4. Reductionism vs Holism

Question 1

define holism

Answer 1

studying the whole person in order to gain an understanding of how their behaviour is influenced

Question 1

what are the strengths of the holistic approach

Answer 1

• does not ignore the complexity of behaviour
• higher in ecological validity

Question 2

what are the limitations of the holistic approach

Answer 2

• does not have scientific and empirical testing

-neglects the importance of biological explanations

• impossible to study complex human behaviours

Question 3

define reductionism

Answer 3

the belief human behaviour can be explained by breaking it down into smaller measurable parts

Question 4

what are the strengths of the reductionist approach

Answer 4

• useful in allowing scientific study
• led to the development of effective chemical treatment

Question 5

what are the limitations of the reductionist approach

Answer 5

• does not take into consideration other possible factors such as social poverty
• can be over simplified which could lead to a low ecological validity