Holism vs. Reductionism

Question 1

What is the Reductionist approach to analysing behaviour?

Answer 1

Reductionism is an attempt to explain complex phenomenon by its constituent parts i.e. reducing the whole to its parts.

Question 2

What is the Holistic approach to analysing behaviour?

Answer 2

Holism is a methodological position that attempts to gain understanding of the whole in all its complexity i.e. the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts.

Question 3

What are the associated strengths and limitations of the Holistic approach?

Answer 3

STRENGTHS:
-There are some social behaviours that only emerge within a group context and cannot be understood at the level of individual group members. According to the findings from Zimbardo’s (1971) study, the effects of de-individuation of prisoners and guards could not be understood by studying the participants as individuals - it was the interactions between the people that mattered.

-Provide a complete understanding of behaviour, as opposed to reductionist approaches.

LIMITATIONS:
-Holistic explanations tend to lend themselves to rigorous scientific testing and become vague and speculative as they become more complex.

Question 4

What are the associated strengths and limitations of the Reductionist approach?

Answer 4

STRENGTHS:
-A reductionist approach often forms the basis of scientific research. Target behaviours are reduced to constituent parts to create operationalised variables. This makes it possible to conduct experiments or record observations (behavioural categories) in meaningful and reliable ways, hence resulting in greater credibility.

LIMITATIONS:
-Reductionist explanations have ongoingly been criticised for oversimplifying complex phenomena, as it begets a lost of validity. They fail to analyse the social context of the behaviour - but this is where the behaviour derives its meaning. This means that reductionist explanations can never form part of an explanation.