🔴 Issues and debates: Holism and reductionism

Question 1

What is holism?

Answer 1

argument proposing it only makes sense to study indivisible system that has constituent parts as a whole

Question 2

What is reductionism

Answer 2

• belief that human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into smaller constituent parts

Question 3

What are levels of explanation in psychology?

Answer 3

• different ways of viewing the same psychological phenomena e.g. OCD:
  Socio-cultural: OCD produces repetitive behaviour
  Psychological: experience of obsessive thoughts
  Physiological: hypersensitivity of the basal ganglia

Question 4

What is biological reductionism?

Answer 4

• attempt to explain social/psychological phenomena at lower biological level
• application e.g. psychoactive drugs for schizophrenia

Question 5

What is environmental reductionism

Answer 5

• attempt to explain all behaviour in terms of stimulus-response links learned through experience e.g. Watson (learning behaviour)

Question 6

What are the evaluation points for holism and reductionism?

Answer 6

• case for holism
• case against holism
• case for reductionism
• case against reductionism
• the interactionist approach

Question 7

What is the ‘case for holism’ evaluation point for holism and reductionism?

Answer 7

• aspects of social behaviour only understood in group context e.g. conformity
• holistic explanation provides complete understanding of behaviour

Question 8

What is the ‘case against holism’ evaluation point for holism and reductionism?

Answer 8

• can’t be scientifically tested;vague as more complex (humanistic psychology)
• depression: accept many factors=hard to establish most influential
• for practical applications, lower level explanations more appropriate

Question 9

What is the ‘case for reductionism’ evaluation point for holism and reductionism?

Answer 9

• forms basis of scientific research
• create operationalised variables=experiments
• better credibility=equal to natural sciences

Question 10

What is the ‘case against reductionism’ evaluation point for holism and reductionism?

Answer 10

oversimplify complex phenomena=lose validity
- genetic explanations don’t include social contexts (behaviour meaning)
- only form part of the explanation

Question 11

What is the ‘interactionist approach’ evaluation point for holism and reductionism?

Answer 11

• different levels of explanation combine e.g diathesis-stress for schizophrenia
• led to more holistic approach (drugs+therapy)=lower relapse rates