Holism and reductionism

• Parsimony is the argument that the best explanation is the simplest one that fits the evidence given.
• Reductionism is studying a phenomena by breaking it down into their simplest components and testing the individual elements empirically.
• Biological reductionism is the perspective that argues complex human behaviour is due to basic biological elements, such as inheritance or absence of a specific neurotransmitter.
• Environmental reductionism is the idea that all behaviour is a result of simple stimulus-response mechanisms. For example they may argue that criminal behaviour in adults is a result of learning in childhood, where criminal acts were rewarded rather than punished.
• Holism is the perspective that a valid explanation must include all of an individual's experiences and factors influencing their behaviour. A complete explanation must also state how these various components interact and influence one another.
• Humanistic psychologists take the most holistic approach and argue individuals are a sum of their parts, experiences, perceptions and feelings. They use ideographic methods to investigate behaviour, such as case studies and interviews.
• Levels of explanation - Highest to lowest:

  1. Socio-cultural - The influence of social groups on behaviour.
  2. Psychological - Cognitive / Behavioural / Environmental.
  3. Biological - Neurochemical / Genetic / Brain structure.

  Top is more holistic while the bottom is more reductionist.
• Strengths of holism:

  • Provides a more complete picture - Some examples of behaviour can only be understood at the holistic level, such as the conformity and deindividuation of Zimbardo’s study. Research into resisting conformity, such as Gamson’s work into the role of social support in groups, also makes use of holistic explanations by looking at the interactions within and between groups. Therefore, holistic explanations may provide a more ‘complete’ picture of behaviour.
• Limitations of holism:

  • Difficult to investigate the many differing types and levels of explanations - This poses a practical problem for researchers who attempt to combine many higher-level explanations, because it becomes difficult to identify which explanation is most influential and therefore which explanation it would be most useful to base treatment upon. Therefore, holistic explanations may not lead to the development of effective treatments for mental health disorders.
• Limitations of holism:

  • More hypothetical and not based on empirical evidence - Holistic explanations are frequently used by the humanistic approach. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence associated with higher-level explanations and holistic viewpoints may simplify complex phenomena too far. As such, humanism is still seen as a set of rather loosely joined abstract concepts. Therefore, holistic explanations may not be suited towards more complex behaviours.
• Strengths of reductionism:

  • Consistent with the scientific approach — Scientific psychology aims to be able to predict and control behaviour. Therefore, reductionism is consistent with the aims of science because it allows for this. Smaller, constituent parts of behaviour are easily measured and manipulated under strict laboratory conditions, and so ‘cause and effect’ relationships between variables can be reliably established. Hence, reductionism raises the scientific credibility of psychology.
• Strengths of reductionism:

  • Practical application in the development of drug therapy - SSRIs to treat depression, based on the view that a deficiency in serotonin causes depression (biological reductionism). This reduces need for institutionalisation, where sufferers can continue with their day to day lives through the use of non-invasive treatment and without regular hospital visits, so reductionist approaches have had a positive impact on people’s lives.
• Limitations of reductionism:

  • Ignores the complexity of behaviour - May lead to a loss of validity because they ignore the social context where behaviour occurs, which often gives behaviour its meaning. For example, from a reductionist viewpoint, the act of speaking would be the same across all scenarios due to each individual having the same biological mechanism for this. However, such a view ignores the social context of this speaking, such as with the aim of alerting someone, voicing an opinion etc. Therefore, reductionist explanations may simplify complex phenomena too much.