FREE WILL AND DETERMINISN

Question 1

Free will / determinism debate definition

Answer 1

• There is debate between those who believe behaviour is determined by internal/external factors (D), vs those who believe people are active and responsible for their own actions (FW).

Question 2

Freewill

Answer 2

• Freewill is the notion that humans can make choices, of which are not determined by biological or external forces, it acknowledges we are influenced by factors but we can reject and so behaviour is not inevitable.
• Humanistic psychologists (such as Maslow) argue we have free will, and he proposed the hierarchy of needs which suggests that humans have an innate drive to reach our full potential (SA).
• We set our goals (based upon motivation) and we choose the steps we take to achieve our goals. Once weget there we then change our goals. All of it is based upon our own choice (free will)

Question 3

determinism

Answer 3

• is the view that people’s behaviour is shaped by internal/external forces rather than a person’s will to do something.
• Determinism in psychology can take numerous forms, including biological, environmental and psychic determinism.
• According to the PDA , fixation at the anal stage occurs due to unresolved mediation between ID and superego which can cause a person to become excessively organised and thus develop OCD, due to the harsh parenting.
• Compared to the biological approach which looks at OCD being caused by a mutation of SERT/COMT gene which causes low levels of serotonin.
• Therefore disruption to mood regulation and causing obsessions

Question 4

Determinism is consistent with the aims of science.

Answer 4

• This is because it focuses on identifying causes of particular behaviours, and if you find a cause of a behaviour you can predict under what circumstances these behaviour occur, and therefore prevent and treat.
• For example, if knowing a cause of OCD is low levels of serotonin we are able to treat it with medication. This is an advantage as it increases the quality of life of patients.
• Additionally, environmental determinism has led to therapies such as flooding and systematic desensitisation for those suffering from phobias, showing that taking a deterministic stance in psychology has beneficial real world applications

Question 5

Determinism takes away responsibility from the individual.

Answer 5

• This is because it states we are slaves toour biology and that behaviour is.
• For example, saying criminal behaviour is the result of carrying a gene impacts our ability to take accountability.
• This is adisadvantage as it goes against the criminal justice system as its basis is accountability, yet determinism strips out freewill.
• Furthermore, it’s not scientific but rather a loose set of abstract concepts which we are unable to measure as it states that there is always acause, even if we cannot find it, and so we cannot test for falsifiability and so it may not be consistent with the aims of science.

Question 6

Research from neurological studies show that we don’t really have freewill.

Answer 6

• For example, Libet and Soon et al found that even before you make a decision your brain activity has already fired. And in some cases the brain has fired activity 10 seconds before a decision is made.
• This means behaviour is already pre-determined by biological factors.
• This is a disadvantage as research has contradicted the key
  principles of free will.
• Furthermore, if we believe we have a choice, we will never be able to figure out a cause for anything.
• This means we are unable to make predictions, prevent or treat anything, and so
  unable to establish a causal relationship.

Question 7

Free will is a concept that has face validity.

Answer 7

• This means on a day to day basis most people would agree
  that they have some element of choice and control over their actions/behaviours.
• For example, choosing what to wear/eat. This is a strength as the concept is widely accepted by most people because it makes cognitive sense.
• Furthermore, research also has found that a belief in freewill leads to better mental health, for example, having an internal locus of control involves believing you have choice and ability to change things, in a negative situation