Free Will vs Determinism

Deteriminism

the view that free will is an illusion, and that our behaviour is governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control. Consequently, our behaviour is seen as predictable

Free Will

the idea that we can play an active role and have choice in how we behave. The assumption is individuals are free to choose their behaviour and are self-determined

Hard determinism

the view that forces outside of our control (e.g. biology or past experience) shape our behaviour. It is incompatible with free will

Soft determinism

William James (1890)

the view behaviour is constrained by the environment or biological make-up, but only to a certain extent and their is an element of free will in all behaviour

Sam Harris

American Author and Neuroscientist

believes free will is an illusion

our actions are the result of brain statesx

Types of determinism

hard, soft, biological, psychic, environmental

Biological determinism

the idea that human behaviour is innate and determined by genes

Environmental determinism

the view that behaviour is caused by forces outside the individual, such as past experience

Psychic determinism

claims human behaviour is the result of childhood experience and innate drives (ID, Ego and Superego)

Example of biological determinism in psychopathology

The biological approach of OCD suggests OCD is partly genetic

Nestadt et al. (2000) found those with close relatives were 5 times more likely to get OCD

Example of environmental determinism in psychopathology

behaviourist approach for phobias suggests they are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

Examples of psychic determinism in approaches

the psychodynamic approach suggests gender behaviours are acquired during the phallic stage of development, through resolution of the Oedipus or Electra complex

Freudian slips

Example of free will

Humanist psychologists argue against the determinism view, claiming we have self-determination and free will and that behaviour is not the result of any single cause

Humanist argument

LIMITATION

P: Humanist psychologists argue against determinism, claiming humans have self-determination and free will

E: Furthermore, there is evidence to support this. Identical twin studies typically find an 80% similarity in intelligence scores and 40% similarity in the likelihood of depression

C: However, as identical twins share 100% of their genes, these results suggest that 20% is caused by other (environmental) factors. This shows biological determinism is unable to explain any particular behaviour, in this case, depression and intelligence

C: The same evidence indicates that no behaviour is completely environmentally determined. If identical twins only show 80% likeness in terms of intelligence, so only 20% is caused by the environment, showing a limitation with biological and environmental determinism

Determinism provides an ‘excuse’

LIMITATION

P: Many psychologists, do not favour a deterministic point of view. If behaviour is determined by outside forces, that provides a potential excuse for criminal acts

E: E.g., in 1981 Stephen Mobley argued he was ‘born to kill’ after killing a pizza shop manager because his family had a disposition towards violence. This argument was rejected by an American court

C: Therefore, a hard determinist position may be undesirable as it provides an ‘excuse’, allowing people to mitigate their own liability and could lead to legal issues regarding the nature of responsibility and intent (mens rea)

Approach linked to biological determinism / hard determinism

Biological

behaviour is controlled by internal biological factors (e.g. neurons etc)

Approach linked to environmental determinism

behaviourist

behaviour is controlled by stimulus-response conditioning

Approaches linked to soft determinism

social learning theory

controlled by environmental forces. But humans have personal responsibility and free choice

cognitive

controlled by mediational processes; but we can choose what information we attend to

Approach linked to psychic determinism

psychodynamic

behaviour is determined by unconscious drives and early childhood experiences

Approach linked to free will

humanist

humans control their own environment and are capable of change

Cognitive

Examples of free will in everyday life

• Therapy

  based on the concept of being able to choose your behaviour and change

• Reflection

  we can look back and learn from past behaviour

• Morals/responsibility

  no point in a morality system if we have no free will. Without it, we have no responsibility for our actions

Example of free will in psychopathology

Maslow (1943)

motivation - self-actualisation requires an ability to choose a path

Types of soft determinism

environmental, psychic, biological

Example of environmental determinism in approaches

Bandura’s learning approach

where children copied violent behaviour

Example of biological determinism in schizophrenia

excess dopamine = schizophrenia

Free will benefits

STRENGTH

P: Believing we have free will can lead to increases in mental health

E: Research suggests that people who have an internal locus of control, believing that they have a high degree of influence over events and their own behaviour, tend to be more mentally healthy. Roberts et al. (2000) demonstrated that adolescents with a strong belief in fatalism (hard determinism) - that their lives are decided by events outside of their control - were at significantly greater risk of developing depression

C: This suggests that, even if we do not have free will, the fact that we think we do may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour

Measuring free will

LIMITATION

P: A problem with the free will and determinism debate is that free will is practically impossible to test

E: It is a non-physical phenomenon and as such is difficult to quantify and measure. As psychology is a science, the idea that something without a physical presence can affect behaviour is at odds with the discipline

C: If, at some point in the future, measurement becomes possible, the scientific discipline of psychology may be able to resolve the debate. Of course, the arguments is that free will is not measurable because it does not exist

Research against free will

LIMITATION

P: Research conducted by Chun Siong Soon et al. (2008) has revealed evidence against free will

E: They demonstrated that the brain activity that determines the outcome of simple choices may predate our knowledge of having made such a choice. The researchers found that the activity related to whether to press a button with the left or right hand occurs in the brain up to 10 seconds before participants report being consciously aware of making such a decision

C: This shows that even our most basic experiences of free will are decided and determined by our brain before we become aware of them; thus contradicting the free will argument