Determinism

Hard determinism

• view that all human behaviour is entirely determined by external/internal forces that are beyond human control

soft determinism

• view that behaviour is determined by internal external forces but also there is some degree of free will

Types of determinism

• environmental: shaped by forces around us

• biological: factors such as genes, hormones.

• psychic: unconscious forces from childhood experiences

casual explanations

• idea that one variable causes change in another variable.

• lab experiments encourage researchers to removes extraneous variables.

• allows us to precisely predict human behaviour

strength - implications for society

• soft determination is a compromise between free will and determinism

• not like hard which argues all behaviour is controlled by other forces

• e.g cognitive approach - free will + computational thinking

• reflects everyday experiences, more balanced explanation

limitation - implications for society

• negative implications for how we treat criminals.

• if behaviour is determined, individuals may attempt to excuse behaviour as its out of control

• similar in mental health, could reduce treatment options to only drug therapies, ignoring psychological factors

• suggest hard determinism oversimplifies complex disorders