Holism and Reductionism

Question 1

What is Holism?

Answer 1

An argument or theory which proposes that it only makes sense to study an indivisible systemrather than its constituent parts.

Question 2

What is reductionism?

Answer 2

The belief that human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into smaller constituent parts.

Question 3

Environmental reductionism

Answer 3

The attempt to explain all behaviour in terms of stimulus-
responselinks that have been learned through experience.

Question 4

Biological reductionism

Answer 4

• The belief we are organisms made up of
  physiologicalstructures and processes.
  -All behaviour can be explained at some level biological throughneurochemical, neurophysiological, evolutionary and genetic influences.

Question 5

A03 - Holism

Answer 5

-Often, there are aspects of social behaviour that only emerge within a group context and cannot
beunderstood at the level of the individual group members.
- For instance, the effects of conformity
to socialroles and the de-individuation of the prisoners and guards in the Stanford prison experiment could not be understood by studying the participants as individuals, it was the interaction between people and the behaviour of the group that was important.
- This suggests that holistic explanations provide a more completeand global understanding of behaviour than
reductionist approaches.
-However, higher level doesn’t always use scientific testing and can become speculative as they become more complex
-When answering these lower level explanations may be better

Question 6

A03 - Reductionism

Answer 6

• A reductionist approach often forms the basis of scientific research.
  -In order to create operationalisedvariables it is necessary to break target behaviours down into constituent parts.
  -This makes it possible toconduct experiments or record observations in a reliable way.
• This gives psychologygreater credibility, placing it on equal terms with the natural sciences.
  -Biopsychology, behaviourism andcognitive approach all provides examples of useful research based on a reductionist methodology.
  -However, the reductionist approach has been
  accused of oversimplifying complex phenomena leading to a loss ofvalidity.

Question 7

A03 - Interactionist Approach

Answer 7

-Another alternative to holism/reductionism dichotomy, is the interactionist approach
- An example of thisinteractionist approach is the diathesis-stress model which has been used to explain the onset of mentaldisorders such as schizophrenia and depression.
-Such disorders are seen to come about as the result of a predisposition (often genetic) which is triggered by some stressor.
-This model has led to a more multidisciplinary and holistic approach to treatment -combining drugs and family therapy, for instance - and is associated with lower relapse rates.