COGNITIVE CONCOMITANTS OF LIFE EVENTS - FINDING A BALANCE BETWEEN GENERALIZABILITY AND CONTEXTUALIZATION - REPLY TO PENNELL (1996)

G. E. Pennell (1996) focused on the importance of considering the cont extual aspects of psychological research on life experiences, using P. Suedfeld and S. Bluck (1993) as an example where these aspects are in sufficiently emphasized. The authors do consider sociohistorical conte xt and idiographic variables important; however, overestimating their role is dangerous. The extreme contextualist position makes all genera lization impossible and replaces scientific investigation with biograp hy or even autobiography. It also opens the door for severe researcher bias effects. Scholars must be free to establish the balance between nomothetic and idiographic approaches where they think appropriate: Th e optimal compensation for a leaning in either direction is for collea gues to broaden the literature through individual and collaborative re search.