Sentence:  Often it is recognized that all the details of the pattern may not be essential to the outcome but , because the pattern was empirically determined and not developed through theoretical understanding , one is never quite certain which behavior elements are effective , and the <WSD>whole</WSD> pattern becomes ritualized . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete