Issues and debates - holism vs reductionism Flashcards
what is holism ?
an argument that suggest we should only study an indivisible system rather than constituent parts
what is reductionism ?
The belief that human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into smaller constituent parts
what is biological determinism
A form of reductionism that attempts to explain social and psychological phenomena at a lower biological level.
eg explaining behaviour in terms of neurons, neurotransmitters, hormones etd
what is environmental determinism ?
A form of reductionism that attempts to explain phenomena based on stimulus response bonds/learned associations as a result complex behaviours are then a series of stimulus - response chains.
eg phobias - classical conditioning but maintained by operant conditioning - behaviourist
what is meant by levels of explanation in psychology ?
Different ways of viewing the same phenomena. Some ways are more reductionist than others.
in terms of reductionism what is the best way to understand behaviour ?
look closely at the parts that make up our different systems, whether it is biological or psychological and then choose the most simple explanation to understand how our behaviour works.
what is meant by parsimony ? -> what reductionism is based on
all phenomena should be explained using the most basic (lowest level) principles
levels of explanation are what of what approach ?
reductionism
explain levels of explanation
explanations vary from those at a lower or fundamental level focusing on basic components such as physiological or biological factors then to the next level we might consider psychological explanations (cognitive + behavioural
highest level -> social + cultural explanations
explaining behaviour in terms of influence of social groups
what does holism say in regards to levels of explanation ?
we should not consider different levels of explanation, but consider the whole behaviour as a whole experience.
what is an example of holism
Humanistic psychologists argue that humans react to stimuli as an organized whole and not as a set of stimulus and response links
what is a strength of reductionism ? ( credibility + science)
possible to break behaviour into its constituent parts and scientifically test them.
eg the capacity, coding and duration of short term memory can be separately tested - the cause of behaviours can be established more easily.
taking reductionist view of human behaviour - psychology more credibility + classed as science
limitation of holism ? ( limited real world application)
in holism difficult to establish how much each individual factor contributes to particular behaviour
eg how much of schizophrenia is caused by imbalance of dopamine ?
explanations from holistic point of view -> unsatisfactory in terms of application
strength of reductionism (therapies and real world application)
Biological reductionism has led to the development of biological therapies such as drugs.
eg SSRIs are more effective than placebos when treating the symptoms of OCD and reduce the symptoms for up to three months after treatment (Soomro et al 2008).
The use of SSRIs in patients with OCD has helped reduce the anxiety associated with OCD.
patients as a result of biological reductionism means that they are able to continue to work which aids the economy.
limitation of reductionism (reduces complexity)
biological reductionism can lead to errors of understanding because it ignores the complexity of human behaviour.
eg schizophrenia -> neurochemical imbalances only
suggests that the condition can be explained very simply. This is not the case.
Schizophrenia is a very complex disorder
The holistic explanation attempts to overcome this criticism by blending different levels of explanation; -> realistic understanding
