Discuss holism and reductionism levels of explanation in psychology Flashcards
outline holism
Holism, used by the humanistic approach suggests all behaviour is affected by subjective experience and can only be understood on an individual level, therefore holism focuses on the whole system or person.
As such, the approach states all humans are qualitatively different.
All humans are unique and motivated to achieve their full potential (congruence) as, if it’s not achieved in any of the three selves, and a lack of identity or sense of wholeness occurs, this is thought to lead to mental disorders.
outline reductionism
levels of explanation (Rose) 4 explanations, most holistic to parts of individuals
- behaviour of groups, behaviour of individuals, molecular level and the cellular level.
Explanations of behaviour vary from those at a lower or fundamental level focusing on basic components to those at a higher more holistic multivariable level. Therefore, we can consider behaviour in terms of all levels e.g., memory can be explained at a sociological level in terms of how cultural expectations affect what we remember.
Biological reductionism suggests behaviour is affected by internal bodily activity including genetic factors, brain organisation, neurochemistry and as such, the biological approach assumes all behaviour has evolved and is now genetically predisposed (Darwin). Therefore, as humans are made up of atoms, then their behaviour must be explainable at this basic level.
Environmental reductionism suggests all humans are born a blank slate (tabula rasa), so we have no predisposed talents or abilities, and all behaviour is learnt from environmental experience (e.g., schooling, peers and family) via classical, operant conditioning and social learning theory). Therefore, as humans learn from the environment, their behaviour must be explained at this level.
Experimental reductionism is based on the principle of cause-and-effect which states predictions can be objectively tested by manipulating the IV to observe its effects on the DV. Therefore, all behaviour has a cause and effect and therefore, reducing behaviour to variables means it can be explained at this basic level.
holism strength
One strength of holism is that it can explain complex elements of human behaviour.
This is because it can explain social behaviours that only emerge within a group context and cannot be understood at the level of individual group members.
For example, the effects of de-individuation of prisoners and guards in the Stanford prison experiment could not be understood by studying the participants as individuals.
This suggests that holistic explanations are more useful for explaining human behaviour compared to reductionist explanations.
reductionism limit
A limitation of reductionism is that it oversimplifies complex human behaviour.
This is when an explanation only focuses on one level (e.g., biological, environmental), and ignores the other levels which may be necessary for a complete understanding.
For example, reducing ADHD to its biological symptoms would result in only drug therapies being used as a therapeutic tool, such as Ritalin. However, ADHD is suggested to also possess environmental causations, such as prenatal smoking and poor nutrition.
This makes us question the validity of taking a reductionist approach as it leads to an incomplete understanding of human behaviour. This is especially true when investigating complex neurodevelopmental disorders (such as ADHD) which have multiple causations.
reductionist strength
A strength of taking a biologically reductionist approach is that it has real life application. Which is when the principles of a debate is put into practice outside of the laboratory.
For example, since the 1950’s, drug therapies like anti-depressants have been used to help balance neurotransmitter levels in the brain.
This suggests that a reductionist approach is beneficial as it has led to a significant decrease in the number of people being hospitalised for their depression.
interactionist
An interactionist approach would give the best explanation of behaviour.
This is when it is not possible to separate either debate as they both contribute to behaviour so a combination of the two is the most appropriate in explaining and treating behaviour.
This is because abnormal behaviour would be best explained by considering all factors (holism) but in some cases you can only treat abnormal behaviour appropriately by using reductionism (e.g., drug treatments = biological reductionism).
This highlights the importance of taking an interactionist approach when considering both Holism and Reductionism when explaining and treating mental health disorders.
