Free will & determinism Flashcards
What is determinism?
Behaviour is controlled by external or internal factors acting upon the individual
What is free will?
Each individual has the power to make choices about their behaviour
What is hard determinism?
The view that all behaviour can be predicted and there is no free will. The two are incompatible
Who suggested soft determinism?
Heather (1976)
What is soft determinism?
A version of determinism that allows for some element of free will; behaviour may be predictable but does not make it inevitable
What is biological determinism?
Demonstrates genetic influences on behaviour; the more we discover, the more it appears our behaviours are determined by our genes
What is an example of biological determinism?
The dopamine hypothesis - low levels of dopamine likely determine schizophrenia
What is environmental determinism?
Behaviourists believe that all behaviour is cause by previous experience, through the processes of classical and operant conditioning + social learning theory
What is an example of environmental determinism?
Systematic desensitisation - learn a new stimulus response - shown to be effective
What is psychic determinism?
Behaviour is determined by and innate drive and early experiences
What is an example of psychic determinism?
Behaviour is driven by the libido - if a child is frustrated or overindulged at any stage during development, the individual can be fixated in that zone (determinism)
What is scientific determinism?
All events have a cause - an independent variable can be manipulated to observe the casual effect on a dependent variable
What is an example of scientific determinism?
Harlow - monkey study - contact comfort determined the formation of attachment
Why do humanists argue humans must have free will?
Maslow and Roger argued that self-determination is a necessary part of human behaviour in order for humans to be able to self-actualise and experience self-growth/responsibility for their behaviour and therefore cannot begin to change it
Why is moral responsibility important?
Individuals are accountable for their actions, regardless of innate influences or the influences of early behaviour - thus using the idea of determinism should not be used as an excuse
