free will and determinism

• biological determinism

  the view that behaviour is always caused by internal biological forces beyond control such as the influence of genes. e.g. research to identify particular genes in those high intelligence such as the IGF2R gene (hill et al, 1999). genes also affect brain structure and neurotransmitter production (serotonin and dopamine) which may determine our behaviour e.g. the CDH-13 and MAOA gene being candidate genes for criminality
• environmental determinism

  the belief that behaviour is caused by previous experience through classical and operant conditioning e.g. phobias are a result of conditioning as demonstrated by watson's study on little albert and skinner's box. these are external for which we have no control
• psychic determinism

  freud's theory of personality suggests our behaviour is determined by a mix of innate drives and early experiences. these result in unconscious conflict which we have no control over e.g. freud's psychosexual stages of development suggest each stage is characterised by conflict which if unresolved leads to a fixation in adulthood
• free will

  each individual has the power to make choices about their behaviour without being determined by internal or external forces beyond their control, a common feature of the humanistic approach
• hard determinism

  the view that behaviour can be predicted according to the action of internal and external forces beyond our control so there can be no free will e.g. behaviourism suggests all behaviour is the product of classical and operant conditioning, the biological approach sees behaviour as a product of genes and neurochemistry, SLT suggest behaviour as the product of vicarious reinforcement and mediational processes
• soft determinism

  allows for some element of free will and suggests all events including human behaviour has a cause e.g. the cognitive approach suggests that individuals can reason and make decisions within the limits of their cognitive system.
• the importance of scientific research

  based on the belief that all events have a cause. an independent variable is manipulate to have an effect on the dependent variable. repeating the research under controlled conditions (lab experiments) and performing statistical tests, a 'cause and effect' relationship is established between the two variables, increasing the scientific credibility of psychology through enabling the prediction and control of behaviour
• 100% genetic determinism is unlikely to be found for any behaviour

  studies that compare mz twins have found 80% similarity for intelligence and 40% for depression, suggesting genes do not entirely determine behaviour and supports an interactionist standpoint. concordance rates for mz twins are often higher than siblings which may be due to the likelihood of sharing the same environment
• determinism simplifies human behaviour

  human behaviour is less rigid and is influenced by many factors e.g. cognitive which can override biological impulses, aggression cannot be simplified to the action of the endocrine system and adrenaline as there are cognitive factors and accompanying emotions which are just as or more important than the biological aspects
• determinist position may be used for people to try and justify behaviours if they have committed a crime

  this would be undesirable as it excuses their behaviour. therefore, hard determinism stances are not in line with the principles of the judicial system. determinism has led to treatment methods for mental disorders, such as depression through the control of serotonin using SSRIs and SNRIs. biological deterministic approach does not allow the use of other treatments which are not based in biological mechanisms, such as CBT
• humanistic approach

  rogers (1959) claimed that as long as an individual remains controlled by other people or other things they cannot take responsibility for their own behaviour and therefore cannot change it. only once an individual takes self responsibility is 'self-actualisation' possible. humanism has been praised as a positive approach seeing people as good and free to better themselves
• moral responsibility

  the basis is that an individual is in charge of their own actions, the law states that children and those who are mentally ill do not have this responsibility but other than this there is an assumption that normal adult behaviour is self determined therefore humans are accountable for their behaviour regardless of an innate factor or early experiences
• illusion of free will

  a person may choose to do something but these choices are determined by previous reinforcement contingencies as suggested by the behaviourist approach, this is a hard deterministic stance
• challenge to the idea of free will

  benjamin libet et al (1983) recorded activity in motor areas of the brain before the person had a conscious awareness to move their finger. chun soon et al (2008) found activity in the prefrontal cortex up to 10 seconds before a person was aware of their decision to act, suggesting that the motor activity preceding movement occurred before the conscious decision was made and so implies that all behaviour is predetermined by up to 10 seconds
• free will has good face validity

  in every day scenarios we appear to be making our own decisions therefore the idea of free will has good face validity because we appear to have it in our day-to-day lives
• free will has high internal validity

  robert et al. found adolescents with an internal locus of control (idea of what controls events in ones life) are less likely to develop depression and are more likely to have better mental health compared to those with an external locus of control which helps support the idea that free will can be used to help us determine what controls our life events