Munsterberg in 1898, not Allport in 1937, introduced the terms 'idiographic' and 'nomothetic' to American psychology

Psychologists use the term 'idiographic' to refer to the characteristics of unique individuals and 'nomothetic' to refer to universal characteristics. It is widely accepted that Gordon Allport borrowed those terms from the German philosopher Wilhelm Windelband and introduced the idiographic/nornothetic distinction to American psychology. However, in this paper we argue that the terms were made a part of American psychological discourse at least as early as 1898 by Hugo Mansterberg, two generations before Allport, and were incorporated by William Stem, who had a strong influence on Allport. Recognizing Musterberg's and Stern's contribution assists in a more secure interpretation of Allport's understanding of the importance of a balance between idiographic and nomothetic approaches.