Holsim & Reductionism Flashcards
Holism
Approach that looks at behaviour as an indivisible system needed to fully understand complex behaviour. The sum of the parts is not equal to the whole
Reductionism
The belief that the best way to research and understand behaviour is by reducing it all down into smaller consituent parts - focusing on one aspect at a time
Internationalist approach
Uses more than one reductionist theory at a time, not the same as holism but gives a fuller picture
Parsimony
Suggests all phenomena should be explained using the most basic principles
Levels of explanation
Different ways of viewing the same behaviour, higher levels are less scientific and lower levels are more reductionist and scientific
Higher levels of explanation
Social and cultural explanations eg how groups affect behaviour
Middle explanations of behaviour
Psychological explanations eg schizophrenia involves though disorder
Lower levels of explanation
Biological explanations eg hormones and genes
Levels of explanation examples - OCD
Higher - OCD produces behaviours that in most contexts would be seen as unusual or irrational
Middle - OCD involved obsessive thoughts
Lower - under production of the neurotransmitters serotonin may be involved
Reductionist heirachy
Disciples in terms of most general to most specific
Sociology, psychology, biology, chemistry, physics
Examples of holism
Humanistic psychology - subjective experience can only be understood by considering the whole person, the person needs to feel a sense of wholeness to feel mentally healthy eg Rodgers client centred therapy
Examples of reductionism
Biological, environmental, experimental
Biological determinism
Reduces social and psychological behaviour to biological units eg genes and hormones
Environmental reductionism
Reduces complex behaviours to units of stimulus response - links that are learned thought experience
Experimental reductionism
Reduces complex behaviour to a firm or unit that can be studied, variables are isolated manipulated and measured
Example of internationalist
Diathesis stess explanation of schizophrenia how different levels of explanation can interact at the same time. Low levels - genetic predisposition. High levels - stressor eg starting new job
Weakness holistic approach
Not scientific, holisitc theories use higher levels of explanation, should focus on whole experience, lack testibility and can’t be operationalised
Strength reductionist approach
They are scientific, lower levels of explanation to argue you should focus on basic principles. Eg OCD influenced by basil ganglia, thalamus and prefrontal cortex which can be operationalised
Weakness reductionist approach
Biological reductionism can lead to errors of understanding. Ignores complexity of human behaviour eg treating ADHD with drugs doesn’t tackle actual cause of behaviour
Interactionlaist approach strength
Gives greater insight than reductionist alone, reductionist gives narrow view of complex behaviour comparing to interactionalist that looks at more than one explanation at a time eg diathesis stress model. Internationalist greater validity and therefore more meaningful
