2022-2024 Year 13 A-Level Psychology - Issues & Debates: Holism & Reductionism TW
Holism is an approach that studies human behaviour by considering the whole person, including social, cultural, and psychological factors. In contrast, reductionism breaks down complex behaviour into simpler components, focusing on individual elements like biology or cognition.
What is meant by the term holism?
Examining an individuals complex behaviour by taking into account all aspects of their experience, including culture
Key Terms
What is meant by the term holism?
Examining an individuals complex behaviour by taking into account all aspects of their experience, including culture
What is meant by reductionism?
Examining complex behaviour by reducing it down into small basic components
Is the biological approach reductionist or holistic?
Reductionist
Is the behaviourist approach reductionist or holistic?
Reductionist
Is the humanistic approach reductionist or holistic?
Holistic
Is family dysfunction as an explanation of schizophrenia reductionist or holistic explanation?
Holistic
Related Flashcard Decks
Study Tips
- Press F to enter focus mode for distraction-free studying
- Review cards regularly to improve retention
- Try to recall the answer before flipping the card
- Share this deck with friends to study together
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
What is meant by the term holism? | Examining an individuals complex behaviour by taking into account all aspects of their experience, including culture |
What is meant by reductionism? | Examining complex behaviour by reducing it down into small basic components |
Is the biological approach reductionist or holistic? | Reductionist |
Is the behaviourist approach reductionist or holistic? | Reductionist |
Is the humanistic approach reductionist or holistic? | Holistic |
Is family dysfunction as an explanation of schizophrenia reductionist or holistic explanation? | Holistic |
Why is the biological approach reductionist? | It reduces complex human behaviour into simple basic units of genetics / neurochemistry / neuroanatomy |
Why is the behaviourist approach reductionist? | It reduces complex human behaviour into simple basic units of stimulus, response and associations |
Why is the humanistic approach holistic? | As it takes into account personal experience when trying to explain behaviours such as incongruence / self-actualisation |
Are the explanations of OCD you have studied in Paper 1 reductionist or holistic? Why? | Reductionist - it reduces the complex human behaviour of OCD into simple basic units of mutated genetics (SERT) / imbalance of neurochemistry / and hypersensitivity of the basal ganglia |
Is the explanation of acquiring phobias you have studied in Paper 1 reductionist or holistic? Why? | Reductionist - it reduces the complex human behaviour of phobias into simple basic units of associations to the phobic stimulus |
Is the explanation of maintaining phobias you have studied in Paper 1 reductionist or holistic? Why? | Reductionist - it reduces the complex human behaviour of phobias into simple basic units of response to avoiding the phobic stimulus |
Is the genetic explanation of schizophrenia you have studied in Paper 3 reductionist or holistic? Why? | Reductionist - it reduces the complex human behaviour of schizophrenia into simple basic units of the inheritance of a schizogene (e.g. PCM-1) |
What is meant by reductionism? | Examining complex behaviour by reducing it down into small basic components |
What is meant by the term holism? | Examining an individuals complex behaviour by taking into account all aspects of their experience, including culture |
AO3: How can we criticise the use of holistic approaches? | Do not use scientific methods |
AO3: Why do holistic approaches lack scientific methods? | By being holistic, it makes concepts vague and untestable |
AO3: What is a strength of reductionist approaches? | They are more likely to lead to practical applications |
AO3: Why are reductionist approaches more likely to lead to practical applications? | By studying a single basic unit of behaviour, allows an application to be developed more easily |
AO3: Give one example of a practical application which has come from a reductionist approach |
|
AO3: What is a problem of using reductionist approaches? | They could oversimplify a behaviour |
AO3: What is the effect of oversimplifying behaviour? | Lowering the internal validity of the explanation |