Holism Vs Reductionism

Question 1

What is the holism/reductionism debate?

Answer 1

Discusses whether holism or reductionism is a better approach to understanding human behaviour.

Question 2

What is holism?

Answer 2

Proposes to study a whole individual rather than try to break it up into parts.
It is argued that a whole is greater than the sum of parts.
Humanistic approach to explain the self.

Question 3

Holism: chimpanzee observation?

Answer 3

Chimpanzee’s seemed to have a eureka moment when presented with the whole problem then used the stick to get the banana. Insight learning can only occur when we see the problem as a meaningful whole.

Question 4

What is reductionism?

Answer 4

Analyse behaviour by breaking it down into its constituent parts and all phenomena should be broken down into its simplest forms.

Question 5

What is biological reductionism?

Answer 5

Biological reductionism= explains social and psychological phenomena at a lower biological level, based on the fact we are biological organisms. All behaviour is at some level biological. Has been applied to psychiatric drugs which have reduced OCD symptoms in some people.

Question 6

What is environmental reductionism?

Answer 6

behaviourist approach. All behaviour can be explained by stimulus response links which are learnt through experience. Breaks complex behaviour into measurable links that can be observed.

Question 7

What are levels of explanation?

Answer 7

-Different ways of explaining the same psychological phenomena, from lest reductionist to most reductionist.

Question 8

OCD levels of explanation?

Answer 8

1. Social culture.
2. Psychological- experience of anxiety.
3. Physical level- movements.
4. Environmental- learned experiences.
5. Physiological level- abnormal functioning in frontal lobes.
6. Neurological level- underproduction of serotonin.

Question 9

Strengths: complete understanding of behaviour?

Answer 9

holism explains social behaviour that only emerges within group contexts (stanford prison experiment). The interaction of people was important, not the individuals themselves.

Question 10

Strengths: scientific?

Answer 10

in order to create operationalised variables, target behaviours should be broken down. Complex behaviours can be measured in a lab giving greater credibility.

Question 11

Weaknesses: practical issues?

Answer 11

If we accept there are many different factors contributing to behaviour, then it becomes difficult to establish which is most influential and on a practical level, we cannot solve real life problems.

Question 12

Weaknesses: oversimplification?

Answer 12

Reductionism can oversimplify complex behaviours leading to a loss in validity. So can only ever be part of an explanation.