Holism and Reductionism

• Holism:

  • A group of German researchers working in the 1920s and 30s (known as Gestalt psychologists) claimed that ‘the world is greater than the sum of its parts’.
  • This view is the basis of holism
  • The idea that any attempt to break up behaviour and experience is inappropriate as these can only be understood by analysing the person/behaviour as a whole
• Holism:

  • The humanistic approach supports holism as it claims successful therapy must bring together all aspects of the whole person. Also, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is holistic as it looks at various aspects of human development in a holistic way. The stages include a biological level (physiological), a psychological level (esteem) and a social level (love and belonging), so various aspects of human development are included, making it a holistic approach.
• Reductionism:

  • Reductionism analyses behaviour by breaking it down into smaller, individual and basic parts
  • It seeks to analyse behaviour by breaking it down into its constituent parts
  • It is based on the idea of parsimony; that all phenomena should be explained using the most basic, simplest and easiest level of explanation
• Levels of Explanation:

  • The idea of ‘levels of explanations’ suggests that there are different ways of viewing the same phenomena in psychology. Some more reductionist than others. Explanations vary from those at a lower or fundamental level focusing on basic components or units to those at a higher more holistic multivariable level.
  • Highest level: Cultural and social explanations (Least Reductionist)
  • Middle level: Psychological explanations
  • Lower level: Biological explanations (Most Reductionist)
• Levels of Explanation: OCD example

  • Highest level: Cultural and social explanations: e.g. social learning and life events
  • Middle level: Psychological explanations: e.g. irrational thoughts or the person’s experience of anxiety 
  • Lower level: Biological explanations: e.g. low levels of serotonin
• depression - Holism:

  • consider the whole person’s experience:
  • Cognitive
  • Emotional
  • Spiritual
  • Developmental
  • Social
  • Cultural
  • Environmental
  • Economic
  • Deal with person holistically