Issues And Debates Flashcards
(17 cards)
Whats the free will and determinism debate
The free will and determinism debate is concerned with
- whether or not behaviour is freely produced by choice
- or whether caused by forces (internal or external) over which the individual has no control.
Free will
suggests that as human beings we are essentially self-determining and free to choose our thoughts and actions.
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- A belief in free will does not deny there may be biological and environmental forces that exert some influence on our behaviour,
- but still implies we are able to reject/overcome these forces as masters of our own destiny.
This is a view of human behaviour that is advocated by the humanistic approach.
Whats hard and soft determinism
proposes free will has no place in explaining behaviour, though there are 2 versions…
- Hard determinism, or fatalism, says all human behaviour has a cause, and, shd be possible to identify/describe these causes.
- is compatible w aims of science wch uncovers causal links that determine thought and action
- and assumes all we think and do is dictated by internal/external forces we cannot control.
..
- Soft determinism. philosopher James (1890) was first to put of the notion of soft determinism
- became important feature of cognitive approach.
- Whilst acknowledging all human action has cause, soft determinists suggest some room for manoeuvre
- - people have conscious mental control over way they behave.
- James thought while it may be job of scientists to explain determining forces that act on us,
- this does not go against the freedom to make rational conscious choices in everyday
Whats The scientific emphasis on causal explanations
One of the basic principles of science is that every event in universe has a cause
> and that causes can be explained using general laws.
> Knowledge of causes and formulation of laws are important
> they allow scientists to predict and control events in future.
..
- For instance, in chemistry, it can be demonstrated how adding X to Y
- ## will result in Z reaction in controlled environment of test tube.
- Hence, in psychology, laboratory experiment enables researchers to stimulate conditions of test tube
- and remove all other extraneous variables in attempt to precisely control/predict human behaviour.
Whats biological determinism
Biological determinism includes the controlling role of
- different parts of brain
- the nervous system
- the hormonal system
- evolutionary forces
- and genes on behaviour (all internal forces).
Research has indicated a genetic arrangement to behaviours
such as anxiety disorders, gender development, offender behaviour.
Whats environmental determinism
- Environmental determinism says experience of ‘choice’
- is a sum total of reinforcement incidents that acted upon us through our lives.
Research into social influence (Asch and Milgram)
- demonstrates ‘power of the situation’ and
- how social factors can have a causal effect on behaviour.
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- behaviourist approach shows extreme of environmental determinism.
> Behaviour is product of prior reinforcements and punishment.
> Skinner is well known for his assertion that free will is an illusion.
Whats psychic determinism
Another aspect of internal determinism is psychic determinism,
> a view represented by psychodynamic approach.
- Humans are shown as biologically determined by strong innate instincts of sex and aggression
- and by repressed conflicts,
- childhood experiences,
- wishes and memories in unconscious mind.
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Mental activity/behaviour is so the result of unconscious mental processes. - For Freud, there were no accidents; he believed that, no matter how irrational behaviour
- unconscious causes can always account for them.
- Because causes of behaviour are unconscious, ppl think theyre free
- but, in Freud’s view, free will is an illusion.
Implication points on free will vs determinism debate
— problem with responsibility
- murderers can claim behaviour was determined by inherited aggressive tendencies
- so shd not be punished w death penalty, making a morality problem
- as it isnt ethical to punish when their action werent their fault
..
—/+ the treatment of mental disorder.
— disorders like schizophrenia are determined by individual’s biology,
- so determinism tells us best treatment shd target their genes or neurotransmitters.
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— BUT may then block consideration of other treatments like CBT
- bc this is proven beneficial we hard determinism cannot be true
- and so is a reductionist theory not considering the whole
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— determinism allows control and prediction in society
- psychology wants to predict behaviour in studies
- so completely has to disregard free will aspect in debate
- as has to be deterministic
For/against points on free will (—) vs determinism (+) with applications
+ Obedience to authority
- Milgram’s ppts said they had no choice but obey, in ‘agentic state’.
— BUT were seen as responsible for behaviour; had the option to obey.
— Therapies for psychological disorders
- In humanistic client-centred therapy, client consciously/ rationally decides
- what to do abt condition, taking the view on free will
- so hard determinism cannot exist
What types of determinism are aligned with each approach?
• Biological
- biological determinism: are biological limitations on freedom of choice.
- also element of environmental determinism as environments partly dictated by biological factors.
• Behaviourist
- Environmental determinism: are no choices.
