Cards (7)

  • Reductionism refers to the belief that human behaviour can be most effectively explained by breaking it down into constituent parts. The opposing view is holism, that phenomena are best understood by looking at the interplay and interaction of many different factors.
  • Behaviourist approach
    Behaviourism is reductionist in the sense that it breaks up complex behaviour into stimulus-response units for ease of testing in the lab.
  • Biological approach
    The biological approach is also reductionist in the way that it explains human behaviour and psychological states at the level of the gene or neuron.
  • Psychodynamic approach

    The psychodynamic approach reduces much of our behaviour to the influence of sexual drives and biological instincts, although Freud's argument that personality is a dynamic interaction between the three parts of the personality is often viewed as a more holistic explanation.
  • Cognitive approach
    The cognitive approach has been accused of machine reductionism by presenting people as information processing systems and ignoring the influence of emotion on behaviour.
  • Social learning theory
    Like behaviourists, social learning theorists reduce complex learning to a handful of key processes (imitation, modelling, etc.) though they do at least place emphasis on cognitive factors that mediate learning, and how these interact with external influences.
  • Humanistic approach

    Quite distinct from other approaches, humanistic psychology formulates a holistic approach to understanding human behaviour. This involves investigating all aspects of the individual, including the effects of interaction with others and wider society.