Free Will and Determinism

Question 1

What approach suggests we have free will

Answer 1

Humanistic

Question 2

What is determinism

Answer 2

View that an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal (biological) or external forces
Means our behaviour should be predictable
Linked to behaviourist approach, psychodynamic approach, biological approach…

Question 3

What is free will

Answer 3

smth the kids in my basement dont have
Notion that as humans, we are free to choose our own thoughts and actions
Views humans as self-determining
They have an active role in controlling their behaviour and are not acting in response to any external or internal (biological) pressures
Linked to humanistic approach

Question 4

What is hard determinism

Answer 4

Free will is not possible as our behaviour is always caused by internal and external events beyond our control
Has principles of science (uncover laws that govern thought and action)

Question 5

What is soft determinism

Answer 5

Suggests all human action has a cause
However people have conscious mental control over the way they behave
The idea that behaviour/actions/traits are to an extent governed by internal/external forces, but we still have some element of free will to control our behaviour

Question 6

What is biological hard determinism

Answer 6

The belief that behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) influences that we cannot control

Question 7

Examples of biological hard determinism

Answer 7

Sociobiological theory of relationship formation (evolutionary)
Neural and genetic explanations of crime behaviour
Physiological responses to stress (autonomic nervous system)
Mental health - genetic bases

Question 8

What is environmental hard determinism

Answer 8

The belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment (such as systems of reward and punishment) that we cannot control

Question 9

Examples of environmental hard determinism

Answer 9

Skinner believes “free will is an illusion”
Behaviourist approach
Conditioning (+ve and -ve reinforcement)
Token economy (reward for good behaviour)
Differential association theory
Agents of socialisation

Question 10

What is psychic hard determinism

Answer 10

The belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts we cannot controlE

Question 11

Examples of psychic hard determinism

Answer 11

Freud (biological drives and instincts)
Determined and directed by unconscious conflicts
Maternal deprivation (Bowlby)

Question 12

What is humanistic approach on free will

Answer 12

Roger’s client-centered therapy
-Removal of psychological barrier leads to self-actualisation
-Individuals are in control of their behaviour and are trying to achieve personal growth

Question 13

What is the case for free will

Answer 13

We exercise it on a daily basis
Roberts et al. 2000 = found adolescents w a strong belief in fatalism were at a greater risk of developing depression, suggesting belief we have free will may have a +ve effect on our mind and behaviour

Question 14

What is the case against free will

Answer 14

Neurological studies of decision-making reveal vidence against free will
Chun Siong Soon et al 2008 = found evidence that brain activity determines the activity of simple choices
e.g. whether we press a button w our left or right hand, this occurs in the brain up to 20 seconds before participants reported being consciously aware of making such a decision

Question 15

What is the case for determinism

Answer 15

Consistent w aims of science
Prediction and control of human behaviour has led to the development of treatments, therapies and behavioural interventions
-Ppl w schizophrenia can experience a total loss of control over thoughts and behaviour (mental health = behaviour is determined)

Question 16

What is the relationship between free will and the law

Answer 16

Basis of moral responsibility is that an individual is in charge of their own actions, i.e. can exercise free will
Law states that children and those who are mentally ill do not have this responsibility, but otherwise there is the assumption, in our soceity (IN tHis eCOnomY) that ‘normal’ adult behaviour is self determined
In other words - humans are accountable for their actions, regardless of innate factors or the influence of early experience
Law of diminished responsibility

Question 17

What is the case against determinism

Answer 17

Hard determinism is inconsistent w the way our legal system operates in which ppl are morally accountable for their actions
e.g. Mobley case
Determinism is unfalsifiable - do the behaviours always exist?
Murder by numbers film

Question 18

What is a compromise between free will and hard determinism

Answer 18

Soft deterministic position (some free will, some determinism)
e.g. social learning theory suggested we have free will but some environmental factors can also have an impact upon behaviour, Bandora = choose who or what to attend to and when to perform certain behaviours
Cognitive = patterns in how the brain processes external info and what behaviours this leads to
Also acknowledges that ppl use cognitive processes such as language to reason and make decision