Reductionism and Holism

• Reductionism


  The extent to which a study or theory breaks human behaviour down into smaller parts so that it can be studied. The findings from studying the 'parts' are then put together to try to make sense of the 'whole'.
• Example of reductionism


  • In biological psychology, different parts of the brain are studied separately so that the role they play in behaviour can be studied in detail.
• Reductionism


  • Enables reliable studies to be conducted, which improves the credibility of psychology
  • Some behaviour may not be possible to study at all if it is not reduced down to some extent, into more manageable parts
  • Provides useful theories and treatments which society can use to improve the quality of people's lives
• Reductionist research


  Likely to collect quantitative data which can be easily analysed to identify causes of behaviour
• Reductionist research


  Lacks the detail of thoughts and opinions which qualitative data collects
• Holism


  The alternative approach to reductionism, where something is studied as a whole
• Example of holism


  • When considering treatment for depression, everything about the individual may be considered (genetics, cognition, upbringing, reinforced learnt behaviour and personality) to make treatment effective, such as drug and CBT rather than just considering neurotransmitters and giving antidepressants.
• Holistic studies


  • Use triangulation between multiple methods such as interviews and psychometric tests
  • Gather both qualitative and quantitative data on a range of measurements
  • Case studies, such as HM are an example of this
• Treatments for mental health disorders and addiction

  Are not effective for all, which suggests they are a result of multiple interacting factors
• Multiple reductionist treatments


  Should be used in combination to get the best results, so a holistic approach may be the most effective and useful
• Strengths of reductionism


  • Science is reductionist in that experiments take one aspect of something and study it using carefully controlled, objective and replicable procedures
  • Reductionism enables reliable studies to be conducted, which improves the credibility of psychology
  • Some behaviour may not be possible to study at all if it is not reduced down to some extent, into more manageable parts
  • Reductionist research provides useful theories and treatments which society can use to improve the quality of people's lives
• Weaknesses of reductionism


  • A reductionist approach may miss the important interaction between several parts
  • Explanations for behaviour may be limited due to missed factors, which impacts the validity (accuracy) of results/conclusions
  • Reductionist research is likely to collect quantitative data which lacks the detail of thoughts and opinions which qualitative data collects
  • Treatments are not effective for all, which suggests MHD and addiction are a result of multiple interacting factors
• Reductionist research


  Collects quantitative data which can be easily analysed to identify causes of behaviour
• Holistic approach


  Collects both quantitative and qualitative data, increasing the validity
• Multiple reductionist treatments should be used in combination to get the best results, so a holistic approach may be the most effective and useful