Issues and Debates: Holism and reductionism

Question 1

What is Holism

Answer 1

• It argues that behaviour cannot be understood in terms of the components that make them up.
• This is commonly described as ‘the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.’

Question 2

What is reductionism

Answer 2

• The theory that all complex systems can be completely understood in terms of their components.
• Biological and behaviourist perspectives.
• analysis and reduction of the whole to its simplest parts in order to understand the whole
• E.g. depression can be explained biochemically as a being a result of low levels of serotonin.

Question 3

What is the holistic approach to depression

Answer 3

• Consider the whole person’s experience, e.g:
  -> Cognitive
  -> Emotional
  -> Environmental
• Deal with person holistically.

Question 4

What is the reductionist approach to depression (biological, behaviourist)

Answer 4

• Consider major systems involved:
• Biological: serotonin system.
• Behaviourist: learned behaviours; stimulus, response.
• Treat symptoms according to involvement of each system.

Question 5

(+) Explain the benefits of holism

Answer 5

• Provides a more complete understanding of behaviour.
  -> This is beneficial because it is a lot more reflective of how humans behave.
• Accepts and deals with the complex nature of
  behaviour.
• Behaviour is influenced by many factors, so holistic explanations may be more useful.

Question 6

(-) explain the limitations of Holism

Answer 6

• Cannot be rigorously tested this means that reliable research can’t be gathered to support theories.
• More hypothetical – not based on empirical evidence.
• Lacks predictive power of more scientific explanations.
• Neglects importance of biological influences.

Question 7

(+) what are the benefits of reductionism

Answer 7

• Recognises the importance of biological explanations in human behaviour which is a positive as there is a lot of evidence for the influence of biology on behaviour.
• Consistent with the scientific approach.
• Breaking phenomena down into smaller components means the empirical method can be used.
• High level of predictive power.

Question 8

(-) What are the limitations of reductionism

Answer 8

• May oversimplify behaviour so therefore other factors are not considered that could influence behaviour.
• Ignores complexity of behaviour and can be oversimplified.