Free Will And Determinism Flashcards
Determinism:
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.
BrAin activity < conscious awareness
Hard determinism:
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
Biological approach.
Soft determinism:
The view that behaviour is constrained by the environment or biological make-up, but only to a certain extent and that there is an element of free will in all behaviour.
In many situations people to choose between different alternatives, so we can see human behaviour as determined by general laws but free wil operating in specific situations.
Social learning theory
Free will:
The view that humans have free will and can make choices that decide the course of their lives.
Humanistic approach
Nature nurture debate adds to this argument.
Conscious intentions < brain activity < action
If most approaches in psychology are trying to identify the causes of behaviour, what does this mean?
Most approaches in psychology are deterministic because if we can explain someone’s behaviour fully, then there is no room for free will.
If true, people would not be assumed to be responsible for their actions any more and this would have important consequences legally.
Biological approach:
Behaviours are determined by biological influences (biological determinism)
Psychodynamic approach:
Freud argued that behaviour is determined by unconscious forces (psychic determinism) but acknowledged that behaviours have many causes, including conscious intentions, eg. a person may choose to have therapy.
Cognitive approach:
Behaviour is a result of both free will and determinism.
It looks for brain patterns in how the brain processes external information but acknowledges that people use cognitive processes like language to reason and make decisions.
Behaviourist approach:
Skinner claimed that behaviour is determined by the environment and is the result of punishment and reinforcement (environmental determinism)
Humanistic approach:
Free will.
Believe individuals are in control of their behaviour and trying to achieve personal growth.
Example of biological determinism:
Gottesman and Shields found schizophrenia concordance rates in the genetic hypothesis to be 42% for MZ twins and 9% for DZ twins, showing how schizophrenia is not completely biologically determined.
Example of Environmental determinism:
Gottesman and Shields schizophrenia: environment influences some of it, adoption studies
The behaviourist approach suggests that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning and is therefore environmentally determined.
Example of psychic determinism:
Psychodynamic approach suggests gender behaviours are acquired during the phallic stage of development, through the resolution of the Oedipus complex or Electra complex, where children identify with the same sex parent.
