determinism vs free will Flashcards
determinism definition
the view that free will is an illusion, and that our behaviour is governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control. consequently our behaviour is viewed as predictable
hard determinism definition
the view that forces outside of our control (eg biology or past experience) shape our behaviour. hard determinism is seen as incompatible with free will
soft determinism definiton
the view that behaviour is constrained by the environment or biological makeup, but only to a certain extent and that there is an element of free will in all behaviour.
free will definition
the idea that we can play an active role and have choice in how we behave. the assumption is that individuals are free to choose their behaviour and self-determined
biological determinism
refers to the idea that all human behaviour is innate and determined by genes
example of biological determinism
year 1 psychopathology
psychopathology as an topic example of biological determinism
the biological approach suggests OCD is partly genetic - people with first degree relatives with OCD are 5 times more likely to suffer from OCD
environmental determinism
is the view that behaviour is caused by external forces outside the individual. therefore, behaviour is caused by previous experience learned through classical and operant conditioning
topic example of environmental determinism
year 1 psychopathology
psychopathology as a topic example of environmental determinism
the behaviourist approach suggests that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning and therefore to some extent, environmentally determined.
psychic determinism
claims that human behaviour is the result of childhood experiences and innate drives (id, ego, superego), as in Freud’s model of psychological development
example of psychic determinism
year 2 Gender
gender as a topic example of psychic determinism
the psychodynamic approach suggests that gender behaviours are acquired during the phallic stage of development, through the resolution of the Oedipus complex
topic example of free will
year 2 approaches in psychology
approaches as a topic example of free will
humanist psychologists argue against the determinism view claiming that humans have self-determination and free will and that behaviour is not the result of any single cause,
AO3
deterministic implications for psychology as a science
the deterministic approach has important implications for psychology as a science. scientists are interested in discovering laws which can then be used to predict events. as a science, psychology aims to do the same thing - to develop laws to predict behaviour. if we argue against determinism, we are rejecting the scientific approach to explaining behaviour. mental illnesses appear to undermine the concept of free will. for example, individuals with OCD lose control of their thoughts and actions and people with depression lose control over their emotions.
AO3
- soft determinism good
a pure deterministic or free will approach does not seem appropriate when studying human behaviour. most psychologists use the concept of free will to express the idea that behaviour is not a passive reaction to forces, but that individuals actively respond to internal and external forces. the term soft determinism is often used to describe this position, whereby people do have a choice, but their behaviour is always subject to some form of biological or environmental pressure.
AO3
humanist psychologists argue against determinism
humanist psychologists argue against the determinism view, claiming that humans have self-determination and free will and that behaviour is not the result of any single cause. furthermore, there is plenty of evidence to support humanist psychologists. for example, identical twin studies typically find an 80% similarity in intelligence scores and a 40% similarity in the likelihood of depression. However, as identical twins share 100% of their genes, these results suggest that 20% is caused by other environmental factors. this demonstrates that biological determinism is unable to explain any particular behaviour, in this case, depression and intelligence. the same evidence indicates that no behaviour is completely environmentally determined. If identical twins only show an 80% likeness in terms of intelligence, it is therefore assumed that only 20% is caused by the environment.
evidence to support biological determinism
- twin studies
MZ studies typically find an 80% similarity in intelligence scores and a 40% similarity in the likelihood of depression
weakness of determinism
- determinism provides an excuse
deterministic explanations for behaviour reduce individual responsibility. a person arrested for a violent attack may plead they were not responsible for their behaviour, in other words their behaviour was determined.
for example, stephen mobley argued that he was ‘born to kill’ after killing a pizza shop manager, because his family had a disposition towards violence. this argument was rejected in court.
- free will is an illusion
skinner argues that free will is an illusion. Libet et al found that the motor regions of the brain become active before a person registers conscious awareness of a decision
weakness of determinism
psychologists who take the free will view suggest that determinism removes freedom and devalues human behaviours. by creating general laws of behaviour, deterministic psychology underestimates the uniqueness of human beings and their freedom to choose their own destiny.
