freewill and determinism

Question 1

define freewill

Answer 1

we all have a choice and control our own behaviour, takes into account personal responsibility

Question 2

strength of freewill AO3

Answer 2

It fits society’s view of personal responsibility e.g. if you break the law you should be punished.

Question 3

weakness of freewill AO3

Answer 3

It is impossible to scientifically test the concept of free will.

Question 4

define determinism

Answer 4

proposes that all behaviour is determined and thus predictable. Either by internal or external forces behaviour is governed by.

Question 5

define environmental determinism

Answer 5

EXTERNAL-idea that our behavior is caused by some sort of outside influence e.g. parental influence.

Question 6

example of environmental determinsim

Answer 6

Skinner (1971) argued that freedom is an illusion. We may think we have freewill but the probability of any behavior occurring is determined by past experiences.

Question 7

define biological determinism

Answer 7

Our biological systems, such as the nervous system, govern our behaviour.
For example, a high IQ may be related to the IGF2R gene (Chorney et al. 1998).

Question 8

define psychic determinism

Answer 8

Freud believed childhood experiences and unconscious motivations governed behavior.
Freud thought that free will was an illusion, because he felt that the causes of our behavior is unconscious and still predictable.

Question 9

define soft determinism

Answer 9

Soft Determinism represents a middle ground, people do have a choice, but that choice is constrained by external factors e.g. Being poor doesn’t make you steal, but it may make you more likely to take that route through desperation.

Question 10

define hard determinism

Answer 10

Hard Determinism sees free will as an illusion and believes that every event and action has a cause.

Question 11

strengths of determinism AO3

Answer 11

1. Determinism is scientific and allows cause and effect relationships to be established.
2. It gives plausible explanations for behavior backed up by evidence.

Question 12

weakness of determinism AO3 X3

Answer 12

1. Determinism is reductionist.
2. Does not account for individual differences. By creating general laws of behavior, deterministic psychology underestimates the uniqueness of human beings and their freedom to choose their own destiny.
3. Hard determinism suggests criminals cannot be held accountable for their actions. Deterministic explanations for behavior reduce individual responsibility. A person arrested for a violent attack for example might plead that they were not responsible for their behavior – it was due to their upbringing, a bang on the head they received earlier in life, recent relationship stresses, or a psychiatric problem. In other words, their behavior was determined.