determinism vs free will

Question 1

determinism definition

Answer 1

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

Question 2

hard determinism definition

Answer 2

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

Question 3

soft determinism definiton

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

free will definition

Answer 4

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

Question 5

biological determinism

Answer 5

refers to the idea that all human behaviour is innate and determined by genes

Question 6

example of biological determinism

Answer 6

year 1 psychopathology

Question 7

psychopathology as an topic example of biological determinism

Answer 7

the biological approach suggests OCD is partly genetic - people with first degree relatives with OCD are 5 times more likely to suffer from OCD

Question 8

environmental determinism

Answer 8

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

Question 9

topic example of environmental determinism

Answer 9

year 1 psychopathology

Question 10

psychopathology as a topic example of environmental determinism

Answer 10

the behaviourist approach suggests that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning and therefore to some extent, environmentally determined.

Question 11

psychic determinism

Answer 11

claims that human behaviour is the result of childhood experiences and innate drives (id, ego, superego), as in Freud’s model of psychological development

Question 12

example of psychic determinism

Answer 12

year 2 Gender

Question 13

gender as a topic example of psychic determinism

Answer 13

the psychodynamic approach suggests that gender behaviours are acquired during the phallic stage of development, through the resolution of the Oedipus complex

Question 14

topic example of free will

Answer 14

year 2 approaches in psychology

Question 15

approaches as a topic example of free will

Answer 15

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,

Question 16

AO3
deterministic implications for psychology as a science

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

AO3
- soft determinism good

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

AO3
humanist psychologists argue against determinism

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

evidence to support biological determinism
- twin studies

Answer 19

MZ studies typically find an 80% similarity in intelligence scores and a 40% similarity in the likelihood of depression

Question 20

weakness of determinism
- determinism provides an excuse

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

• free will is an illusion

Answer 21

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

Question 22

weakness of determinism

Answer 22

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.