Issues And Debates: Free Will And Determinism ao1

Question 1

Free will is

Answer 1

The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces
We are in charge of our lives

Question 2

Determinism is

Answer 2

Individual beh is shaped by or controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individuals will to do something

Question 3

5 types of determinism

Answer 3

Hard determinism
Soft determinism
Biological determinism
Environmental determinism
Psychic determinism

Question 4

Hard determinism

Answer 4

assumes that everything we think and do is dictated by internal or external forces we can’t control
This is a very extreme view w no free will

Question 5

Soft determinism

Answer 5

• traits and beh to an extent are dictated by internal and external forces
• however we do have some free will over our behaviour through conscious thought processes

Question 6

Soft determinism is clearly linked to what approach?

Answer 6

Cognitive approach and social learning theory

Question 7

Biological determinism

Answer 7

Behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences we cannot control
We can’t control our physiological and neurological processes such as stress and anxiety
Genetics and mental disorders
Hormones like testosterone in aggression
More modern biologists do accept some interaction between environment on our biological structures

Question 8

Biological determinism is closely linked to what approach?

Answer 8

Biological approach

Question 9

Environmental determinism

Answer 9

All beh due to conditioning (skinner)
Our experiences of choice is the sum total of reinforcement contingencies that have acted upon us throughout our lives
We think we are acting independently but our behaviour is being shaped by environmental factors

Question 10

Psychic determinism

Answer 10

Freud thinks free will is an illusion
Places a lot of emphasis on biological drives
Human behaviour is determined and directed by unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood
There is no such thing as an accident
We can’t control these unconscious conflict’s

Question 11

The scientific emphasis on causal explanations

Answer 11

• deterministic arguments where beh are set by forced out of our control
• causal explanations are validated by testing hypothesis in controlled cond
• cause and effect rel can be established if exp is rigorously controlled w consistent and significant differences

Question 12

Determinism in behavourism

Answer 12

Behaviourists are hard environmental determinists; they consider behaviour to be entirely the result of creatures’ interactions with their environment. Behaviour an individual has found rewarding in the past will be more likely to be repeated. (conditioning)
As free will = illusion (skinner)

Question 13

SLT - determinism

Answer 13

soft determinism - beh is det by environment to an extent eg modelling but there is some role of free will eg vic rein and med processes

Question 14

Determinism in cognitive approach

Answer 14

Cognitive psychologists are soft determinists, arguing there are causal factors that influence behaviour. People learn schema through experience, which acts as automatic templates for our behaviour. But they also suggest that with conscious effort (free will), maladaptive automatic internal mental processes can be modified.

Question 15

Determinism in biological approach

Answer 15

Biological determinism suggests behaviour is entirely caused (hard determinists) by our physical nature, including hormones, brains, neurotransmitters, and genes. Behaviours such as aggression and mental health disorders are explained as due to an imbalance of neurotransmitters due to the inheritance of dysfunctional genes.

Question 16

Determinism in psychodynamic

Answer 16

Psychodynamic researchers argue for psychic determinism, the idea that unconscious thoughts, drives and repressed memories shape our conscious behaviours. These unconscious forces are formed in childhood and influence adult behaviour throughout life. eg tripartite personality,fixation and defence mechanisms

Question 17

Determinism in Humanistic approach

Answer 17

Humanists are the only approach that argues for free will, the idea that humans have agency, we are able to make our own decisions free from restraints, and we have moral responsibility for those choices w focus on self actualisation.