Case Studies

There are many different ways to study scientific phenomena, and one of the defining factors is whether the phenomenon, be it an individual (such as a child in the third grade) or an institution (such as a corporation), is studied in groups or individually.

The case study approach is a method used to study an individual, an institution, or any unique unit in a setting in as intense and as detailed a manner as possible. The word unique here is critical because the researcher is as interested in the existing conditions surrounding the object of study as much as the object of focus itself. In other words, if one were to study an 8-year-old child with a focus on her social development, one would, of course, spend a great deal of time on the child's psychological, emotional, and physical well-being, but also on her school relationships and the dynamics of her family. Similarly, one would not study the XYZ Widget Company by looking only at its profit-and-loss statement, but also looking at employee relations, policies, and other practices as well.

Many readers may have heard the term case study used before. The idea represents a major part of the methodology that physicians use to collect and disseminate information. The Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA (published weekly by the American Medical Association), regularly offers case studies of individuals whose conditions are so unusual that their symptoms and treatment demand special attention, and information about their cases needs to be disseminated. Also, the Harvard Business School regularly uses the case study model in its curriculum.

Physician-turned-psychologist Sigmund Freud pioneered the use of the case study in the development of his psychoanalytic theory. His famous patient, Anna O., and his detailed observations about her condition led to the use of free association as a method in the treatment of hysteria and other conditions. Also notable is the work of Jean Marc Itard, one of the first ‘special educators,’ and his case study description of the wild boy of Aveyron, which was the basis for the popular movie The Wild Child.