Which of the following approaches would most likely emphasize holistic understanding?

The choice emphasizing the holistic understanding of behavior is the social approach, which focuses on how individuals are influenced by their social environments. This perspective recognizes that human behavior cannot be fully understood in isolation; instead, it considers the complex interactions between individuals and groups, including cultural, contextual, and relational factors.

By examining how social norms, roles, and relationships impact thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, the social approach aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of human psychology. This contrasts with more reductionist approaches, such as the cognitive approach, which tends to focus on individual mental processes without as much emphasis on social context, or the individual differences approach, which emphasizes the variations among people rather than the broader social influences. The developmental approach focuses on the changes throughout the life span, examining how different stages of life contribute to psychological development, but it does not encapsulate the entirety of contextual influences that the social approach encompasses.