- Reductionism is explaining complex human behaviour in a simplistic way usually by focusing on one single factor.
- Holism is explaining complex human behaviour by looking at how a number of factors interact to produce that behaviour
Examples
A reductionist explanation for aggression is that the perpetrator has copied the behaviour and a holistic explanation would be that this behaviour has come from an interaction between a number of development and biological factors.
Examples of "Reducing Behaviour"
Most of Psychology is reductionist. The studies below reduce behaviour to one simple factor.
Examples of Reductionism
Loftus and Palmer (Eye witness testimony)
- Problems in eye witness testimony is explained by and reduced to the wording of questions.
Tajfel (Minimal groups)
- This study explains and reduces prejudice to simply the act of putting people into groups
Raine (murderers' brains)
- This study explains and reduces murder to a lack of activity in the parts of the brain associated with aggression.
For and Against Reductionism
For Reductionism
- Reductionist explanations enable a scientific approach because it makes concepts easier to test in a experimental setting. For instance, if you assume that one factor causes behaviour, it is relatively easy to isolate that one factor and perform controlled tests on the effects of that one factor.
Against Reductionism
- Human beings are very complex and it is very unlikely that all human behaviour can be explained on such a simple level.
