Holism vs. Reductionism

• Holism


  An argument or theory which proposes that it only makes sense to study an indivisible system rather than its constituent parts. A person, behaviour or experience can only be understood when considering it as a whole. Humanistic approach.
• Reductionism


  The belief that human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into smaller, constituent parts. Parsimony = all phenomena should be explained using the lowest level principles.

  • Biological - all behaviour is at some level biological and can be explained through neurochemical, physiological, genetic and evolutionary influences.
  • Environmental - learning occurs through interactions with the environment.
• Levels of Explanation


  Reductionist approach suggests that explanations begin at the highest level and progressively look at the component elements:

  • highest = cultural and social
  • middle = psychological
  • lower = biological

  The lower the level the more reductionist
• Eval : Strength


  Biological reductionism has been used to develop drug therapies that has led to a decrease in institutionalisation and are a more humane treatment as they don't blame the victim or require much effort.
• Eval : Weakness


  Holistic explanations are often vague and speculative as they have a lack of empirical evidence. Suggests lower levels of explanations may be more appropriate for explaining real-world problems.