Chapter 7: Developing Idiographic Research Methodology: Extending the Trajectory Equifinality Model and Historically Situated Sampling

Research in cultural psychology, like any other discipline, is developing norms and models of how best to conduct research consistent with its guiding theories. In Jaan Valsiner’s inaugural lecture, he advocated the “Trajectory Equifinality Model” (TEM) as a framework for conducting social research with high validity, in line with the guiding theories of cultural psychology. The TEM provides a framework that centers on key episodes in individuals’ life trajectory, focusing on one shared Equifinality Point (i.e., life outcome, stage, stopping point, etc. such as having a child or graduating high school) per study. The framework has been developed by Tatsuya Sato, Jaan Valsiner, and colleagues (Sato, Hidaka, & Fukuda, 2009; Sato, Yasuda, Kanzaki, & Valsiner, this volume). It represents a radical departure from conventional approaches to social research in psychology, sociology, and other disciplines. It is more structured than an anthropological approach, yet more open than a conventional social psychology study.