Holism And Reductionism

• •Holism is an argument or theory which proposes that it only makes sense to study an indivisible system rather than its constituent parts. This is because behaviour and experience can only be understood by analysing a person or behaviour as a whole i.e. how various components ‘interact’. Therefore, the focus is always on the whole system or person.•The assumption is that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ (Aristotle)•
• •Reductionism is the belief that human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into smaller constituent parts. Therefore it studies underlying elements.•It is based on the idea of parsimony: that all behaviour should be explained using the most basic (lowest level) principles i.e. the simplest and easiest explanations.
• Levels Of Exolan


  •This is the idea that there are different ways of viewing the same phenomena in psychology, where some are more reductionist than others.•These 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.