Reductionism & Holism

Question 1

What does Holism argue?

Answer 1

That behavior 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

For holism what does psychologists study is holism?

Answer 2

study the whole person to gain an understanding of all the factors that might influence behavior. Holism uses several levels of explanation including biological, environment and social factors.

Question 3

What are examples of holism approaches?

Answer 3

Humanism, Social and Gestalt psychology and makes use of the case study method. Jahoda’s 6 elements of Optimal Living are an example of a holistic approach to defining abnormality.

Question 4

What are strengths of holism?

Answer 4

• Looks at everything that may impact on behavior.
• Does not ignore the complexity of behavior.
• Integrates different components of behavior in order to understand the person as a whole.
• Can be higher in ecological validity.

Question 5

What are limitations of holism?

Answer 5

• Over complicates behaviors which may have simpler explanations (Occam’s Razor).
• Does not lend itself to the scientific method and empirical testing.
• Makes it hard to determine cause and effect.
• Neglects the importance of biological explanations.
• Almost impossible to study all the factors that influence complex human behaviors

Question 6

What is reductionism?

Answer 6

The belief that human behavior can be explained by breaking it down into smaller component parts. Reductionists say that the best way to understand why we behave as we do is to look closely at the very simplest parts that make up our systems, and use the simplest explanations to understand how they work.

Question 7

Which approach is reductionism applied to?

Answer 7

The term is most appropriately applied to biological explanations (e.g. genetics, neurotransmitters, hormones) of complex human behaviors such as schizophrenia, gender and aggression. Such reductionist explanations can be legitimately criticised as ignoring psychological, social and cultural factors

Question 8

What are strengths of the reductionism?

Answer 8

• The use of a reductionist approach to behavior can be a useful one in allowing scientific study to be carried out. Scientific study requires the isolation of variables to make it possible to identify the causes of behavior. For example, research into the genetic basis on mental disorders has enabled researchers to identify specific genes believed to be responsible for schizophrenia. This way a reductionist approach enables the scientific causes of behavior to be identified and advances the possibility of scientific study.
• A reductionist approach to studying mental disorders has led to the development of effective chemical treatments

Question 9

What are the limitations of reductionism?

Answer 9

• The disadvantage is that it can be over simplistic. Humans and their environments are so complex that the reductionist explanation falls short of giving the whole explanation of the behavior. Thus, it lacks ecological validity
• Does not address larger societal issues e.g. poverty.