Free will and Determinism Flashcards
(13 cards)
Intro: Free will and determinism
The concept of free will suggests that humans are free to choose their own behaviour, thoughts and actions. Although there may be internal or external forces that can impact this choice, free will believe we have the ability to reject these pressure and self determine our own destiny. In humanism Rogers believes that by Person Centred Therapy we we have the ability overcome challenges and self actualise. Whereas determinism argues that behaviour is controlled by external or internal factors and they have no control over their behaviour
AO1: Hard determinism
All human behaviour is a result of external/internal factors that we can’t control. Free will does not play a role so individuals have no choice in their behaviour. For example it’s believed that an individuals vulnerability to OCD is due to the inheritance of a mutated SERT gene which causes anxiety.
AO1: Soft determinism
All human behaviour is a result of external/internal choices yet as individuals we are able to make conscious decisions about what we want in life which impacts human behaviour. For example in the social learning theory behaviour is learnt through observing and imitating a behaviour however our thought processes must play a part as to whether or not we identify with someone as a role model.
What are the three subtypes of hard determinism?
1) Biological
2) Environmental
3) Psychic
AO1: Biological determinism
Human behaviour is controlled by internal, biological factors such as genetics, evolution and hormones. For example addiction to a substance can be encouraged through lower levels of D2 receptors.
AO1: Environmental determinism
Behaviour is controlled by external factors within their surrounding such as parents, peers, society and upbringing e.g. reinforcements and punishments. For example an infant attaches to their caregiver through associations between stimulus, response and food provided.
AO1: Psychic determinism
Human behaviour is controlled by unconscious conflicts in the mind which have been repressed by childhood conflict. For example in the psychodynamic approach an anxious personality is caused by an overactive superego (morality principle)
AO1: The scientific emphasis on casual explanations
Deterministic research can be praised to make psychology more scientific because it uses highly controlled experiments e.g. lab or brain scans. This ensures we have high control over extraneous variables so we can be more certain that the IV impacts the DV which establishes cause and effect. Therefore it’s easier to create general laws about behaviour so we can create theories which can be empirically tested and development treatments.
What are the evaluations for free will and determinism? (3 + stretch)
1) Practical applications
2) Legal system
3) Free wil - positive stance
4) Stretch
AO3: Practical applications
The concept of determinism is highly scientific because from research it’s possible to predict behaviour and treat it. Determinism has led to practical applications because if we know what is causing abnormal behaviour in society e.g. high levels of dopamine causing SZ it will make it easier to develop treatments. For example it is unlikely that someone will choose to have SZ and complete loss over their thoughts and behaviour as free will suggests, therefore having a deterministic stance has led to drugs (typical/atypical) being developed to decrease dopamine activity levels in the brain reducing positive symptoms of SZ therefore hallucinations. This means when explaining human behaviour determinism is an important part of applied psychology
AO3: Legal system
Although determinism has led to practical applications and the development of treatments taking a stance in hard determinism is inconsistent with the role of self control and responsibility which has implications in the British legal system. Hard determinism suggest that behaviour is due to internal or external factors and we have no control over behaviour. For example in the court of law, offends are considered morally accountable for their actions which suggests their free will plays a role in whether they commit a crime. Therefore this restricts the use of determinism in the real life when explaining peoples behaviour.
AO3: Free will - positive stance
The belief in self control and personal choice from free will takes a more positive approach than determinism. This is because it allows people to believe they have choice over their behaviour which may have a positive impact on mental health. For example those with internal locus of control who believe they have high influence of their behaviour tend to be more mentally healthy than those with external locus of control who believe their life is influenced by factors outside of there control. This suggests that even if we do not have free will, thinking we do may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour.
AO3: Stretch - subjectivity
Whilst free will is seen as more positive it is difficult to define to the issue of subjectivity. Although objective research is limited there has been some support of determinism in human behaviour. For example Tibet reported through the use of brain scan that the brain initiates the process of moving a hand almost half a second before we are consciously aware of deciding to move a hand. Therefore the current understanding of behaviour can’t exclusively argue for either side of the debate with many researchers holding a position of soft determinism to allow for a combination of each influencing behaviour.
