Intrinsic Case Study — In-Depth Study of a Particular Case

Intrinsic case study is a qualitative research method developed by Robert E. Stake in which a single, bounded case is studied in depth for its own inherent interest — not to illustrate a theory or to generalize, but because the case itself is unusual, revealing, or otherwise worthy of close attention. The researcher seeks a thick, holistic understanding of the particular: its context, its actors, its processes, and what makes it distinctively what it is.