Holism and reductionism

• Holism

  The theory suggesting it makes sense to study individuals as a whole rather than their constituent parts
• Reductionism


  The belief that human behaviour is better studied in its constituent parts
• Levels of explanation

  Several ways to explain behaviour
• Biological reductionism


  Explains behaviour at the lowest biological level
• Environmental reductionism

  Explains behaviour as learned through experiences
• The Holism-reductionism debate

  Questions whether Holism or reductionism is a better approach to understand human behaviour
• Humanistic psychologists take a holistic approach
• Behaviourists are reductionist
• Holism

  Looks at a system as a whole, sees subdividing behaviour into smaller units as inappropriate
• Gestalt: 'The 'whole is greater than the sum of its parts''
• Humanistic psychology focuses on individuals' experiences and cannot be reduced
• Humanistic psychology


  Uses qualitative methods and then analysed
• Reductionism


  Analyses behaviour in its constituent parts based on the scientific principle of parsimony
• Levels of explanation in psychology

  • Socio-cultural level
  • Psychological level
  • Physical level
  • Environmental level
  • Physiological level
  • Neurochemical level
• Each level is more reductionist than the one before
• Researchers favouring reductionism see psychology being replaced by explanations derived from sciences lower down the hierarchy
• Biological reductionism

  Includes Neurochemical and physiological levels and also evolutionary and genetic influences
• Arguments often go backwards, e.g. drugs increasing serotonin found effective in treating OCD, therefore low serotonin causes OCD
• Environmental (stimulus-response) reductionism

  Suggests all behaviour is learned and acquired through interaction with the environment
• Reductionist explanations can only ever form part of an explanation
• In Reductionism, some behaviours can only be understood at a higher level
• Holism may lack practical value as accounts of human behaviour become complex
• Reductionists are accused of oversimplifying complex phenomena leading to reduced validity