Free will and Determisim

Question 1

What does the free will and determinism debate focus on?

Answer 1

whether we are in control of what we do.

Question 2

What does the free will and determinism debate consider?

Answer 2

the extent to which behaviour is the result of controllable conscious decision and autonomous choice and the result of uncontrollable internal factors (e.g. biological, unconscious) or external factors (e.g. environmental).

Question 3

What is free will?

Answer 3

the idea that humans are free to choose their own thoughts and actions therefore having an active role in controlling their behaviour

Question 4

What does free will view humans as?

Answer 4

self-governing therefore they are not acting in response to any external or internal pressures.

Question 5

Why is mental health not compatible with free will?

Answer 5

-no one chooses to be mentally ill- not governed by free will- MI is somewhat deterministic

Question 6

What is determinism?

Answer 6

the idea that human behaviours are controlled- they are the result of causal factors therefore, we have no choice in our behaviour

Question 7

What does determinism say or behaviour is governed by?

Answer 7

internal forces such as genes and hormones or external forces such as upbringing

Question 8

How does determinism view behaviour?

Answer 8

As predictable because the approach proposes that all behaviour is caused

Question 9

What do mental health more compatible with?

Answer 9

something scientific because it can be predicted

Question 10

What is hard determinism sometimes referred to as?

Answer 10

fatalism

Question 11

What does hard determinism do?

Answer 11

takes the traditional view of determinism in saying that behaviour is the result of forces which are entirely out of the control of the individual and therefore freewill is not possible. Since all behaviour has a cause, it should be possible to identify these causes. Therefore, hard determinism is highly compatible with the aims of science; to uncover causal laws

Question 12

What does soft determinism do?

Answer 12

take a less extreme view- Whilst acknowledging all human action has a cause, it suggests humans have the opportunity to exercise freewill

Question 13

What does soft determism suggest?

Answer 13

that traits and behaviours are still governed by external and internal forces but an individual can exert some conscious mental control over the way they behave in some circumstances, despite the fact we have many determining forces guiding our behaviour

Question 14

What is biological determinism?

Answer 14

a type of (hard) determinism which suggests all human behaviour is controlled by internal forces and has its origins in aspects of our biology, e.g. genes, biochemistry and brain structure and function

Question 15

What is proposed in biological determinism?

Answer 15

the individual has no control over these systems and therefore behaviour is the result of how these systems work and interact

Question 16

What are examples of biological determinism?

Answer 16

-schizophrenia
-ocd
-Criminal behaviour

Question 17

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 17

is a type of (hard) determinism which suggests all human behaviour is controlled by external influences, e.g. experiences, upbringing and society, and has its origins in stimulus-response learning- (Many psychologists including Skinner (1971) suggest freewill is an illusion and people are ‘tricked’ into believing they have the ability to choose)

Question 18

What is proposed by environmental determinism?

Answer 18

human behaviour is the result of specific physical and psychological reinforcers and punishments which are continuously received throughout life. Therefore, although we may think we are acting independently; our behaviour is actually the result of environmental events as well as our interactions with agents of socialisation (e.g. parents, institutions)- Thus suggesting it is the environmental response to our behaviours which will determine whether those behaviours continue.

Question 19

What are examples of environmental determinism?

Answer 19

OC (behaviour shaping)

Question 20

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 20

idea that human behaviour is governed by unconscious mental processes, instincts and drives and is rooted in childhood experiences- Individuals may believe they are exercising free choice but Freud suggested this is an illusion and what really motivates behaviour are these hidden unconscious processes

Question 21

How is psychic determinism similar to biological determinism?

Answer 21

in that human thought and behaviour is determined by internal factors beyond the person’s control however these internal factors are psychic rather than biological in origin

Question 22

What is suggested by the scientific emphasis on causal explanations?

Answer 22

• The basic principles of science are that all events have a cause and can be explained through general laws

Question 23

What does the scientific emphasis on causal explanations attempt to do?

Answer 23

isolate the cause of particular human behaviours enables cause and effect to be established

Question 24

What allows scientists to predict outcomes (then scientific emphasis on causal explanations)?

Answer 24

knowledge of the causes, and understanding of the laws

Question 25

What is determinism all about? The (Scientific Emphasis on Causal Explanations)

Answer 25

causation- a determinist argument must be able to show that behaviour has been caused by something that is not within the individual’s control

Question 26

When is it thought that the evidence is more persuasive? (The Scientific Emphasis on Causal Explanation)

Answer 26

if it is the result of scientific experimentation- Laboratory experiments, which adopt the features of the scientific approach (objectivity, replicability) allows research to observe the effect of the IV whilst eliminating and controlling extraneous variables.