free will vs determinism Flashcards
(13 cards)
what is meant by determinism?
the view that an individuals behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal (genes) or external (environment) forces rather than an individual’s will to do something. Assumes behaviour is predictable and lawful
what is meant by free will?
used to refer to the alternative and position where an individual is seen as being capable of self-determination. Individuals have an active role in controlling their behaviour.
This approach is all about personal responsibility and plays central role in humanism.
Psychologists who take free will view suggest determinism removes freedom and dignity, and devalues human behaviour.
Free Will suggests that we all have a choice and can control and choose our own behaviour
what does hard determinism refer to?
sometimes referred to as fatalism, suggests that all human behaviour has a cause and in principle, it should be possible to identify and describe these causes
it implies that free-will is not possible as our behaviour is always caused by internal or external forces beyond our control
what does soft determinism refer to?
middle-grounf
people do have a choice but that choice is constrained to external factors e.g. being poor doesn’t make you steal but make you more likely to take that route through desperation
who first put forward soft-determinism?
William James (1980), a position that later became an important feature of the cognitive approach
what is biological determinism?
the belief that behaviour is caused by biological systems e.g. nervous system (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary), we cannot control these influences
what is environmental determinism?
belief that behaviour is caused by outside influence e.g. parental influence
features of the environment (systems of reward and punishment) influence our behaviour that we cannot control
what is psychic determinism?
Freud believed childhood experiences and unconscious motivations governed behaviour
Freud thought that free will was an illusion because he felt causes of our behaviour is unconscious and still predictable
what are strengths and weaknesses of the free will debate?
doesn’t marry well with scientific approach taken by modern psychology. Free will is not tangible, not observable and measurable
some may say free will is an illusion skinner claimed our decisions only ‘appear’ to be ‘ours’. In fact they are made within a narrow set of parameters and options.
Bandura challenged this though - rewards inform - our conscious decision
modern neuroscience has offered evidence to suggest that our brains are in control of us rather than the other way round (Libet et al, 1983 and Soon et al 2008)
what are the strengths and weaknesses of the determinism debate?
preferred perspective of many psychologists today, it does not explain lack of 100% concordance rate in twin/adoption studies
discoveries of chaos theory and quantum physics have shown that there is no such thing as determinism
determinism in the treatment of mental illness targets deterministic factors e.g most common form of treatment for depression is drug therapy that alters level of NTs, which is seen as the cause. Singular focus on this factor = other factors ignored
criminals could put forward defence that they are not responsible for crimes committed
what is the free will vs determinism debate in essence?
the debate revolves around the extent to which our behaviour is the result of forces over which we have no control or whether people are able to decide for themselves whether to act or behave in a certain way
what are the strengths of free will?
- emphasises importance of individual and individ differences
- fits society’s view of personal responsibility e.g. breaking laws should be punishable
- subjective experience of most people is that they are in control of their own actions and behaviours supported by humanistic approach
what are weaknesses of free will?
free will practically impossible to test, non-physical phenomenon, difficult to measure and quantify
-psychology is a science and suggesting the idea that something with physical appearance can affect behaviour somewhat contradicts the discipline.
Resolution of debate not currently likely, argument is that free will is not measurable because it does not exist
