Free Will vs Determinism Flashcards
Outline the free will vs determinism debate (6 marks)
Determinism argues that behaviour is controlled and caused by external or internal factors and have no free will over their behaviour. However free will is where behaviour is due to internal or external factors beyond our control or we can choose our behaviour and we can reject these factors and are self determining. One type of determinism is hard determinism where all behaviour is a result of external or internal causes that we cannot control so behaviour is inevitable. We have no choice over behaviour. For example OCD is due to mutated SERT genes, which we can’t control and leads to anxiety. Between free will and determinism is soft determinism. This is where all behaviour is a result of external or internal causes but we do have some control. We have the ability to make conscious decisions about what we want and how to behave. For example, Social Learning Theory as we can learn through observing and imitating but thought processes of whether we identify with a role model or not are also involved so gives us choice.
Outline biological determinism
Behaviour is controlled by internal or physical factors such as genes and brain structure which we cannot control. For example, addiction is due to low levels of D2 receptors.
Outline environmental determinism
Behaviour is due to external factors within our surroundings, which we do not control, such as reinforcement and punishment. For example, infants learn to attach due to associating the feeder with food.
Outline psychic determinism
Behaviour is due to unconscious conflict within the mind such as unresolved trauma. For example, an anxious personality is caused by an overactive superego.
Outline the scientific emphasis on causal relationships from deterministic research (4 marks)
Deterministic research helps to establish cause and effect. Lab experiments where the IV and is manipulated led to determinism. Lab experiments can be sure what is controlling behaviour due to controlling all extraneous variables in a lab setting. Therefore, cause and effect can be established between IV and DV which can lead to general laws of behaviour being created.
Discuss free will vs determinism (3 X AO3)
The concept of determinism is highly scientific in nature because from research it is possible to predict behaviour and to control/treat it. Determinism leads to practical applications, because if we know the cause of abnormal behaviour in society i.e. high level of dopamine causing Schizophrenia, then it will be easier for us to develop treatments. For example, it is unlikely that anyone in society would choose to have schizophrenia and experience total loss of control over their thoughts and behaviour, therefore using a deterministic stance has led to drugs being developed to help decrease dopamine activity in the brain and thus reduce positive symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations. This means when explaining human behaviour determinism can play an important part in applied psychology.
Although determinism has led to practical applications and the development of treatments, taking a stance of hard determinism is inconsistent with the idea of self control and responsibility which has implications for the British legal system. Hard determinism suggests that all human behaviour is a result of internal and external factors and that we have no choice over our behaviour. However, in the court of law, offenders are considered morally accountable for their actions, which would suggest that individual free will plays a role in whether or not someone commits a crime. Therefore, this restricts the use of determinism in the real world when explaining people’s behaviour.
The belief in self control and personal choice from the perspective of free will can be seen as more positive stance than determinism. This is because it allows people to believe that they have choice over their behaviour, which may have a positive effect on mental health. For example, research suggests that people who have an internal locus of control, believing that they have a high influence over their own behaviour, tend to be more mentally healthy compared to those who believe that their lives are decided by events outside of their control, who were found to be at a greater risk of developing depression. This suggests that even if we do not have free will, the fact we think we do may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour.
