Free will vs Determinism

Define determinism

• Behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces

• Free will is an illusion

• Behaviour always has a cause and is predictable

Define casual explanations

• basic principle of science is that everything has a cause and thus can be predicted

• Scientific research is heavily determinist

Define hard determinism

• the view that forces outside of our control shape out behaviour

• Free will is an illusion

Define soft determinism

• behaviour is constrained by environmental or biological forces but only to an extent

• There is an element of free will

Define biological determinism

• human behaviour is innate

• Determined by biological influences such as genetics

Define environmental determinism

• behaviour is caused by external factors e.g. pervious experiences

• Learning through classical and operant conditioning

Define psychic determinism

• behaviour is a result of innate drives (ID, EGO, Superego)

• As well as unconscious conflicts

Define free will

• human have an active role and can make choices about how they behave

• Behaviour is not determined by internal or external forces

What does determinism suggest?

• free will is an illusion and we are governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control

• Behaviour is predictable as it always has a cause

• Casual laws of determinism form the basis of science

What is the scientific emphasis on casual explanations?

• all events have a cause allowing scientists to predict behaviour

• The lab experiment allows the manipulation of the independent variable to see its effects on the dependent variable

• Extraneous variables are also controlled allowing precise predictions

What are the three types of hard determinism?

• biological

• Psychic

• Environmental

What does biological determinism suggest?

• emphasises role of innate biology e.g. hormones, genes

• It is part of The Biological Approach

• The family studies have evidence of genetic vulnerability e.g. OCD

• Nesdat et al - reviewed twin studies and found high concordance rates in MZ twins

What does psychic determinism suggest?

• behaviour is directed by innate drives and unconscious conflicts repressed from childhood

• Part of the Psychodynamic Approach

• Freud - 5 stages of child development, each stage is a conflict that must be resolved, any unresolved conflicts results in a fixation carried in associated behaviour through to adult life

What does environmental determinism suggest?

• behaviour is determined by our experiences

• Skinner - free will is an illusion, all behaviour is a result of conditioning or socialisation

• Part of the Behaviourist Approach

• The two process model suggests that phobias are required and maintained through conditioning

• Watson and Raynor - Little Albert study - the acquisition of a response to fear is learnt through classical conditioning

What does soft determinism suggest?

• behaviour is constrained by the environment or biology - only to a certain extent - element of free will

• Behaviour may be predictable, but that doesn’t mean it is inevitable as we can choose how we behave

What does free will suggest?

• behaviour is self determined, humans can choose their thoughts and actions

• Doesn’t deny internal/external forces but ultimately down to choice

• Humanistic psychologists (Rogers and Maslow) individuals are trying to achieve personal growth

• Humans have self-determinism and free will - behaviour is not a result of one single cause

Evaluation of free will vs determinism

• negative implications of determinism - excuse for criminal behaviour

• Free will may be an illusion but is much more positive then determinism - Skinner, Libet et al

• Determinism is consistent with science, unlike free will