Holism and Reductionism
Cards (8)
- The debate is about-whether human behaviour should be studied and explained holistically (as a whole person) or by breaking down to it's constituent parts.
- Holism 1:-Emerged out of gestalt psychology and argues 'the whole is greater than the sum of parts'.-It argues that psychologists should focus on 'whole' person and explanations for behaviour should not reduce human experience down to smaller constituent parts.
- Holism 2:-Advocate for holism: knowing the parts or individual units. doesn't help understand subjective experience of that person. Some behaviours can only be understood by looking at social context in which they occur.-The humanistic approach favours a holistic view of the person. Emphasis on understanding an individuals subjective experience when looking at 'whole person'.
- Reductionist:-is found upon the principle of 'parsimony' which explains that the simplistic explanations is most likely to be correct. It involves breaking down behaviour into smaller constituent parts e.g. genetics.
- Environmental reductionist-argues behaviours are understood and explained by reducing them down to associations which have been conditioned. e.g. phobia of a dog.
- Biological reductionist:-argues behaviour is best understood and explained by reducing it down to level of brain activity, genes and biochemicals. e.g. breakdown of OCD into COMT and SERT genes.
- Levels of explanation:-exist in a hierarchy and range from those at lower level which focuses on basic components to those at a more holistic level.-Lowest level take an extreme reductionist approach which is taken by hard science.
- Levels of explanation example:-OCD level of explanation:Biological has being linked with the COMT and SERT gene to OCD.Behavioural would be compulsions and obsessions of washing their hands.Psychological would be that they have irrational thought about their hands being contaminated which makes them ill.Socio-cultural influences about cleanliness.