HOLISM

• WHAT IS HOLISM?

  explaining a phenomenon by examining the whole person, experience and disorder
• WHO ADVOCATED FOR HOLISM?

  Gestalt psychologists, Humanistic psychologists
• STRENGTHS OF HOLISM?

  • reminds that a combination of factors causes behaviour
  • provides more complete understanding of behaviour
  • more reflective of how humans behave
  • holistic explanations have high ecological validity
• WEAKNESSES OF HOLISM?

  • cannot be rigorously tested
  • cannot provide reliable research support for theories as causality not established
  • difficult to establish how much each individual factor contributes
  • not useful in development of treatments for disorders