holism vs reductionism Flashcards
is there a continuum between reductionism and holism?
no, because the holistic approach is centred on looking at things as a ‘whole’, so once you start to break down a holistic approach it isn’t holistic anymore
what is holism?
an argument which proposes that it only makes sense to study an invisible system rather than its constituent parts, to view the person as a ‘whole’
what did Gestalt psychologists believe?
they believed that the ‘whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ and sees any attempts to subdivide behaviour or experiences as inappropriate
what is reductionism?
the belief that human behaviour is best understood by studying smaller components
what scientific principle is reductionism based on?
the scientific of parsimony- that all phenomena should be explained using the simplest (lowest level) principles
what are the levels of explanation in psychology?
•socio- cultural level
•psychological level
•physical level
•environmental/ behavioural level
•physiological level
•neurochemical level
what is biological reductionism?
a form of reductionism which attempts to explain behaviour at the lowest biological level (in terms of actions of genes, hormones ect)
•believes that all behaviours are at some level biological- emphasises evolutionary/ genetic influences
•e.g. drugs that increase serotonin are effective in treating OCD. low serotonin may be a cause if OCD.
what is environmental reductionism?
the attempt to explain all behaviour in terms of stimulus- response links that have been learned through experience
•examples include the learning theory of attachment
•based on the behaviourist approach, proposing that all behaviour is learned/ acquired through interactions with the environment
Evaluation points:
•limitation: holistic approach lacks practical value
•strength: reductionist approach based on a scientific approach
•limitations: reductionist approach is over simplistic
•strength: some behaviours can only be explained holistically
limitation: holistic approach may lack practical value
•holistic approaches are harder to use as they become more complex
•the more factors to take into consideration the more difficult it is to decide which is the most influential, and which ones should be prioritised as the basis of therapy
•this suggests that holistic approaches may lack practical value (and reductionist approaches may be better)
strength: reductionist approach takes a scientific approach
•variables are operationalised as the target behaviours are broken down into constituent parts
•this makes it possible to conduct experiments or observations in a way that is objective and reliable
•this scientific approach gives psychology greater credibility
limitation: reductionist approach is oversimplifying
•has been accused of oversimplifying complex phenomena, leading to reduced validity
•reductionist approaches can only ever form part of an explanation
strength: some behaviours can only be explained holistically
•social influence/ conformity cannot be explained on a reductionist level (eg zimbardo’s prison experiment)
•you must look at the social context, not just things like neurotransmitters
