free will is the idea that we play an active role in our own life and have choice in how we behave - individuals are self-determined
free will is supported by the rational choice theory of crime - people choose to commit crime though rational choice e.g., cost-benefit analysis
therefore, human behaviour is impossible to predict - supported by the humanistic approach
free will does not deny the influence of external forces, but believes that these can be rejected
ao3 - face validity/applications (1)
free will makes cognitive sense - the choices we make each day are examples of us exercising our free will
ao3 - face validity/applications (2)
research suggests that those with high internal loc (Rutter) tend to be more mentally healthy
Roberts et al. (2000) found that adolescents with a strong belief in fatalism were at a significantly greater risk of developing depression
ao3 - face validity/applications (3)
this concludes that free will has a positive impact on mind and behaviour
ao3 - neurological studies (1)
neurological studies of decision making have found that brain activity determining the outcome of a simple choice may predate knowledge of having such a choice
ao3 - neurological studies (2)
research found brain activity related to whether to press a button with the left or right hand occurred up to 10 seconds before participants report being consciouslyaware of making such a decision
ao3 - neurological studies (3)
this concludes that basic experiences of free will are decided and determined before we are made aware of them
