Free Will & Determinism Flashcards
Free will
People make choices about their actions and is capable of self determinisatiom, they are in control of their future
Determinism
Human behaviour is caused by factors a person cannot control, these forces can be internal or external
Soft determinism
All behaviour has a cause but people have a conscious choice about their actions
Who were kray twins
Famous criminals from London who were sentenced to life in prison
Free will viewpoint of kray twins
They chose to commit the crimes
Determinist viewpoint of kray twins
Influences out of their control led to this behaviour
Hard determinism
Also referred to as fatalism because everything we do is government by internal or external forces that can’t be controlled by the person
Which type of determinism links to science
Hard determinism - suggests we should always be able to find a cause of behaviour
Soft determinism
Put forward by William and James who accept behaviour has a cause but suggests people have some mental control over their behaviour
3 explanations of hard determinism
Psychic, biological, environmental
Psychic determinism
Freud thought free will is an illusion and emphasises determining influences on behaviour, also suggested behaviour is never accidental
Biological determinism
Genetics, hormones and evolution play a role in personality, health and intelligence
Environmental determinism
Skinner said free will is an illusion and free will is a result of conditioning and reinforcement, behaviour is shaped by events and socialising agents
Examples of soft determinism
Banduras leanring theory because environmental factors like reinforcement in learning are important but people can choose whether they behave a certain way
Strength of free will
Evidence to support concept - people exercise choice in everyday life, linked to humanistic theories which suggest people need to be self determining and able to make choices to be emotionally healthy
Weakness of free will
Skinner and Freud suggested free will is an illusion, libert neuroscience study measured brain activity when making decisions and brain activity increased before person decided to react, showing the brain determines the decisions
Strength of determinism
Consistent with aims of science. Deterministic approach believes all behaviour is caused and this allows general laws to be made. Scientific research shares this belief allowing for controlled research in a range of areas, these can be replicated and give statistical data that can be analysed
Weakness of determinism
Incompatible with legal system - we can’t hold people responsible to their crime if they didn’t chose to commit it and therefore has limited application in legal settings therefore courts should considers soft determinism approach
Soft determinism strength
Good application in treatment. Elements of free will in choosing individual goals for therapy. Determinism approach to treatment if given medication to manage biological determinate of self control, reliable and worthwhile treatments
