Free Will & Determinism

Question 1

What does the free will/determinism debate revolve around?

Answer 1

The extent to which our behaviour is the result of forces over which we have no control or whether proper are able to decide for themselves how to act

Question 2

What does free will suggest?

Answer 2

We all have a choice and can control and choose our own behaviour

Question 3

Which approach does free will play a huge role in?

Answer 3

Humanist psychology

Question 4

What are some strengths of the free will viewpoint of the debate?

Answer 4

• It emphasises the importance of the individual and studying individual differences
• It fits society’s view of personal responsibility
• The idea of self-efficacy is useful in therapies to make them more effective

Question 5

What are some limitations of the free will viewpoint of the debate?

Answer 5

• Free will is subjective and some argue it doesn’t exist
• It is impossible to scientifically test the concept of free will
• Few people would agree that behaviour is always completely under the control of the individual

Question 6

What is the deterministic approach?

Answer 6

It proposes that all behaviour is determined and thus predictable

Question 7

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 7

The idea that our behaviour is caused by some sort of outside influence

Question 8

What did Skinner argue relating to environmental determinism?

Answer 8

Argued that free will was an illusion - we think we have freewill but this is because we are not aware of how our behaviour is determined by reinforcement

Question 9

What is biological determinism?

Answer 9

Our biological systems, such as the nervous system, govern our behaviour

Question 10

What is an example of biological determinism?

Answer 10

Being born with high IQ may be related to the IGF2R gene

Question 11

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 11

Freud believed that childhood experiences and unconscious motivations governed behaviour

Question 12

What is hard determinism?

Answer 12

Views free will as an illusion and believes that every event and action has a cause

Question 13

What is soft determinism?

Answer 13

A middle ground - people do have a choice but that choice is constrained by external factors

Question 14

What are strengths of determinism?

Answer 14

• Scientific
• Cause and effect relationships can be established
• Gives a plausible explanation for behaviour which is backed up by evidence

Question 15

What are limitations of determinism?

Answer 15

• Reductionist
• Does not account for individual differences
• Hard determinism suggests that criminals can’t be held accountable for their actions, no justice would be served if criminals said their actions were due to their upbringing and was determined for example
• never 100% genetic determinism for any behaviour