Holism and Reductionism Flashcards
1
Q
what is holism?
A
- looks at a system as a whole
- sees any attempt to subdivide behaviour or experiences into smaller units as inappropriate
- view of Gestalt psychologists = argued that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
2
Q
why is knowing the parts not good?
A
doesn’t help us to understand the essence of that person
3
Q
what is an example of holism?
A
humanistic approach
- focuses on individuals’s experience which is not something that can be reduced to biological units for exmaple
- use qualitative methods to investigate the self whereby themes are analysed rather than breaking concept into component behaviours
4
Q
what is reductionism?
A
- analyse behaviour by breaking it down into its constituent parts
- based of scientific principle called parsimony
5
Q
what is parsimony?
A
- all phenomena should be explained using simplest principles
6
Q
what are the levels of explanations in psychology?
A
- different ways to explain a behaviour
- some are more reductionists than others
7
Q
give the levels of explanations of psychology.
A
- socio-cultural level
- psychological level
- physical level
- environmental/behavioural level
- psychological level
- neurochemical level
= more reductionist lower down
8
Q
give the levels of explanations of psychology using OCD.
A
- socio-cultural level = OCD interrupts social relationships
- psychological level = person experiences anxiety
- physical level = movements
- environmental/behavioural level = learning experiences
- psychological level = aboral functioning in frontal lobes
- neurochemical level = underproduction of serotonin
9
Q
what are the two types of reductionism?
A
- biological reductionism
- environmental reductionism
10
Q
what is biological reductionism?
A
- neurochemical and physiological levels as well as evolutionary and genetic influences
11
Q
what is environmental reductionism?
A
- all behaviour is learned and acquires through interactions with the environment
- e.g. behaviourist approach
