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

free will evaluation

1. practical value

2. research evidence

3. the law

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

determinism evaluation

1. scientific 

2. the law 

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

scientific

• aligns with features of science increasing credibility of psychological research

• it assumes behaviour has a cause and can thus be objectively measured under controlled conditions - ie biological approach relies on deterministic principles when studying influence of neurotransmitters or genes on behaviour (research into dopamines role in schizophrenia uses lab based methods ie brain scans and drug trials allowing establishment of causation)

• thus makes findings replicable and reliable