Free will and determinism Flashcards
1
Q
What is the free will vs determinism debate
A
whether people can choose to behave, or whether what they do is influenced by other forces
2
Q
What is free will
A
- people are able to choose how to behave
- their behaviour isn’t a response to external or biological factors, and isn’t influenced by past behaviour
- people can explain behaviours in terms of decisions and intentions
3
Q
Evaluation- free will
A
- free will is subjective- someone might think they’re choosing how to behave, but be influenced by other forces
- some people with psychoogical disorders don’t appear to have free will e.g. people with OCD feel that they can’t control their thoughts and actions
4
Q
What is determinism
A
- all of the physical events in the universe occur in cause and effect relationships
- our thoughts, beliefs and behaviours are determined by past events and causes
- this a scientific view that implies that complete knowledge of a cause and effect relatiosnhip will mean you can predict future behaviour in the same situation
5
Q
Evaluation- determinism
A
- it is a scientific approach. Other sicentific subjects have shown that events in the physical universe operate according to cause and effect relationships that follow certain laws
- determinism is unfalsifiable- it can’t be proved wrong as it assumes that events can be the result of forces that haven’t been discovered yet
6
Q
Soft vs hard determinism
A
- soft determinism is the viewpoint that we choose out behaviour, but the choices that we make are a result of our own personality traits and intentions
- hard determinism rules out the idea of free will
7
Q
Why are many of the approaches determinist to a certain extent
A
- because they look for patterns and causes of behaviour
- if the answer was that behaviour was down to free will, psychologists wouldn’t have much to study. Many of the approaches acknowledge the existence of free will though
8
Q
Psychodynamic approach- determinism/free will
A
- Freud argues that behaviour is determined by unconscious forces- this is psychic determinism e.g. if you forgot to go to ortho appoitnment, you might consciously think it was an accident
- Freud would claim it was determined by unsconscious influences e.g. you didn’t really want to go to ortho
- he also acknowledged that behaviours have many causes, including conscious intentions e.g. a person can choose to have psychoanalysis
9
Q
Biological approach- determinism/free will
A
- behaviours are determined by biological influences e.g. genetics
- e.g. schizophrenia has been linked to genes and brain structure abnormalities
- the idea that this is the sole cause of behaviour is known as biological determinism
10
Q
Cognitive approach- determinism/free will
A
- behaviour is the result of free will and determinism
- the approac looks for patterns in how the brain processes external information, and what behaviours this leads to
- it acknowledges that people use cognitive processes like language to reason and make decisions
11
Q
Behaviourist approach- determinism/free will
A
- Skinner claimed that behaviour is determined by the environment, and is the result of punishment or reinforcement
- this is known as environmental determinism
- everyone has a different history of reinforcement, so knowing this about someone would allow you to predict their behaviour
- if environmental conditioning changes, behaviour will change
12
Q
Psychic vs biological vs environmental determinism
A
- Psychic- behaviour is determined by unconscious forces
- Biological- behaviour is determined by biological influences
- Environmental- behaviour is determined by the environment, and is the result of punishment or reinforcement
13
Q
Humanistic approach- determinism/free will
A
- this approach falls on the free will side
- humanistic psychologists belive that individuals are in control of their behaviour, and are trying to acheieve personal growth
