychological tools and techniques.
9. Family History
Family Tree
Family arrangement: Joint family/ nuclear family with its advantages and
disadvantages.
Family details
Name of the father:
Age:
Qualification:
Occupation:
Designation:
Subject:
Father:
Mother:
Siblings:
13. Interview with Significant others: [One friend and one teacher]
For e.g.
[My subject scored a total of 50 in Sinha`s Comprehensive Anxiety test, her scores relates to 99
percentile on the scoring table of the SCAT scoring manual. This indicates an extremely high level of
anxiety which leads to development of emotional and even physical consequential issues like feelings
of disturbance and lack of attention in situations of stress. The subject is unable to deal with highly
stressful situations with a calm attitude and ends up in high anxiety and physically fatigued.]
For e.g.
Assessment was done on the basis of behavioral observation, psychometric testing based on self
report, interview with the subject and significant others from his/her life and two projective tests.
If there is discrepancy in test scores and your observation, then write it and the reasons. Suggest
strategies if the subject has high anxiety or emotionally unstable.
17. Bibliography
NCERT Class XII Psychology Book
NCERT Class XI Psychology book
www.wikipedia.com
http://www.simplypsychology.org/case-study.html
Psychology Test manuals
General Psychology by Dr. D.N.Srivastava