free will vs determinism Flashcards
free will
-used to describe how an indivual is capable of self determination n controlling their behaviour
-doesnt mean ppl make random decisions but merely have freedom to choose
-humanistic approach adopts free will Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers argued that self-determination was an important part of human behaviour and without it, self-development and self-actualisation were not possible.
humanistic approach
-Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers argued that self-determination was an important part of human behaviour and without it, self-development and self-actualisation were not possible.
-rodgers 1959 argued as long as indivual remains controlled by other ppl they cant take responisibility for own behaviour n will struggle to change it
-also central to his client centred therapy as he saw ppl as being free to effect change in lives by choosing to see their situation differently
‘free will is an illusion’
-sam harris in ‘end of time’ and ‘free will’
-hes an american author n neuroscientist bwho argyed free will is an illusion r actions r product of brain states, which themselves r caused by prior causes which in turn r generated by universe over which we have no control
-therefore in a place not by free wilkl but instead via combo of biological n enviromental factors so behaviour=determined
-skinner also proposed this: able to choose diff actions isnt free will but illusion of having free will
ao3 free will
research for free will as an illusion having benefits
-every day experinece gives impression we r constantly exercising r free will via all diff choices we make on any day
-=gives face validity into concept of fw n research suggests ppl who have a ^ internal locus of control (believe they have high degree of influence over events n behaviour) tend to be more mentally healthy
-robert et al 2000 study: showed adolescence w strong belief in fatalism which is to say they believed their lives were decided by events out of their control, were at ^ risk of developing depression
=suggests even if we dont have free will the fact we think we do has positive impact on mind n behaviour
ao3 free will
neurological studies of decision making against free will
-suggest behaviour is acc predetermined
-benjamin libet 1985 demonstrated that brain activity determines outcome of simple choices we make before we r even aware of them
-researchers foynd activity related to whether to poress button w l/r hand occurs in brain up to 10 secs befgore ppts report being consciously aware of making decision
-shows even basic experience of free choice is determined by r brain before were aware ourselves
determinism
-view that free will is an illusion n r behaviour is governed by internal/external forces over which we have no control
-consequently our behaviour is viewed as predictable
hard determinism
-view that forces outside of r control (eg biology or past experience)shape r behaviour.
-its seen as incompatible w free will
-eg behaviourist, genes, psychodyanmic, biological, differential association theory, sz,
soft determinism
-view behaviour is constrained by enviroment or biological makeup, but only to a certain extent n that there is an element of free will in all behaviour
-eg cognitive, slt
biological determinism
-refers to idea all human behaviour is innate n determined by genes
-eg research into intelligence has identified particular genes in ppl w high intelligence such as IGF2R gene (Hill et al, 1999).
-eg bioligical appr,candidate gene, raine et al, dop hypothesis, sz
enviromntal determinism
-view behaviour is caused by outside forces outside the individual
-therefore behaviour is caused by previous experience learned via classical n operant conditioning
-EG, phobias have been described as developing due to a consequence of conditioning i.e. a fear of dogs due to previously having been bitten. Treatments such as systematic desensitisation have also shown how phobic responses can be unlearned.
psychic determinism
-based on freuds psychoanalytical theory of personality + suggests adult behaviour=determined by a mix of innate drivers+early experience.
-according to him its driven by lidibo which focuses on erogenous zones such as mouth/anus. if kid=frustrated during any stage of their development then the libido is tied to that specific erogenous zone n indivual is fixated on that area.
- The method of obtaining the satisfaction that characterised the stage will dominate into their adult personality
ao3 determinism
unlikely for 100% of genetic determination
- unlikely that 100% of genetic determination will ever be found for any types of behaviour.
- eg studies that compare identical twins who have exact same genetic makeup have only found approx 80% similarity on iq or about 40% similarity for disorders such as depression
- so if 1 twin has high iq theres only 80% chance other twin will have same despite being genetically identical
- so genes dont determine behaviour entirely n enviromental influences r also believed to still play a role
- BUT when comparing enviromental concordance rates they dont show conclusive results either so likely to be a combo of genetics=outline ppls potential n then enviromental which determine whether indivual will meet this potential
ao3 determinism
no such thing as total determinism
dennett 2003
-chaos theory proposes that v small changes in initial conditions can subsequently result in major changes also known as butterfly effect
-so conclusion is that causal relationships r acc probabilistic rather than deterministic which means they ^ probability of something occuring rather then being sole cause
ao3 determinism
use as exuse for their behaviour
-eg criminal cases in us murderers may claim that their behaviour is determined by inherited aggressive genetics or tendencies n so shouldnt be punished or held accountable for behaviours
-1 case is steven mobley who killed pizza shop manager in 1981 but claimed this happened bc he was ‘born to kill’+ this was evidenced by family history of violence
-this defence was rejected n he was sentenced to death but it highlights how problematic nature of a deterministic position
ao3
brain scan evidence for determinism but against free will
- libet et al 1983 instructed ppts to choose a random moment ot flick their wrist n measured brain activity
- ppts had to say when they felt conscious will to move.
- -he found the unconscious brain activity leading up to conscious decision to move came around half a second before the ppt consciously felt they had a to move
- -so r basic experiences of free will r acc predetermined by brain
