Issues & Debates - Determinism/Free will Flashcards
Determinism types, free will, scientific emphasis, examples, implications & consequences
Determinism
View that behaviour is shaped and controlled by internal/external forces & free will is an illusion
Hard determinism
Forces outside out control shape behaviour
Biological determinism
Innate & determined by biological influences (genes, neurotransmitters)
Environmental determinism
Determined by our external surroundings (family, friends)
Psychic determinism
Innate drives in the unconscious & conflicts (psychodynamics)
Soft determinism
Behaviour constrained to environmental/biological factors but only to some extent (elements of free will)
Causal explanations
Everything has a cause & can be predicted
Scientific emphasis on causal explanations
- Events must have a cause to allow for behaviour predictions (establish a causational relationship)
- Lab experiments (manipulation of IV to observe causal effect on DV)
- Control of EVs
Examples of biological determinism
- Twin & adoption studies
- Circadian rhythms
- OCD (polygenic)
- Biological approach (evolution)
Examples of environmental determinism
- Behaviourism (conditioning)
- SLT (Bandura)
- Attachment (cultural variations)
- Psychopathology (phobias & two-step model)
Examples of psychic determinism
- Psychodynamic approach (subconscious, Little Hans study, defence mechanisms)
Examples of soft determinism
- Cognitive explanations/approach
- Depression (negative triad)
- Social Influence (Asch, Zimbardo, locus of control)
Examples of free will
- Humanism (self concepts, personal growth, self actualisation)
- Therapies (family, person centred)
Implications of determinism (+)
+ Reliability (hard determinism allows for cause & effect relationship with IV manipulation & uses an objective approach - consistency)
+ Supporting evidence (Libet - biological determinism -> motor regions are active before a conscious decision to move is registered)
Consequences of determinism (-)
- [HOWEVER] Libet (just because action comes before the awareness does not mean the decision was not made as it takes time for it to reach the consciousness)
- Used as an excuse for behaviours (mitigate liability by blaming something out of their control - incompatible with morals & legal system)
- Not account for individuality (underestimates uniqueness of individuals & freedom)
Implications of free will (+)
+ Practical applications (subjective experiences influence therapy/counselling [Humanism & positive psychology movement, seen as masters of our own behaviour])
Consequences of free will (-)
- Seen as an illusion (some see free will as imagined & that everything is determined even if we deny such [i.e. Skinner/behaviourism])
- Vague concept (unmeasurable scientifically & cannot resolve the debate of its existence)
