Case Study: Characteristics, Methodology, Case Study in Psychology and Example

A case study is a type of research present in the social sciences that consists in the detailed observation of a subject of study (also known as case). This type of research is typical of disciplines such as psychology, sociology and anthropology.

The case studies are part of qualitative research; that is, that research that focuses on studying a phenomenon in depth instead of using statistics to draw general conclusions. This type of research can be used for different purposes.

Some of the most common purposes are to create a theory before carrying out a more expensive study, study unusual situations or investigate in depth a phenomenon relevant to the researcher.

The most used techniques in the case studies are the observation and application of questionnaires, although we can find other methods depending on the discipline in which this research is carried out.

Characteristics of a case study

The most important characteristic of a case study is that it is an in-depth study of a situation, event or specific case, in such a way that it takes into account mainly its internal characteristics but also the context in which it occurs.

Variation according to discipline

Depending on the discipline in which this methodology is applied, a case can be defined in different ways.

For example, in psychology a patient is usually considered a case with a certain type of mental disorder; On the other hand, in anthropology a case may be a tribe that has not had contact with Western society.

Search for understanding

The main intention of the case study is to try to understand all the variables that influence the concrete situation that is being studied and how they interact with each other. Although this methodology does not allow establishing causal relationships, it has the following advantages:

- It is cheaper and simpler to logistically perform, since it does not require very large populations or laboratory conditions.

- It allows to observe events that only occur naturally, and that it is not possible to reproduce at will. In this way, you can check previous theories that were only hypothetical until now.

- Helps to establish first hypotheses to facilitate future investigations.

- Allows studying a phenomenon in depth, so that you can draw more conclusions about it.

Main objectives

In general, the most common objectives of a case study are the following:

- Explore reality to formulate a theory later.

- Describe what happens in the case.

- Explain the causes that cause it.

Unlike many other types of existing research, the case study is inductive; that is, it passes from concrete situations to a general explanation.

However, to be able to affirm a cause-effect relationship, it is necessary to supplement this type of research with another of a quantitative nature.

Methodology of the case study

The standard definition of the case studies considers that they have five main phases:

- Case selection.

- Creation of a series of questions about it.

- Obtaining the data.

- Analysis of the collected data.

- Creation of the report.

Selection of the case

The first thing to carry out a case study is to find a relevant event for the researcher, as well as the objectives to be fulfilled when investigating it and the source of information to which it is going to go.

In general, the researcher will choose a case that is relevant to his previous work, or he will choose to study an unusual event that is suddenly available.

Creating questions

What do you want to check with the case study? After selecting the situation or event that will be studied, the researcher will have to make a list of what he wants to prove with this methodology.

Although in principle you can choose just one general question, after the first contacts in the case the researcher will have to choose more specific questions to perform, so that you can get the most out of the situation.

Obtaining the data

After establishing the pertinent questions for the investigation, the data collection phase begins. Through observation, questionnaires or interviews, the researcher will obtain all possible information about the situation he is studying.

Analysis of the data collected

Because qualitative research does not allow for a causal explanation, the analysis of the data will focus on comparing the initial questions and hypotheses with the data collected.

At this time, the researcher can decide if he believes that the data obtained can be extrapolated to other situations or not, as well as pointing out possible research routes to learn more about the phenomenon studied.

Creation of the report

Finally, once you have collected and analyzed the data, the researcher will explain the research process chronologically. In addition to talking about the most relevant situations, it will also tell you how you have collected the data.

In this way, the researcher will be able to communicate to his readers what he has learned from the case, his conclusions and the validity of them.

Case study in psychology

In psychology the case study is a type of research that is done especially in the field of mental illness.

Because it is not ethical to cause disorders in the laboratory in order to study them, researchers have to learn more about them based on studying the people who already present them.

In fact, he who is considered by many as the first modern psychologist, Sigmund Freud, based all his theories on the human mind in the study of the cases of patients who came to his office.

Example of case study

Possibly the most famous case study example in history is that of Phineas Gage, a construction worker who suffered an accident while on a construction site. His skull was pierced by a steel bar that damaged part of his brain, but Gage managed to survive.

However, the personality of this man changed completely after the accident. The psychologists of the time could then study the effect of the parts of the brain damaged in the accident on the personality of Phineas.

This type of research could not have been carried out in any other way, since the brain of a patient can not be damaged in the laboratory to know the effects of each injury.

Therefore, in its origins, neuroscience was based entirely on case studies, which allowed observing this type of phenomena without having to harm any person on purpose.

References

1. "Case Study Research Design"in: Explorable. Retrieved on: 5 March 2018 from Exporable: explorable.com.
2. Barrio et al. "Study of cases". Report of the Autonomous University of Madrid. Recovered from uam.es
3. "Case Study"in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: March 5, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
4. "Brain case study: Phineas Gage"in: Big Picture Education. Retrieved on: March 5, 2018 from Big Picture Education: bigpictureeducation.com.
5. "Case Study in Psychology"in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: March 5, 2018 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.