Types of holistic research
What Is Holism?What Is Holism?How psychologists use holism to understand behaviorHow psychologists use holism to understand behaviorBy Dr. Saul McLeod, updated 2020 Show OverviewOverviewHolism is often referred to as Gestalt psychology. It argues that behavior cannot be understood in terms of the components that make them up. This is commonly described as the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. In other words human behavior has its own properties that are not explicable in terms of the properties of the elements from which it is derived. A holistic approach therefore suggests that there are different levels of explanation and that at each level there are emergent properties that cannot be reduced to the one below. Holistic approaches include Humanism, Social and Gestalt psychology and makes use of the case study method. Jahodas 6 elements of Optimal Living are an example of a holistic approach to defining abnormality. Reductionist explanations, which might work in some circumstances, are considered inappropriate to the study of human subjectivity because here the emergent property that we have to take account of is that of the whole person. Otherwise it makes no sense to try to understand the meaning of anything that anybody might do. Examples of Holism in PsychologyExamples of Holism in Psychology
Strengths Looks at everything that may impact on behavior. Does not ignore the complexity of behavior. Integrates different components of behavior in order to understand the person as a whole. Can be higher in ecological validity. Limitations Over complicates behaviors which may have simpler explanations (Occams Razor). Does not lend itself to the scientific method and empirical testing. Makes it hard to determine cause and effect. Neglects the importance of biological explanations. Almost impossible to study all the factors that influence complex human behaviors How to reference this article:How to reference this article:McLeod, S. A. (2020). What is holism. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/holism.html Keep Learning Freeman J. Towards a definition of holism. Br J Gen Pract. 2005;55(511):154155. Michaelson V, Pickett W, King N, Davison C. (2016) Testing the theory of holism: A study of family systems and adolescent health. Prev Med Rep, 4, 313319. Back to top This workis licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. Company Registration no: 10521846 |