Psychology Factsheets

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Debate: Holism and reductionism

This Factsheet summarises the debate in psychology of Holism
reductionism and holism and also summarises the interactionist Is the approach or belief that things can be explained by considering
approach. It also covers what you need to be able to do to answer the whole rather than the constituent parts. This includes examining
questions about reductionism, holism and interactionism. Terms in the whole behaviour, whole experience, whole person or whole
bold are defined in the glossary. system.

A. Reductionism and holism There are different types of reductionism in psychology. According
You may be asked to state what reductionism and holism are. You to Rose (1997) these include, amongst others:
may need to explain what the reductionism vs. holism debate is
about. Table 1

Exam Hint:- One examiners’ report stated that many students Type of reductionism Description
expressed this debate poorly and had a weak understanding Methodological Understanding a complex behaviour/
of what holism is. (experimental) phenomena by reducing it to isolated
reductionism variables (e.g., manipulating the IV in
What is the reductionism vs. holism debate? order to investigate the effects on the
This debate concerns whether it is better to explain phenomena, DV).
such as human behaviour, by examining its simplest parts or whether
Philosophical The view that there is a single, overall
it is better to take into account the whole person and experience.
reductionism theory that can explain everything.
See textbox 1.

Reductionism Exam Hint:- You may be expected to explain how reductionism

Is the approach or belief that complex and holism apply to the understanding of a particular topic (e.g.,
things can be explained by breaking depression, schizophrenia). It is worth practising this. In your
them down (reducing them) into the answer, show how the debate relates to the topic rather than just
simplest underlying principles and listing facts about the topic.
parts.

1. Researchers can try to understand an aspect of human behaviour by focusing on one level of explanation. For example, they can
study depression by focusing on such factors as:
Table 2
Level of explanation Types of factor Applied to depression
1 Biochemical (neurons, neurotransmitters) High levels of cortisol, low activity of serotonin
2 Neuroanatomical (parts of the brain) Associated with lesions in frontal lobes of the brain
3 Cognitive processes, emotion, personality ‘Faulty’ thinking
4 Social/cultural context Stressful life events, such as bereavement or unemployment
These range from a low level of explanation at 1 (reductionist) to a high level of explanation at 4 (holistic).

B. Relation to approaches in psychology Working together

You may need to know how the debate relates to various approaches in psychology. The approaches in
psychology vary in how reductionist or holistic they are:
Table 3
Approach in psychology Description Reductionist/ holistic
Biological psychology Explains human behaviour by studying brain activity, Reductionist
biochemistry, genes.
Evolutionary psychology Explains human behaviour in terms of evolutionary theory. Reductionist
Behaviourism Studies only observable behaviour and explains Reductionist
behaviour as stimulus-response links.
Humanistic psychology Proposes that a person and their behaviour can only Holistic
be understood by considering them as a whole.

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109 - Debate: Holism and reductionism Psychology Factsheet

C. Interactionism
You may need to be able to define interactionism.

What is interactionism?
An interactionist approach considers several levels of explanation when trying to explain a phenomenon. For example, in abnormal
psychology, mental disorders can be understood and treated by considering the underlying biological, psychological and social
factors.

2. Using an interactionist approach: Schizophrenia can be examined by considering various factors together in order to obtain a
more complete view. For example, an interactionist approach could consider, among other factors:
• Biological factors: There is evidence that the ventricles in the brain are 15% larger in schizophrenic brains than in normal brains
(Torrey, 2002).
• Social factors: Some evidence suggests that schizophrenia is linked to the type of interaction between the family and the
schizophrenic individual. One theory involves ‘expressed emotion’ (EE). Linsen and colleagues (1997) found that a schizophrenic
person returning to a high EE family was four times more likely to relapse than a person returning to a low EE family.

D. Evaluating reductionism, holism and interactionism

You may need to evaluate reductionism, holism and/or interactionism. You can do this by considering arguments for and against each
approach. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses. Tables 4 and 5 state some of these evaluative points:
Table 4 Reductionism Table 5 Holism and interactionism
Strengths Weaknesses Strengths Weaknesses

It is consistent with a It does not take into account the It can give a more complete It is difficult to investigate
scientific approach to complexity of behaviour. view of behaviour than the behaviour at many different
understanding human reductionist approach. levels and to integrate the
behaviour. explanations.
It is easier to examine and It can ignore interactions It does not ignore the It can be difficult to predict
test simple components of between parts of behaviour. complexity of human behaviour based on many levels
behaviour. behaviour. of explanation (which the
reductionist approach can do).

Exam Hint:- If you are asked to evaluate reductionism or holism, do state some arguments for and against reductionism/
holism. The examiners state that some students ignore the wording of the question and just give examples of reductionism or
holism in psychological research. For example, you can state that one strength of reductionist explanations is that they are
compatible with other scientific disciplines, such as biology.

Example Exam Question

Glossary
Outline one strength and one weakness of holistic explanations
Depression: a mood disorder which affects a person’s emotional
of behaviour.
state.
DV: Dependent variable. In research, the variable which may be
Make sure that you do answer the question about holistic
affected by manipulation of the independent variable; changes
explanations, not reductionist explanations! There are a variety
in the DV are measured as a result of changes in the IV.
of strengths and weaknesses of holistic explanations which could
Expressed emotion (EE): this relates to the family communication
be outlined. Examples include that the holistic approach can give
system and how much they are critical, hostile and emotionally
a more complete and realistic understanding of behaviour than a
over-involved.
reductionist approach however it can be difficult, in practical
IV: Independent variable. The variable in research which is
terms, to investigate the integration of many levels of explanation.
deliberately altered by the researcher.
You could refer to the strengths and weaknesses of reductionism
Schizophrenia: a serious psychotic disorder which involves
as a contrast to the holistic approach but you must make it clear
disrupted thinking, attention, relationships, motivation and
what this means for the holistic approach.
emotion.
Ventricles: hollow spaces in the brain which contain
cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid supplies nutrients and removes
waste from brain cells.
Acknowledgements: This Psychology Factsheet was researched and written by Amanda Albon.
The Curriculum Press, Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, Shropshire, TF1 1NU.
Psychology Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136

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109 - Debate: Holism and reductionism Psychology Factsheet

Worksheet: Debate: Holism and reductionism

Name
1. Explain what reductionism is.

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2. Explain what holism is.

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3. Humanistic psychology takes a holistic approach to understanding behaviour. Describe one other holistic approach in psychology.

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4. Outline one argument for and one argument against using a reductionist approach to understand human behaviour.

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5. Explain how one aspect of human behaviour can be investigated using an interactionist approach (such as a mental disorder).

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