Free will vs determinism

Define free will

The belief that humans can make their own choices and are not determined by biological/ external factors - links to humanistic approach

Define determinism

the belief that humans’ behaviour is shaped by internal/external forces that are not conscious

Define hard determinism

-also called fatalism

-Suggests all behaviour has a cause and these can be identified and described; every action is dictated by internal or external forces we cannot control - no free will

-Compatible with the aims of science - to uncover casual laws

Define soft determinism

-Put forward by philosopher William James

-Believed all actions have a cause but there is ‘room to manoeuvre’ - people have conscious mental control over how they behave

Define biological determinism

The belief that behaviour is caused by biological influences that we cannot control

-e.g In 1876 Lombroso (Italian physician) suggested criminals were genetic throwbacks and recognisable from their atavistic form

Define environmental determinism

-Belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment

-Choice is the sum total of reinforcement actions that have acted upon us - we think we are acting independently but our behaviour is shaped by the environment agencies of socialisation

-Skinner described free will as an illusion and all behaviour is a result of conditioning

Define psychic determinism

-The belief that behaviour is caused by uncontrollable unconscious conflicts (repressed in childhood)

-No accidents, not even a slip off the tongue (called parapraxes)

-Freud agreed free will is an illusion but placed more emphasis on the influence of biological drives and instincts

What are the arguments for determinism?

-Consistent with aims of science

-Prediction/control of behaviour led to the development of treatments and therapies that have benefitted many

-Unlikely that people would choose to have conditions e.g mental health

What are the arguments against determinism?

Hard determinism not consistent with legal system:

-Offenders are held morally accountable for their behaviour and actions

-Law of Diminished Responsibility is only used in extreme circumstances

What are the arguments for free will?

-Face validity if the concept - everyday experience gives the impression we are making own choices

-People with an internal locus of control believe they have a high degree of influence over their own behaviour - which is found to lower risk of depression

What are the arguments for free will?

-Chun Siong Soon and others (2008) demonstrated that the brain activity that determines the outcome of choices happen before we know we have made that choice

-Research found that brain activity related to which button to press happened up to 10 seconds before participants reported being aware of the decision

What is a compromise between the debate?

-An interactionist position provides us with a compromise in the debate

-Social Learning Theory has a soft determinist position - it acknowledges environmental and cognitive factors e.g freedom to choose who or what to learn from

-Bandura suggested reciprocal determinism where we are influenced by our environment, but we also influence our environment