This document is a one page summary of the freewill/determinism debate within psychology. It describes the main explanations for free will and determinism with the main evaluation points. These singular pages are perfect for exam season and to boost your knowledge.
freedeterminism
Free will is the notion that
humans can make Hard determinism is the view that
all
choices and their behaviours/thoughts are not behaviours are caused by something
determined by biologicalor other external influences. (internal/external), so free will is an
~
illusion.
This means that
we are
self-determining and free
from the causal influences ofthe past. determinism is
Soft the view that
all
behaviour may be predictable (caused by
Determinism is the view thatan individual's -> internal/external factors) but
there is
behaviour is shaped/controlled by internal or room for personal choice from a limited
external factors rather than their will to do range of possibilities (restricted freewill).
something.
~ Freewill has practical value -
thinking
William James that freewill improves our mental
we have
He was the first
to propose soft determinism health.
which is now an important feature of the
cognitive approach Roberts et al (2000) found that adolescents
The approach supports free will.
Humanistic who didnt
believe in freewill are more
likely to develop depression.
BIOLOGICAL DETERMINISM
~ Freewill works well alongside the
legal
Biological behaviour is
determinism is the belief that system. In the court of law, offenders are
caused by biological factors that we cannot control. held responsible for their own actions.
x Brain scan evidence
The biological approach emphasised the role of goes against
biological determinism in behaviour.For example, freewill.
the autonomic nervous system on the stress response,
or the influence of
genes on mental health. Libet et al (1983) found when
that 's
flick their wrist
ata random moment,
NVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM
=> brain 0.55 before.
activity occurs
Environmental determinism is the belief behaviour is
that caused
by features of reward/punishment-
the environment-such as items of
we cannot control.
that
BA skinner described free will as an illusion and
argued that all
conditioning. We are both tabula rasa' and
behaviour is a result of
learn through classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
SYCHIC DETERMINISM
↓
Psychic determinism is the belief that behaviour is caused by
unconscious psychodynamic conflicts that we cannot control.
Sigmund Freud freewill
also believed that is an illusion buthe
emphasised the influence of
biological drives and instincts. He
saw behaviour as determined by unconscious conflicts repressed
in childhood.
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