The document defines individual differences as variations among people in terms of physical and psychological characteristics. Physical differences include attributes like height, skin color, and hair type. Psychological differences refer to mental abilities, intelligence levels, attitudes, emotions, and motor skills which vary between individuals. Individual differences arise due to hereditary, cultural, educational, socioeconomic, age, and occupational factors. Understanding these differences helps nurses provide personalized care to patients and educators tailor their teaching styles to different learners.

1. Unit –9 Individual
differences

2. Definition
According to Carter B good – Individual
differences stand for the variation or deviations
among individuals in regard to a single
characteristics or a number of characteristics.
Individual differences stands for those
differences which in their totality distinguish
one individual from another.

3. Types of individual differences
It basicaly divided into 2 types .
1. Physical differences – physical difference among
individual and related to difference created and
account of the difference in terms of physical It
includes height ,weight, colour of skin colour of eyes,
colour of hair size of hand and facial expression and
way of speech walk hairstyle.
2. Psychological differences – psychological make up
generates differences among us in terms of interest,
attitude,emotions.

4. Types of psychological differences
 Mental differences – people differ in intellectual ability and capacity
like reasoning and thinking.
 Intelligence level – intelligence level differ from individual to individual
.
 Attitude level – individual are found to posses varying attitude towards
different people,groups,objects ,and ideas.
 Emotional level – The individual also differ in the manner they express
their emotions.
 Motor Ability – There exists a wide differences in motor abilities such as
reacting time ,speed of actions,and rate of muscular movements .

5. Causes of individual differences
1.Herditary factor
2.Culture
3.Educational Level
4.Socio Economic status
5.Age
6.Occupation

6. Nursing implications
 Knowledge of individual differences helps the nurse to
understand various reactions of patients towards illness.
 This knowledge helps the nurse to provide individualized
care to the patients.
 Understanding of individual differences of the techers and
the learners can help in matching teching and learning styles
for better academic results.
 In educational set up , understanding of individual
differences helps in planning course material and trainning
program.