Reductionism vs Holism

• HOLISM: An argument or theory which proposes that it only makes sense to study an indivisible system rather than its constituent parts
• BIOLOGICAL REDUCTIONISM: A form of reductionism which attempts to explain behaviour at the lowest biological level (e.g. hormones, genes etc.)
• PARSIMONY: Complex phenomena should be explained by the simplest underlying principles possible
• REDUCTIONISM: The belief that human behaviour is best understood by studying the smaller constituent parts
• LEVELS OF EXPLANATION: The idea that there are several ways that can be used to explain behaviour. The lowest level considers physiological explanations and the highest level considers social and cultural explanations.
• ENVIRONMENTAL REDUCTIONISM: The attempt to explain all behaviour in terms of stimulus-response links that have been learnt through experiences
• THE HIERARCHY OF SCIENCE

  1. Physics
  2. Chemistry
  3. Biology
  4. Psychology
  5. Sociology
• OCD

  • Socio-cultural level: OCD interrupts social relations
  • Psychological level: feelings of anxiety
  • Physical level: compulsive behaviours such as checking locks
  • Environmental/behavioural level: learning experiences, trauma
  • Physiological level: abnormal functioning in front lobes (specifically orbital frontal for worry circuit)
  • Neurochemical level: underproduction of serotonin levels
• Biological reductionism

  • Thus, all behaviour is at some level biological and so can be explained through neurochemical, evolutionary and genetic influences
  • The effects of psychoactive drugs on the brain have contributed much to our understanding of neural processes and the fact that it might be possible to explain serious mental disorders such as OCD at a biochemical level.
• Environmental reductionism

  • The behaviourist approach is built on environmental reductionism
  • Observable behaviours only
  • The mind is a black box - doesn't focus on cognitive processes.
  • John Watson saw thought as a form of sub-vocal (silent) speech
• Experimental reductionism

  • Reducing complex behaviours to isolated variables - useful for research
  • Operationalised variables, beneficial to scientific method
• Holism

  • This approach focuses on systems as a whole rather than the individual parts
  • Reductionist explanations would only play a limited role in understanding behaviour
• Gestalt Psychology

  • Gestalten means ‘the whole’ in German
  • Approach favoured by a group of German psychologists in the first part of the 20th Century
  • Especially focused on perception
• Humanistic Psychology

  • The individual acts as an organised whole
  • What matters most is a person’s sense of a unified identity
  • Therefore lacking an identity or a sense of ‘wholeness’ can lead to mental health disorders
• Cognitive Psychology

  • Network = each unit (e.g. a neuron) is made up of other units (other neurons)
  • These links develop through experience - strengthened or weakened
  • Connectionist networks are holistic because the network as a whole behaves differently than the individual parts
• Reductionism relies on the fact that it is possible to break behaviour into its constituent parts and scientifically test them. This means that the cause of behaviours can be established more easily.
• Reductionism recognises the impact of biological components in human behaviour. Reductionism can contribute both new meaning towards previously misunderstood components, and new technologies for treating behaviours more effectively.
• Holism provides a more complete understanding of human behaviour. Instead of just considering one isolated component and how it might impact behaviour, holism encourages a larger scale, and therefore more realistic, perception
• Reductionism may oversimplify behaviour. This is an issue because it means that, even if genetic predisposition impacts someone’s mental health, it might not be the only factor, for example.
• Reductionism - many different theories of cognitive functioning have been created, such as memory and perception, but little effort has been made to link them together. Interactions with other components not detailed
• Holism cannot be rigorously tested. A lack of focus on one specific area means that science is not as applicable in research as it is with reductionism, as studies typically have to consider a wide range of different functions, both theoretical, and physical.
• For holism, it is difficult to establish how much each individual factor contributes to behaviour. Therefore, it is hard to decipher what is causing what - it might be genes, or it might be the environment. Equally, it is harder to scientifically draw conclusions from one whole than multiple components.