3. free will-determinism debate Flashcards
THE FREE WILL - DETERMINISM DEBATE
Asks
is our behaviour a matter of free will or are we the product of a set of internal and/or external influences that determine what we do?
Most approaches are determinist to some extent. However, the different approaches disagree on what the precise causes of human behaviour are e.g.
biological, behavioural, humanist
the biological approach suggests the causes are internal (nature or nurture) whereas the behaviourist approach suggests they are external. The humanistic approach embraces the concept of free will.
FREE WILL
Suggests
that human beings are essentially self-determining and free to choose their own thoughts and actions. A belief in free will does not deny that there may be biological and environmental forces that exert some influence a behaviour but implies that we are able to reject those forces if we wish because we are in control of our thoughts/behaviour.
Free will is a view of human behaviour that is advocated by the humanistic approach.
DETERMINISM
Proposes that free will has no place in explaining behaviour:
an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individual’s will to do something.
HARD DETERMINISM - 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. Such a position always assumes that everything we think and do is determined by internal or external forces we cannot control.
SOFT DETERMINISM is
the view that behaviour may be predictable (caused by internal / external factors) but there is also room for personal choice (making rational conscious choices) in everyday situations.
This is an important feature of the cognitive approach.
BIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM - behaviour is caused by
biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences that we cannot control. E.g. influence of genes on mental health.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM - the belief that behaviour is caused by
features of the environment (rewards and punishments) that we cannot control. Skinner described free will as an ‘illusion’ and argued behaviour is the result of conditioning, and the experience of ‘choice’ is the sum of reinforcement that have acted upon us throughout our lives.
PSYCHIC DETERMINISM - the belief that behaviour is caused by
unconscious psychodynamic conflicts that we cannot control. Freud also believed free will is an ‘illusion’ and emphasised the influence of biological drives and instincts.
He saw human behaviour as determined by unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood.
THE SCIENTIFIC EMPHASIS ON CAUSAL EXPLANATIONS
what does this refer to?
One of the basic principles of science is that every event in the universe has a cause and that causes can be explained using general laws (hard determinism). Knowledge of causes and the formulation of laws are important they allow scientists to predict and control events in the future.
In psychology, lab experiments are the ideal of science as they enable researchers to demonstrate causal relationships.
AO3: strength of FREE WILL
PRACTICAL VALUE - Roberts (fatalist adolescents)
Free will has practical value.
The common-sense view is that we exercise free choice in our everyday lives on a daily basis. However, been if this is not the case, thinking we do exercise free choice can improve our mental health. Roberts et al. looked at adolescents who had a strong belief in fatalism (their lives were decided by events outside of their control). The study found that these adolescents were at significantly greater risk of developing depression. It seems that people who exhibit an external rather than internal locus of control are less likely to be optimistic.
This suggests that even if we do not have free will, the fact that we believe we do may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour.
AO3: strength of DETERMINISM
RESEARCH EVIDENCE - Libet (flick wrist)
Brain scan evidence supports determinism.
Libet et al. instructed patients to choose a random movement to flick their wrist while he measured activity in their brain. Participants had to say when they felt the conscious will to move. Libet found that the unconscious brain activity leading up to the conscious decision to move came around half a second before the participant consciously felt they had decided to move.
This may be interpreted as meaning that even our most basic experiences of free will are actually determined by out brain before we are aware of them.
AO3: limitation of DETERMINISM
THE LAW (STRENGTH OF FREE WILL)
One limitation of determinism is the position of the legal system on responsibility.
The hard determinist stance is that individual choices is not the cause of behaviour. This is not consistent with the way in which the legal system works. In a court of law, offenders are held responsible for their actions - the main principle of the legal system is that a defendant exercised their free will in committing the crime.
This suggests that in the real world, determinist arguments do not work.
