Free will/determinism

AO1

  • free will - the notion that human beings are self determining and free to choose their own actions and thoughts, advocated by humanistic approach

  • hard determinism - all human behaviour has a cause. everything we do is dictated by internal and external forces that we cannot control

  • soft determinism - behaviour may be predictable but there is also room for personal choice

  • biological determinism - influence of our biological makeup on our behaviour

  • environmental determinism - all behaviour is the result of conditioning. our experience of choice is determined by the reinforcement contingencies that have acted upon us

  • psychic determinism - the influence of biological drives and instincts. freud claims behaviour is affected by unconscious conflicts

AO3

  • taking on a free will approach can have real world application

  • roberts et al - adolescents who had a strong belief in fatalism were at a higher risk of developing depression

  • this suggests that believing we have free will can significantly improve mental health because it shows that the individual has an internal locus of control which make them feel more optimistic

  • this implies that even if we may not have free will, believing that we do can have a positive impact on mind and behaviour

  • this approach can then be applied to therapies

  • a strength of determinism is that it is supported by empirical evidence

  • libet et al - found that the unconscious brain activity leading up to the conscious decision came around half a second early before the participant decided to move their wrist

  • this could suggest that our actions are already determined before we are even aware of it

  • a strength of determinism is that it is consistent with the aims of science, behaviour has a cause and can be measured objectively

  • both biological and environmental can be measured using scans and controlled experiments

  • bobo doll - controlled variables, standardised procedure

  • deterministic explanations put psychology on an equal footing with other more established sciences

  • however, there are limitations to adopting a deterministic stance

  • humanistic approach - emphasises autonomy, voluntary and active processes required to reach self actualisation

  • idea that free will plays no role in behaviour is flawed. free will aligns with everyday experiences of personal autonomy

    • however, free will is unfalsifiable as it cannot be scientifically test