Free will vs determinism

• Free will is used to describe how an individual is capable of self-determination and controlling their behaviour i.e. they are free to choose and are not acting in response to any internal or external pressures.
• The humanistic approach is one of the few approaches to adopt a free will perspective on behaviour. Humanistic psychologists such as Maslow and Rogers argued that self-determination was an important part of human behaviour and without it, self-development and self-actualisation were not possible. 
• Determinants for our behaviour come from a variety of sources ranging from biology (i.e. genetics, hormones) learning and even thought.
• Biological determinism is one viewpoint and research into the human genome is producing increasing amounts of evidence of genetic influences on behaviour. 
• Environmental determinism is another viewpoint. Behaviourists believe all behaviour is due to previous experience and through the processes of classical conditioning and operant conditioning (either directly or indirectly)
• Psychic determinism is based on Freud's psychoanalytical theory of personality and suggests that adult behaviour determined by a mixture of innate drivers and early experience.