Holism and reductionism

Question 1

Outline

Answer 1

The holism and reductionism debate is concerned with the level at which it is appropriate to explain human behaviour.

Question 2

Reductionist explanations

Answer 2

try to break thoughts and actions down into the smallest, simplest parts so that they can be explained in the simplest terms.

Question 3

Holistic explanations

Answer 3

like the humanistic approach, consider all the factors that make an individual unique.

Question 4

Levels of explanation

Answer 4

In psychology, there are often several different ways of viewing and understanding the same behaviour. these are referred to levels of explanation, and range from broader ways of interpretating things at the ‘top’ and more reductionist specific levels at the ‘bottom’

Question 5

Socio-cultural level

Answer 5

viewing behaviour in terms of life experiences linked to your culture.

Question 6

Psychological level

Answer 6

explaining behaviour in terms of thought processes

Question 7

Physiological level

Answer 7

explaining behaviour through changes in the body

Question 8

Neurochemical level

Answer 8

explaining behaviour in terms of changes in neurotransmitters in the brain.

Question 9

Example: falling in love

Answer 9

On a sociocultural level, falling in love is something that happens in Western cultures where we meet someone who we are attracted to that fulfils a set of learned criteria as the ‘one’. On a psychological level we become obsessional and cannot stop thinking about them. On a physiological level we experience increased physiological arousal as when we see them our heart beats faster. On a neurochemical level, oxytocin and endorphins are released which make us feel good and make us want to be with them more.

Question 10

Environmental reductionism

Answer 10

which reduces behaviour down to learning. (behaviourist approach)

Question 11

Machine reductionism

Answer 11

relates to the cognitive approach as it views the mind like a computer that receives input from the environment that then processes to produce an output which is behaviour. (reduces behaviour down to flow grams or models of stimulus and response).

Question 12

Biological reductionism

Answer 12

reduces behaviour down to factors such as biochemicals (hormones & neurotransmitters), brain structure, genetic and evolutionary factors.

Question 13

Evaluation strength: social psychology supports holism

Answer 13

As topic areas like conformity depend on how a group of individuals interact with each other. Taking a reductionist approach will not be effective in these topic areas as you cannot study the individual’s behaviour in isolation.

Question 14

Evaluation strength: reductionist approaches are more scientific

Answer 14

based on lab research involving standardised procedures with clearly operationalised variables.

Question 15

Evaluation weakness: holism difficult to falsify

Answer 15

as humanistic approach is based on abstract concepts which makes it difficult to scientifically test.

Question 16

Evaluation weakness: reductionist approaches oversimplify

Answer 16

I.e the behaviourist approach to attachment states infant - care giver attachment is developed by the association between food and pleasure. This therefore ignores other sociocultural and neurochemical factors.