Free will vs Determinism

• Freewill


  The idea that humans are free to choose their own thoughts and actions therefore having an active role in controlling their behaviour
• Determinism


  The idea that human behaviours are controlled. They are the result of causal factors therefore, we have no choice in our behaviour
• Factors controlling behaviour

  • Internal forces (e.g. genes, hormones)
  • External forces (e.g. upbringing)
• Determinism views behaviour as predictable
• Hard determinism


  The traditional view of determinism in saying that behaviour is the result of forces which are entirely out of the control of the individual and therefore freewill is not possible
• Soft determinism


  Acknowledges all human action has a cause, but suggests humans have the opportunity to exercise freewill. Traits and behaviours are still governed by external and internal forces but an individual can exert some conscious mental control over the way they behave in some circumstances
• Hard determinism is highly compatible with the aims of science; to uncover causal laws
• The freewill and determinism debate


  Focuses on whether we are in control of what we do
• Biological determinism


  A type of (hard) determinism which suggests all human behaviour is controlled by internal force biochemistry and brain structure and function
• Biological determinism proposes the individual has no control over these systems and therefore behaviour is the result of how these systems work and interact
• Environmental determinism

  A type of (hard) determinism which suggests all human behaviour is controlled by external influences, e.g. experiences, upbringing and society, and has its origins in stimulus-response learning
• Many psychologists including Skinner (1971) suggest freewill is an illusion and people are 'tricked' into believing they have the ability to choose
• Environmental determinism proposes human behaviour is the result of specific physical and psychological reinforcers and punishments which are continuously received throughout life
• Although we may think we are acting independently; our behaviour is actually the result of environmental events as well as our interactions with agents of socialisation (e.g. parents, institutions)
• Psychic determinism


  The idea that human behaviour is governed by unconscious mental processes, instincts and drives and is rooted in childhood experiences
• Individuals may believe they are exercising free choice but Freud suggested this is an illusion and what really motivates behaviour are these hidden unconscious processes
• Psychic determinism is similar to biological determinism in that human thought and behaviour is determined by internal factors beyond the person's control however these internal factors are psychic rather than biological in origin
• Science

  All events have a cause and can be explained through general laws
• Isolating the cause of particular human behaviours

  Enables cause and effect to be established
• Knowledge of the causes and understanding of the laws

  Allow scientists to predict outcomes
• Determinism

  All about causation. A determinist argument must be able to show that behaviour has been caused by something that is not within the individual's control
• Scientific experimentation

  • Evidence is more persuasive
  • Adopts features of the scientific approach (objectivity, replicability)
  • Allows research to observe the effect of the independent variable whilst eliminating and controlling extraneous variables
• Evidence from countless studies of Psychopathology have suggested mental illness and its associated behaviour is determined and thus is out of the control of the individual
• Schizophrenia

  • Disorder characterised by the individuals' loss of control over their own thoughts and behaviours
  • Paranoia is undoubtedly not 'chosen' therefore casts strong doubt on the freewill argument
• OCD


  • Symptoms may be determined by the function of the orbitofrontal cortex
• With certain mental illnesses like depression, anxiety and OCD


  Individuals can choose to take some conscious mental control over their thoughts and behaviours to alleviate some of the symptoms
• Determinism is incompatible with the notion of legal responsibility
• Stephen Moberly


  • Killed a shop manager in 1991, his claim of 'Born to Kill' was rejected and he was sentenced to death
• Abdelmalek Bayout


  • Had his sentence for murder reduced when the judge learned he had a mutated gene linked to aggression
• Locus of control - whether someone believes they have a choice in their actions and influence over their behaviour and events in their life.
• People with an internal locus of control are more mentally healthy
• Adolescents(Roberts)


  • Those with an internal locus of control were less vulnerable to becoming depressed, whereas those with a strong belief in fatalism were at significant risk
• Belief in freewill leads to a positive impact on people's lives
• Libet (1985) and Chun Siong Soon (2008) found evidence that brain activity determines the outcome of simple choices before the individual is consciously aware of making a decision
• This is compelling evidence that the concept of freewill is an illusion, with thoughts and behaviours being predetermined by factors outside of our control