Free will vs determinism debate

The free will vs determinism debate

Explores the extent to which our thoughts and behaviours are influenced by forces beyond our conscious control - do we have full conscious control?

Determiminsmn

• free will is an illusion

• Behaviour is governed by external (environmental factors, e.g. environment) and internal (biological factors e.g. genes, hormones ) beyond our control

• Behaviour is predictable as all behaviours have a cause

Causal explanations in psychological research

Everything has a cause so can be predicted, basic principle of science.

• In psychological research lab experiments allow an independent variable to be isolated and manipulated to observe the causal effect on the dependent variable

• Extraneous variables are controlled to enable psychologists to precisely predict human behaviour

Hard determinism

Forces outside of our control shape our behaviour and free will is an illusion- no control

3 types - bio, env and psychic determinism

Biological determinism

Example

• Human behaviour is innate and determined by biological influences (e.g. genetics)

• family studies into OCD concordance rates suggests a genetic vulnerability- Nestadt: Mz twins 87% vs Dz twins 47%, suggesting a genetic role in OCD

Environmental determinism

Example

Behaviour is caused by external forces (out environment).,

Skinner proposed that free will is an illusion

Behaviour is a result of conditioning

Two process model- phobias are acquired and maintained though conditioning . Watson and Rayner’s Little Albert study- acquisition of phobia of rats through CC

Psychic determinism

Example

Behaviour is governed by innate drives and unconscious conflicts repressed from childhood

Freud claimed that children develop in 5 psychosexual stages each marked by a different conflict that the child must resolve. If the child has unresolved conflicts, this can lead to a fixation and the associated behaviours carry through to later life

Soft determinism

Behaviour is constructed by environmental and/or biological factors but only to s certain extent and there is an element of free will

Although behaviour may be predictable it is not inevitable -ultimately we can choose how we behave

Free will

Example

• Humans have an active role and can make active choices about their behaviour, behaviour is self-determined.

• It does not deny the influence of external and internal factors but they do not govern behaviour and humans have a choice.

• Humanism- humans have free will and self-determinism so behaviour is not a result of a single cause. Roger and Maslow (humanists)- individuals are in control of behaviour and trying to achieve personal growth

AO3- negative implications of determinism

P- one argument for adopting a free will stance over one of hard determinism is the negative implications of a hard determinist way of explaining viewpoint

E- if behaviour is determined by outside forces it can provide a potential excuse for criminal acts. E.g. court cases in the US have used the genetic variant called the MAOA gene as a defence for violent acts and murders committed by offenders.

E- determinism as a defence has never been successful in preventing conviction so it isn’t compatible with the legal system or conventional views of morality

L- free will is more compatible with societies views on responsibility and is also more appropriate as it suggests that people can change and be rehabilitated rather than be controlled by their biology or upbringing

AO3- is free will an illusion

P- psychologists such as Skinner argue that the free will vs determinism debate is pointless as free will is an illusion

E- Libet er al- Motor regions in the brain became active at least 2000 milliseconds before a person registers conscious awareness of a decision. (I.e. decision to move a finger was actually a pre-determined action by the brain) This strongly suggests that many actions are biologically determined and although we may believe we have free will, Skinner’s claim that it is an illusion may be correct.

E- However, even if free will is an illusion it is appealing for many and therefore viewed as intuitively correct. This is what causes the free will vs determinism debate to continue. Free will is supported by the positive psychology movement and has had a positive influence with the effectiveness of treatments including client-based therapy

L- this supports the value of recognising free will as a more positive way to explain behaviour, although it may be an illusion

AO3- determinism is consistent with science

P- determinism viewpoint is stronger as it is consistent with the features of science, unlike free will

E- determinist approach to studying behaviour allows for manipulation of the independent variable to see its effect on a dependent variable and establish cause and effect. This allows psychologists to adopt an objective approach through drawing causal relationships which can predict future behaviour.

Whereas the concept of free will is impossible to test- it is a non-physical vague concept that cannot be observed or quantified, therefore it cannot be falsified. As psychology is a science this idea is challenged by many who believe grat. if it is not measurable, it does not exist.

E- however, those who adopt a free will stance criticise science’s determinism for making sweeping generalisations about behaviour.

L- there are many potential factors influencing human behaviour so it is arguably impossible to identity one single cause for any one behaviour or to predict behaviours effectively, whereas free will considers each person individually, avoiding these sweeping generalisations

AO3 -conclusion

When looking at the strengths and limitations of the free will determinism debate it appears that neither are fully correct.

Maybe individuals do make conscious choices but they are constrained to some extent by external and internal forces- SOFT DETERMINISM