holism v reductionism

• holism - explanations that look at the whole person and all influences on them to explain individual behaviour
• reductionism - explanations that explain behaviour by breaking it down into smaller components
• reductionism v holism

  this doesn't exist on a continuum unlike nature v nurture as the second a holistic approach is broken down it is no longer holistic

  • reductionism exists on a spectrum due to levels of explanations
• holism

  it is only meaningful to look at the whole person and all the things that influence behaviour

  • gestalt psychologists - 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts'
  • knowing parts of the person doesn't allow understanding of their individual experience
  • favour qualiatative methods
  • eg. humanistic approach
• social psychology and holism

  social behaviour is often best understood in a group text rather than an individual level

  • eg. zimbardo's study changed all influences as looking at the nervous system wouldn't help understand behaviour
  • a holistic view can sometimes give a more complete and global view
• biopsychology and holism

  many functions of the brain involve different parts working toegther holistically

  • eg. understanding language requires knowledge of the left hemsiphere which is localised for language interacting with the right which interprets emotional intention
  • brain plasticity proves the need for a holistic view
• schizophrenia and holism

  the interactionist approach shows how it is most effective to look at a combination of different risk factors eg. genetic vulnerability and home environment

  • also important in establishing treatment
• reductionism

  looks at individual explanations so involves breaking human behaviour down into component parts to find the lowest level of explanation

  • some ways of explaining behaviour are more reductionist than others
• biological reductionism

  all behaviour can be explained by biological causes

  • assumes we are all biological organisms so all behaviour must be biological at some level
  • has been able to pinpoint biological causes for several mental illnesses
  • often work backwards from effective treatment to cause
  • eg. biological approach and dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia
• environmental reductionism

  all behaviour is caused by learning and can be traced back to a stimulus-response link

  • ignores cognitive processes and views the mind as an irrelevant 'black box' that provides nothing to the understanding of behaviour
  • eg. behaviourism and the learning theory of attachment and behavioural explanation of phobias
• eval - scientific

  reductionism is a more scientific approach as its hypotheses can be tested so psychology can be seen as more credible as a science

  • allows causes for mental illnesses to be discovered and treatments created, which holism can't achieve
  • HOWEVER holistic treatments eg. client centred therapy can be created
• eval - oversimplification

  reductionist approaches ignore wider influences on individuals' behaviour like the social context that gives behaviour meaning

  • can be accused of pointing the finger rather than understanding the whole context
  • holism provides a more complete understanding of behaviour
• eval - application

  • holism - can't be used in all areas eg. finding genetic causes without taking a reductionistic approach
  • reductionism - able to recognise the importance of biological explanations which are incredibly important for treatment
• interactionism

  different levels of explanation can combine and interact eg. the diathesis-stress model for explaining schizophrenia

  • reductionist approach helps study the influence of individual factors on behaviour which then need to be combined to gain a full understanding
• levels of explanation


  reductionism involves breaking human behaviour into its constituent parts to find the lowest level of explanation - the simplest explanation eg. ocd

  • social/cultural (least reductionist) - ocd interrupts social relationships
  • psychological - the experience of anxiety
  • physical - the compulsions eg. handwashing
  • physiological - abnormal functioning of the basal ganglia and ofc
  • neurochemical - underproduction of serotonin and excessive levels of dopamine