Question: What are holism and reductionism? How are they used in psychology? Is one of method better than the other?
Answer:
The debate over reductionism and holism is controversy and has affected the way that psychology and psychologist do research. These two totally different approaches in psychology take different stands in the debate. Some psychologist believes that reductionism is much more useful than holism while some think holism should be the primary method to use in psychological field. In this paper, I will explore the meaning of each idea, how they are used in psychology and discover whether there is an absolute right method for psychology. To understand the ways these two approached used in psychology, we must understand their definitions. According to the lecture, reductionism is the belief that human mind and behaviors can be explained by breaking down into smaller component parts. Reductionists believe that the best way to understand why humans behave the way they do is to look clearly and closely at the very simple parts that make up our system in order to make the simplest explanations. Reductionism is actually based on a scientific assumption called parsimony, which is saying
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For example, when psychologist study social psychology, they usually studies social variables on individual behaviors, reactions, attitudes or perceptions. Social psychologists like to put their focus on whole group to understand human. One popular method to prove peer pressure in an individual is to put he/she in a group where the group is answering questions. Even though the questions are as easy as one plus one, when every other group members answer the same wrong answer, that individual would tend to have the same wrong answer because of peer pressure. This simple but meaningful experience starts out with holism approach as using a group to understand small parts and behavior/pressure of
Although the hierarchy of needs and Humanistic Psychology were innovative during it was and is still criticized today. One of such criticisms is self-actualization and that Maslow gave very ambiguous characteristics and examples of people he thought to be self-actualized. In addition, the hierarchy of needs is hard to prove scientifically. Self- actualization relies mostly on a person’s experience. Therefore, one can’t tell if an individual is self-actualized. However humanistic psychology changed the way human behavior was viewed during a time where behavioral psychology was more prevalent. This introduced a new way of
In this booklet you will find an overview of all the different approaches to psychology. This will consist of the key assumptions, examples of the relevant psychologists and examples of their work, as well as an exploration into the advantages and disadvantages that some of these approaches possess.
Comparatively, by 1869, the railroad industry reconstructed the transportation of goods and people conveniently and securely across the United States of America (Schultz, 2016). Additionally, railroads helped to shape the western economy not only through it's more dependable means of transportation of goods but also to the new developments of towns located near its stations (Schultz, 2016). Historically, the transcontinental railroad began by the signing of the Pacific Railroad Act on July 1, 1862, by
Classic studies in psychology are not worthy of the term — all such studies are vastly over-rated. Discuss.
Q4. Explain how the two early schools of psychology, structuralism and functionalism differed from each other, and which
Compare the Behaviourist and Psychodynamic approaches to Psychology in terms of theoretical assumptions and methodology.
There has been an ongoing debate on whether psychology is indeed scientific, although recent, psychology is now considered a science. This is because it uses scientific methodology in researching, devising treatments and measuring the outcomes. These methods include collecting and analysing data and concluding their findings in order to identify whether the research or treatment adequality solves the problem. Scientific studies must be replicable, this means the if repeated exactly the same, the results should produce an identical outcome. Replicability can be increased by ruling out any alternatives that may not have originally been thought of. Objectivity in science is the idea that scientist, in an attempt to get the best results, must first
Psychology is the scientific “study of the mind” (Gross, 2015) and behavior, which includes the study of humans and animals. There are various approaches in modern psychology. A theoretical approach is a perspective (view) about human behavior, there may be several different theories within an approach, but they all share these common assumptions and principles. (McLeod, 2007). A theory is an attempt by theorists to try to explain behavior. Theories are not facts but can be verified by testing. Theories can then be evaluated which I aim to do through this essay, where I will briefly explain the theoretical approaches in psychology and aim to focus on an analysis for each perspective which consist of the psychodynamic, humanist, cognitive and behavioral approaches where I will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each approach separately.
When I started my sophomore year in community college, I decided to switch my major from history to anthropology. One of the main ideas I have learned when I started taking my anthropology classes is the idea of holism. Holism is the idea that one must study the whole of something in order to better understand the individual parts that make it up. The holistic approach is in important in anthropology because anthropologists study human cultures and societies by examine all aspects of humanity.
Psychology is the scientific “study of the mind” (Gross, 2015) and behaviour, which includes the study of humans and animals. There are various approaches in modern psychology. A theoretical approach is a perspective which is someone’s view about human behaviour, there can be many different theories within an approach, however they all piece together the same assumptions. (McLeod, 2007). A theory is an attempt by theorists to try to explain behaviour. Theories are not facts but can be verified by testing. Theories can then be evaluated which I aim to achieve through this essay, where I will briefly explain the theoretical approaches in psychology and aim to focus on an analysis of each perspective which consists of the psychodynamic,
In 1996 California was the first state to sign for medical marijuana, ever since then 22 more states have joined. Now in 2015 the current states allowing marijuana as a medical option are, California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Montana, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Michigan, Arizona, Washington DC, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Hampshire, Maryland, Minnesota, and lastly New York.
It is said that humanistic psychology was developed upon the limitations of behaviourism. The humanistic approach is often referred to as the “third force” in psychology coming after psychoanalysis and behaviourism; it is an alternative approach to psychology (Maslow, 1968). It offered a more wholesome approach to psychology at the time in comparison to behaviourism and psychoanalysis. This essay will compare and contrast behaviourism and humanistic psychology; it will focus on their contributions to psychological theory and their applications in the real world.
When a person thinks of aging, they can think of many things, from a baby getting taller, to an older person growing gray hair. A person’s body changes constantly throughout the span of their life. There is no helping it. While most people think of a person getting older as a person getting wrinkles, losing hair, and becoming more fragile, there are actually many other affects than just those. There are visible effects, and effects that are not visible by just looking at someone. In this paper, both types of effects will be discussed.
Culture, we all have grown up knowing one, or at times more than one, kind of culture. Everyone has different beliefs and ways of doing things and this usually has to do with our culture and the way we have been raised and brought up. This type of psychology looks into these many different cultures and studies how they affect us as humans and our development, mental processes, and behavior.
The humanistic-existential perspective is both a reaction to and an outgrowth of the psychodynamic perspective. These thinkers refer to psychodynamic theory as inadequate, many were repulsed with its tendency to break down the "whole" person into discrete components, and, the idea of adapting to one's society, however questionable its values. Most importantly, they disagree that human action is beyond the individuals control, in fact they believe that if we could develop with out constraints, we would be rational and socialized. Humanists and existentialists also think psychology should be converted into a human science, different from psychological theories with more focus on natural science.