free will and determinism Flashcards
What does the free will vs. determinism debate examine
Whether human behaviour is the result of conscious personal choice or shaped by internal or external forces
free will
The belief that individuals have control over their own thoughts, choices, and behaviours
determinism
behaviour is shaped by pre-existing factors, meaning individuals have little or no control over their actions
hard determinism
The perspective that all human behaviour is completely pre-determined, meaning there is no free will
How does hard determinism relate to biological, environmental, and psychic determinism
It aligns with the idea that behaviour follows fixed laws, similar to scientific laws
the dopamine hypothesis
suggests schizophrenia is caused by excess dopamine activity in the brain, leading to symptoms like hallucinations and delusions
how does the dopamine hypothesis support biological determinism
implies that individuals with an overactive dopamine system cannot control their symptoms, indicating behaviour is determined by neurochemical imbalances
soft determinism
The belief that behaviour is influenced by determining factors, but individuals still have some degree of free will within these constraints
Bandura’s social learning theory
behaviour is influenced by external factors like role models and reinforcement, but individuals have a choice in whether to imitate a behaviour
How does social learning theory support soft determinism
shows that while learning processes influence behaviour, individuals still exercise rational decision-making
biological determinism
The view that behaviour is controlled by genetic, neurochemical, and brain structure factors
an example of biological determinism
Schizophrenia, where symptoms arise due to biological mechanisms, indicating behaviour is not a conscious choice
environmental determinism
The belief that behaviour is shaped by external factors, such as reinforcement, conditioning, and social influence
example of environmental determinism
The learning theory of attachment, where infants become attached to caregivers through classical conditioning
psychic determinism
view that behaviour is driven by unconscious conflicts from childhood
an example of psychic determinism
Freud’s Oedipus Complex, where gender identity is determined by unconscious desires and parental relationships
