holism + reductionism

Question 1

holism

Answer 1

• proposes that behaviour should only be understood by taking EVERY aspect of the individual into account- not just looking at one approach or component part.
• looking at the “invisible system” of the individual- i.e. not just genetic makeup or neural/hormonal makeup- we can’t tangibly SEE the WHOLE person and everything acting on them- it isn’t possible
• Gestalt Psychology originated in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s and is truly a HOLISTIC approach to understanding behaviour. It was developed intentionally to be the OPPOSITE of Wundt’s methods.
• It shares its main assumptions with the HUMANISTIC approach.
• Gestalt literally means a ‘unified’ or ‘meaningful’ ‘whole’.

Question 2

reductionism

Answer 2

Reductionism:
Is at the other end of the spectrum and involves explaining behaviour by its smallest most fundamental parts.

Reductionism is based on the scientific principle of parsimony: that all phenomena should be explained using the most basic principles. - simplest explanation is best

Question 3

Biological reductionism

Answer 3

the idea that our behaviour is caused by simple biological mechanisms such as a gene, a hormone, a neurotransmitter or an evolved adaptation.
- It is obviously an essential element of Science- helping us understand our physiology (and psychology!) and develop cures for disorders and diseases. E.g. SSRIs manage depression

Question 4

Environmental reductionism

Answer 4

the idea that all behaviour is learned through stimulus- response mechanisms (conditioning) that can be measured in the lab. E.g. pavlov’s dog

Question 5

levels of explanations

Answer 5

“The key unit of analysis occurs at the physical level (what we DO). The behaviourist approach does not concern itself with COGNITIVE processes. It sees the mind as a black box- irrelevant to our understanding of human behaviour.”

Behaviour can be explained at a fundamental reductionist level i.e. I am a criminal because I have the warrior gene, or at a more holistic, multivariable level i.e. I am a criminal because I had a traumatic childhood, I am plagued by negative thoughts, my dreams reveal deep levels of anxiety in my unconscious mind, and I come from a family with a long-standing history of criminal behaviour which could have been learned or inherited.

Question 6

machine reductionism - cognitive approach

Answer 6

• Comparing the human mind to a computer is useful in certain circumstances, but hugely oversimplified.
• Computers do not have emotions, for instance, which have been demonstrated to massively effect memory in EWT.
• A computer analogy lacks any validity in these circumstances.