Free will vs Determinism

Question 1

Define determinism

Answer 1

• Is the view that free will is an illusion, and that our behaviour is governed by internal or external forces over which we have no control.
• Consequently our behaviour is viewed as predictable.

Question 2

Define hard detreminism

Answer 2

• Is the view that forces outside our control (e.g. biology or past experience) shape our behaviour.
• Hard determinism is seen as incompatible with free will.

Question 3

Define soft determinism

Answer 3

• Is the view that behaviour is constrained by the environment or biological make up, but only to a certain extent and that there is an element of free will in all behaviour.

Question 4

What are the 3 types of determinism?

Answer 4

1. Biological determinism.
2. Environmental determinism.
3. Psychic determinism.

Question 5

What is biological determinism?

Answer 5

Biological determinism refers to the idea that all human behaviour is innate and determined by genes.
e.g. Year 1= Psychopathology- the biological approach suggests that OCD is partly genetic.
- Nestadt et al= found that people with the first-degree relatives who suffer from OCD are 5x more likely to suffer from OCD at some point in their lives.

Question 6

What is environmental determinism?

Answer 6

Is the view that behaviour is caused by forces outside the individual. Therefore behaviour is caused by previous experience learned through classical + operant conditioning.
e.g. Year 1= Psychopathology- the behaviourist approach suggests that phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning (therefore, to some extent, environmentally determined).

Question 7

What is psychic determinism?

Answer 7

Claims that human behaviour is the result of childhood experiences and innate drives (ID, Ego and Superego), as in Freud’s model of psychological development.
e.g. Year 2= Gender- the psychodynamic approach suggests that gender behaviours are acquired through/ during the phallic stage of development, through the resolution of the Oedipus complex or Electra complex, where children identify with the same sex parent.

Question 8

Define free will

Answer 8

Is the idea that we can play an active role and have choice in how we behave.
- The assumption is that individuals are free to choose their behaviour and are self determined.

e.g. Year 2= Approaches- humanist psychologists argue against the determinism view, claiming that humans have self determination and free will, and that behaviour is not the result of any single cause.