Issues and debates - free will and determinism Flashcards
what is the free will-determinism debate?
concerned with whether we have control over our behaviour or are we the product of influences that determine how we behave
what is free will?
the notion that human beings are self-determining and free to choose their own actions
doesn’t deny the existence of other factors, instead implies we can reject them.
what approach best applies to free will?
the humanistic approach
what is the determinist approach?
behaviour is governed by internal or external forces beyond our control.
suggests free will is an illusion (Skinner)
key term - hard determinism (fatalism)
everything we think and do is dictates by internal or external forces we can’t control
key term - soft determinism
we do have a choice in our behaviour, but that choice is constrained by internal or external factors
who proposed soft determinism?
William James (1890)
key term - biological determinism?
emphasises the role of biological factors in behaviour.
e.g the influence of genes on mental health
key term - environmental determinism
the belief that behaviour is caused by features of the environment we can’t control (e.g systems of reward and punishment)
key term - psychic determinism
the belief that behaviour is caused by unconscious psychodynamic conflicts that we can’t control.
Free believed these conflicts originated in childhood
how is determinism compatible with the aims of science?
one of the basic principles of science is that everything has a cause which can be explained using general laws - also key to determinism.
Lab experiments are used in psychology to establish a controlled environment in which causal relationships can be observed - allows general laws to be made in order to predict human behaviour.
strength of free will - practical value
Roberts et al (2000) found that adolescents with a strong belief in fatalism were at a significantly greater risk of developing depression
limitation of free will - contradictory evidence from brain scans
Libet et al (1983) found that the unconscious brain activity leading to the conscious decision came around half a second before the participant made the conscious decision to move.
This suggests that the most basic experiences of free will are determined by our brain before we’re aware of it.
strength of determinism - more scientific
consistent with aims of science through establishing causal relationships and general laws.
prediction of human behaviour has led to the development of treatments (e.g biological determinism has led to the development of drug therapy for conditions such as OCD)
limitation of determinism - incompatible with legal system
the main principle of our legal system is that the defendant exercised free will in committing the crime and must take responsibility.
However, the hard determinist stance is that individual behaviour is not the cause of behaviour, suggesting the criminal is not responsible (e.g biological determinism suggests it’s the result of candidate genes)
