Holism
- Taking a holistic approach to research involves the researcher using a range of methods (usually qualitative) in order to achieve a fuller understanding of a topic
- Holistic research will not just focus on one, limited explanation of a behaviour or phenomenon, rather it will take into account the various different explanations that may contribute to it
- The humanistic approach is the only approach that takes a fully holistic approach to understanding behaviour with its emphasis on phenomenology
- Rutter (2011) used a longitudinal design, allowing the researchers to track the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of adopted Romanian orphans, taking into account an array of factors that could have influenced their development which is an example of a holistic approach to research
- The cognitive interview could be argued to be a more holistic method of interviewing witnesses than previous police techniques as it incorporates the full context of the event from multiple perspectives and timepoints
A holistic approach looks for internal and external explanations of behaviour e.g. biological, psychological, social
Arguments in support of holism
- Human beings do not live in a ‘bubble’ so taking a holistic approach to research, including biological, psychological and social measures, reflects real experiences more than a reductionist approach, increasing ecological validity
- Mental wellbeing is something that is becoming increasingly important and high-profile in many societies; holistic methods as used in the humanistic approach are well suited to promoting and encouraging good mental health
Arguments against holism
- Humanistic research is quite thin in terms of empirical evidence, meaning that it lacks scientific rigour and is not easily tested
- Taking a holistic approach may become rather ‘messy’ for researchers; if there are too many variables at play in, say, understanding criminal behaviour it becomes difficult to understand which are the most influential factors
Exam Tip
A good way to enrich and add value to your AO3 evaluation is to take established views of an issue and challenge them. For example, a limitation (as cited above) of holism is that it ‘lacks scientific rigour’ but you might argue, so what? The aim of holistic researchers - who tend to use qualitative methodology and often small samples - is not to adhere to the scientific method but to gain insight and understanding. Holistic research and therapy aims to have explanatory power rather than statistical significance so this is always worth bearing in mind when evaluating this topic.
