Reductionism and Holism Flashcards
(12 cards)
AO3 (1) reductionism and hollism
- A weakness of the holism and Reductionism debate is that an interactionist approach may be more valid to explain behaviour
- It is common in Psychology for researchers attempting to explain behaviour to use an interactionalist approach, addressing the idea that multiple factors can come to interact and work together to influence and individuals behaviour
- The diathesis stress model is often used to explain how an individual may have genetic vulnerability to a disorder, but it is necessary to encounter a stressor that triggers the influence of this genetic basis on behaviour
- For example, with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), if an individual has the COMT gene, making them more vulnerable to develop the disorder, the Diathesis stress approach would argue a trigger is necessary for this gene to influence behaviour and this dispose the individual to the disorder
- However, it may be an overgeneralisation that multiple factors can come to work together to influence behaviour; nor can we assume this interactionist approach will co-operate the same for every individual. Suggesting maybe a more reductionist approach is necessary to accurately explain behaviour
- Despite this, as the initial weakness argues, it may be a more valid stance of explaining behaviour to the multiple factors interacting into account, thus identifying an implication of advocating one single side of this debate
- Therefore, highlighting the importance of considering an interactionist stance within the Reductionism and Holism Debate
AO3 (1) reductionism
- A negative implication of reductionism is that it is oversimplified
- For example, Wolpe, 1973 tried to use systematic desensitisation to treat the phobia of insects but it did not work. He then found that the woman’s husband, with whom she had not been getting along, was nicknamed for an insect, showing that not all phobias can be solved this way as although it explains avoidance behaviour, it does not offer an adequate explanation for phobic cognitions which are just as important.
- However, it can be argued that although reductionism may be oversimplified, it can still help scientifically to break down the target behaviours into constituent parts to create operationalised variables, which makes it possible to conduct experiments and record observations in a way that is meaningful and reliable. By Wolpe isolating behaviour and systematically testing it, he was able to find out that the cause of the phobia was not a simple learned behaviour but a deeper emotional conflict. This finding was only possible because systematic desensitization’s reductionist framework allowed for focused investigation and hypothesis testing.
- Despite this, reductionism can only ever form part of an explanation therefore reducing the usefulness of the use of reductionism within psychology research.
AO3 (2) reductionism
- Positive implication Scientific, specific, cause and effect, can pinpoint IV and DV
- Negative implication – ignores holism
- Positive implication – led to BR/ER > SD/SSRIs
AO3 holism
- A negative implication of holism is that it is not very scientific
- For example, humanistic psychology, which takes a holistic approach to behaviour, tends to be criticised for its lack of empirical evidence, and is seen by many as a rather loose set of concepts, therefore reducing the reliability of the use of holism in psychology
- However, it can be argued that holism and humanistic psychology can be applied to the real world as they’ve led to client cantered therapy which has been an effective method and is used very commonly by psychologists and doctors for their patients.
- Despite this, there are many different factors that contribute to say, depression, it becomes difficult to establish which is the most influential and which to use as a basis for therapy, thus reducing the usefulness of the use of holism in psychology
- Positive implication – Led to client centred therapy
- Increasing applicability and usefulness
- Negative implication – ignores reductionism
- Negative implication – not very scientific
Write opposite of the reductionism paragraph - No lab settings, not specific IVs or DVs
- Interactionism between different levels of explanation
What is holism in psychology?
An approach that explains behaviour by considering the whole person and all influencing factors (e.g. cognitive, emotional, spiritual, social, cultural, environmental, economic).
Q: Which psychologists support holism?
A: Gestalt psychologists — they believe “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Q: What is reductionism in psychology?
A: The belief that complex behaviours can be best understood by breaking them down into simpler components.
Q: What is meant by “parsimony” in reductionism?
A: The idea that behaviour should be explained using the simplest, most basic principles.
Q: What are the two main types of reductionism?
Biological Reductionism – explains behaviour through genes, brain structure, and neurochemistry (e.g. low serotonin causes depression).
Environmental Reductionism – explains behaviour through stimulus-response learning (e.g. phobias via classical/operant conditioning).
Q: What are the levels of explanation in psychology?
Highest Level – Social and cultural explanations (e.g. depression from isolation)
Middle Level – Psychological explanations (e.g. Beck’s cognitive triad or Ellis’ ABC model)
Lowest Level – Biological explanations (e.g. genes like 5HT1-D beta, serotonin dysfunction)
Q: How would holism and reductionism explain depression differently?
Holism – Looks at the person’s social life, thoughts, emotions, and culture.
Reductionism – Explains it as low serotonin or distorted thinking patterns.
Q: What is the key difference between holism and reductionism?
A: Holism sees behaviour as a whole system; reductionism breaks behaviour down into parts to explain it.
