Free will and Determinism

Free will

We have full choice over actions

No influence or manipulation from internal or external factors

Humanistic

Cannot be observed

Determinism

Behaviours are caused by variables known as Determinants

We have little actual control

Emphasis on causal explanation

Biological determinism

Behaviour that is a result of internal processes within the body

Genetics, brain, physiology, biochemistry 

Genetics are influential and can increase likelihood of that behaviour but do not definitively cause behaviour

Environmental determinism

Behaviour as a result of our physical environment (social influence)

Parenting, peers and upbringing

Psychic determinism

Behaviour that is caused by our unconscious mind, links very closely to the psychodynamic approach

Psychic determinism argues that this is why some individuals do not know why they take a certain courses of action

Has roots in explaining criminality

Soft determinism

Human behaviour is generally predetermined by factors outside of their control, but have the option to exercise free will in some situations

Accepts humans have a perception of control

Hard determinism

Human behaviour is completely determined by factors outside of their control

No free will at all

Causal explanations

Psychologies tendency to observe one variable affecting another

Every event in the universe has a cause and that cause can be explained using general laws

• All variables, such as confounding and extraneous variables, are controlled for

• Any differences in the DV must therefore be down to the IV’s

• Researchers can infer that the IV clearly affected the DV

Evaluation points

+Determinism is heavily scientific

-Determinism has major complications for the criminal justice system as a crime is not due to their free will

-Research found that kids that believed in determinism were at higher risk of depression

Evidence that free will is a fallacy