3. free will and determinism

what is the free will determinism debate

is our behaviour a matter of free will or are we the product of a set of internal and/or external influences that determine who we are and what we do?

what is free will

notion that humans can make choices and their behaviour/thoughts are not determined by biological or external forces

• advocated by the humanistic approach

what is determinism

the view that an individuals behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than a will to do something

determinism types

• hard

• soft

• biological

• environmental

• psychic

• reciprocal (personal experiences and environment, SLT)

hard determinism

view all behaviour is caused by something (internal or external) so free will is an illusion

• sometimes referred to as fatalism

soft determinism

view that behaviour may be predictable (caused byinternal or external factors) but there is also room for personal choice from a limited range of responsibilities (restricted free will)

• cognitive approach

biological determinism

behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences that we cannot control

• eg influence of ANS on stress response, genes on mental health

environmental determinism

behaviour is caused by features of the environment (eg systems of reward and punishment) that we cannot control

• behaviourism

psychic determinism

behaviour is caused by unconscious psychodynamic conflicts we cannot control

• psychodynamic approach

scientific emphasis on causal explanations

• a basic principle in science is every event has a cause that can be explained using general laws (hard determinism)

• knowledge of these causes and the formulation of these laws are important - allow prediction and control of events

in psychology lab experiments are ideas as enables the demonstration of causal relationships

evaluation

1. practical value

2. research evidence (& COUNTERPOINT)

3. the law

also evaluation from the deterministic approaches

practical value

• free will has practical benefits even if it is an illusion

• roberts et al found adolescents with a strong believe in fatalism were at greater risk of depression - shows believing in free will is linked to optimism and better mental health

• suggests has a positive psychological value, regardless of whether it objectively exists

research evidence

• brain scan evidence challenges free will and supports determinism

• libet et al found unconscious brain activity (readiness potential) occurred before participants reported conscious awareness of their decision to move - suggests even simple decisions may be determined by unconscious processes rather than conscious free will

• undermines idea of free will as a genuine cause of behaviour

counterpoint

• findings aren’t necessarily incompatible with free will

• brains preparation before conscious awareness does not mean there was no decision, just that awareness lags behind brain activity

• weakens claim that the research disproves free will

the law

• determinism is incompatible with societys notions of legal responsibility as the legal framework is based on the assumption of free will

• in court, defendants are held responsible for their actions where determinism would suggest they are not accountable as the principle of justice relies on the assumption people freely choose to commit crimes

• suggests determinism is incompatible with legal and moral responsibility