Holism vs Reductionism

• Define Holism


  the view that human behaviour can only be understood by analysing the person or the behaviour as a whole rather than its constituent parts.
• Define Reductionism


  analysing behaviour by breaking it down into more simple components as complex behaviour is best understood in terms of a simpler level of explanation.
• Define Parsimony


  the idea that all behaviour should be explained using the most basin principles i.e. the simplest and easiest explanations.
• Define Biological Reductionism


  a form a reductionism which attempts to explain behaviour at the lowest biological level (in terms of the actions of genes, hormones etc).
• Define Environmental Reductionism


  the attempt to explain all behaviour in terms of stimulus response links that have been learned through experience.
• Define Levels of Explanation

  the idea that there are several levels that can be used to explain behaviour.

  lowest level considers physiological/biological explanations.

  middle level considers psychological explanations.

  highest level considers social and cultural explanations.
• Which Approach is considered the most Holistic?

  Humanistic Approach

  - focusses on the individual's experience, which isn't something that can be reduced to, e.g. biological units.

  - use qualitative methods to investigate the self whereby themes are analysed rather breaking the concept into component behaviours.
• Who proposed that there are different levels of explanation?

  Rose
• How can behaviour be explained using these levels?

  Memory

  - social and cultural - research suggests that cultural explanations affect what we remember and how we recall information (Bartlett, schema theory),

  - psychological - cognitive psychologists examine particular aspects of memory. For example, Miller, Peterson & Peterson.

  - biological - Maguire et al found an association between the size of the hippocampus and memory for spatial navigation.
• Which level is the Least Reductionist?

  social and cultural explanations
• Which level is the Most Reductionist?

  biological explanations
• Types of Reductionism - Biological Reductionism

  - reduces behaviour to a physical level and explain it in terms of neurons, neurotransmitters, hormones, brain structure etc.

  - explanations of psychological disorders are often biologically reductionist, as genes and neurochemical imbalances are offered as the main cause.

  - e.g. a meta-analysis of 14 twin studies of OCD found that MZ twins were more than twice as likely to develop OCD than DZ twins if their co-twin had the disorders - suggests a genetic link.

  - schizophrenia is caused by excessive activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine as drugs that block this neurotransmitter reduce the symptoms of this disorder.
• Types of Reductionism - Environmental (stimulus-response) Reductionism

  - behaviourists study observable behaviour only, assume that all behaviour can be reduced to simple stimulus-response links that are measurable within the lab.

  - reduce the complex behaviour of attachment down to a stimulus-response link.

  - mind is regarded as a 'black box' - irrelevant to our understanding of behaviour.
• AO3 Evaluation - Holism may lack practical value

  - holistic explanations of behaviour tend to become hard to use as they become more complex - presents a practical dilemma.

  - if we accept a humanistic perspective, that there are many different factors that contribute to depression then in becomes difficult to know which is most influential - then difficult to know which to prioritise as the basis of therapy.

  - limitation as it suggests that when it comes to finding solutions for real world problems, lower level explanations may be more applicable.
• AO3 Evaluation - Reductionism has scientific credibility

  - reductionist approach often forms that basis of a scientific approach.

  - in order to create operationalised variables it's necessary to break behaviour down into constituent parts - makes it possible to record observations in a way that's meaningful and reliable.

  - attachment research operationalised behaviours such as separation anxiety.

  - strength it gives psychology greater credibility, placing it on equal terms with the natural sciences lower down in the reductionist hierarchy.
• AO3 Evaluation - Interactionist Approach

  - diathesis stress model has been used to explain the onset of mental disorders e.g. schizophrenia and depression.

  - such disorders are seen to come about as the result of a pre-disposition which is 'triggered' by some stressor.

  - strength as this model has led to a 'multi-disciplinary' and 'holistic' approach to treatment. combining drugs and family therapy, associated with lower relapse rates.
• AO3 Evaluation - Reductionist can only be understood at a higher level

  - only emerge within a group context and can't be understood in terms of individual group members.

  - e.g. the effects of conformity to social roles couldn't be understood by studying the ppts as individuals.

  - was the interactions between people and the behaviour of the group that was important.

  - no conformity 'gene' so processes like conformity can only be explained at the level at which they occur.

  - limitation as it suggests that, for some behaviours, higher level explanations are needed for a more complete and global understanding of behaviour in comparison to reductionist approaches.