- Behaviour totally determined by reinforcement and punishment.
• Social Learning Theory
- Environmental AND soft determinism: environment determines behaviour/different experiences
- Bc a person reasons when deciding how to act
> they view reinforcement
>
Bandura calls mutual interaction between
- person, behaviour and environment reciprocal determinism
• Cognitive
- Soft determinism: ppl select what to attend to
- So choosethoughts and behaviour, but the choices are determined by innate capabilities and experience.
• Psychodynamic
- Psychic determinism: behaviour is determined by unconscious forces,
- although reasons for behaviour are explained by conscious mind.
• Humanistic
- Free will: people direct their lives towards self-chosen goals,
- as seen in humanistic-based therapies.
Holism and reductionist debate; what are they?
concerned with whether greater insight into behaviour is achieved
- by considering all of the components that can influence behaviour
- OR to look at individual components
• holism: the idea that any attempt to break up behaviour and experience
• is inappropriate as they can only be understood by analysing person/behaviour as whole.
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• reductionism analyses behaviour by breaking down to constituent parts.
• based on scientific principle of parsimony:
> all phenomena shd be explained using most basic (low level) principles.
> is often simplest, easiest and most economical level of explanation.
What are the levels of explanation in reductionism
- The reductionist approach suggests explanations begin at highest level
- and progressively look at component elements:
•
• Highest level:
cultural and social explanations of how social groups affect behaviour
• Middle level:
psychological explanations of behaviour
• Lower level:
biological explanations of how hormones and genetics etc. affect our behaviour.
..
We can consider any behaviour in terms of all three levels.
- For example, OCD can be explained socio-cultural context as producing behaviour,
- such as repetitive hand washing, that most people regard as irrational;
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- at a psychological level, as experience of having obsessive thoughts
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- at a physiological level, as low levels of serotonin in brain
- or abnormal functioning of the frontal lobe.
Biological reductionism
- Biological psychologists reduce behaviour to action of neurons, neurotransmitters, hormones etc
- A popular way to explain mental illness is in terms of such units.
—
—eg, has been suggested schizophrenias caused by excessive activity of dopamine
— bc drugs that block this neurotransmitter reduce symptoms of this disorder.
Environmental reductionism
- ## Behaviourist explanations say all behaviour can be explained
- in terms of simple stimulus-response links/can be reduced to
- relationship between behaviour and events in environment.
—example of explanation includes behaviourist explanation for attachment.
- The complex emotion of attachments reduced to a set of probabilities
- mothers likely to provide food wch is reinforcing (reduces discomfort).
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- Hence, shes a rewarding individual so becomes a ‘loved one’
Implications on reductionism and holism debate
— The interactionist approach (for holism)
- holisms more concerned w higher level explanations of behaviour
- like behaviour of individuals in a group
- interactionism considers how diff explanation levels combine/interact.
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- like diathesis-stress model; explains some of mental disorders
- seen as result of predisposition (often genetic)
- wch is ‘triggered’ by some stressor (often experience).
> combining drugs and family therapy; associated w lower relapse rates
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- so, a different approach is considered entirely,
..
+ Social influence
- are aspects of social behaviour that only emerge in a group context
- cannot be understood at level of individual group members.
> eg effects of conformity to social roles
> de-individuation of prisoners and guards in the SPE
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+ BUT there’s a number of explanations for obedience
- wch each individually can be viewed as reductionist
- each identify diff cause of obedient behaviour
..
+ Psychopathology
- are both psychological and biological explanations of mental illness
- wch each are reductionist; focus on simpler levels/individual explanations
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— When treating mental illness, has been argued both biological
- and psychological treatments combined are most effective.
> interactionist
Evaluation on reductionism and holism debate (approaches)
+ Biological
- Explanations at level of genes, hormones, neurochemistry
- and brain activity are (biologically) reductionist
- regarded as incomplete accounts of behaviour
+ behaviourism
-Behaviourists argue simple S-R links are the appropriate unit of analysis; environmental reductionism
- Complex behaviour can be reduced to a series of SR links
—humanism
- believe one can only be understood as a whole
- thoughts, behaviour and experience shdnt be reduced to small components
Whys cognitive approach, SLT and Psychodynamic Approach more difficult to place in one explanation
> arguably contain aspects of all three explanations.
- Reductionist explanations are exemplified by computer analogy
- yet much of cognitive psychology such as theories of perception and social cognition
- draw on holistic explanations.
In explaining cognitive development some theories consider interaction of biological and social factors.
