Holism and reductionism: levels of explanation in Psychology
Reductionism breaks behaviour down into its simplest parts. Holism argues you must study the whole person to fully understand behaviour.
Real World
When treating depression, a psychiatrist may prescribe SSRIs (biological reductionism), while a humanistic therapist like Carl Rogers would explore the client's whole life situation, relationships, and self-concept (holism).
Exam Focus
Structure answers using 'levels of explanation' — biological, psychological, social — to show you understand the reductionism-holism continuum.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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