Free will & determinism

• Free Will - the ability to make choices that aren't determined by prior causes or external influences
• Determinism - an individual's behaviour is controlled by either internal or external forces
• Determinism AO3:

  • Biological vs. environmental - neither can be the only factor , concordance rate for depression in MZ twins is 40% - an interactionist approach better represents reality
  • Chaos theory - very small changes can result in major changes. Causal relationships are probabilistic - determinism oversimplifies
  • Excuse for behaviour - murderers claim their behaviour was determined due to inherited aggressiveness
  • Free will is an illusion - Skinner argues that choices are determined by previous reinforcement experiences
• Determinism AO3:

  • Biological vs. environmental
  • Chaos theory
  • Excuse for behaviour
  • Free will is an illusion
• Determinism:

  • An individual's behaviour is controlled by either internal or external forces.
  • Hard determinism - all behaviour can be predicted & there is no free will.
  • Soft determinism - some element of free will, all events have a cause.
  • Types of Determinism:

  Biological determinism - our behaviour is determined by our genes  which influence brain structures & neurotransmitters

  Environmental determinism - all of our behaviour is due to conditioning

  Psychic determinism - our unconscious mind 'bubbles up' into consciousness as behaviour, thoughts & emotions (e.g. freudian slips)