Holism vs reductionism

• Holism sees multiple levels of explanation as valuable whereas reductionism thinks psychological phenomena can be entirely explained (without losing any valuable details) using just one of these levels of explanation
• Extreme reductionist explanations break behaviours down into a single cause. An example of a reductionist explanation would be something like: Depression is caused by low serotonin.
• The biological approach to psychology leans heavily towards reductionism (biological reductionism). For example, a proponent of this approach might argue that behaviour can be explained entirely in terms of physical/biological causes without reference to higher levels of explanation, such as a person’s upbringing or cognitions.
• Similarly, the behaviourist approach can be reductionist (environmental reductionism). For example, an extreme behaviourist might explain behaviour solely in terms of conditioning without reference to lower levels of explanation such as the underlying biology.
• Holism- Holistic approaches look at the person as a whole to explain their behaviour. For example, a holistic explanation of depression will consider the person’s genetics and biology but also their experiences, upbringing, and the general social context and culture in which they live.
• Advocates of holism believe human behaviour is too complex to be fully explained from one level of explanation and that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”.
• The humanistic approach is arguably the most holistic approach to psychology. It treats every person as a unique individual that cannot be reduced to general explanations. The humanistic approach to psychological treatment is similarly holistic: It seeks to address and improve all aspects of the person.