Freewill/Determinism

• Freewill

  Proposes that our behaviour is the product of our own choice such that we are able to choose how we behave
• Determinism

  Suggests that our behaviour is caused by factors outside of our control. Factors that determine how we behave could be genetic or to do with our upbringings or physical or social environment
• Freewill strengths

  • Not socially sensitive - people will often like to feel that they have control over their behaviour
  • Useful - people can be held to account for the behaviours they carry out
  • Has face validity in the sense that people often feel that their behaviours are their choices
• Freewill weaknesses

  • Hard to prove - what seems like 'freewill' could be a response to a different (perhaps unknown) determinant
  • It suggests no predictability or reducing the usefulness of psychological research
  • Socially sensitive - people may find it uncomfortable being told that they are responsible for how they choose to act
• Determinism strengths

  • Open to positive uses - if we know what causes a wanted behaviour, we can make the behaviour occur again.
  • It is scientific as determinist explanations often arise from controlled experiments in which cause and effect have been established
  • Recognises that people cannot always be held account for their actions
• Determinism weaknesses

  • Open to malicious uses - for example, lawyers could use determinist explanations to get people who are guilty acquitted
  • Socially sensitive - people may find it uncomfortable being told that they are not in control of how they behave (e.g. they are essentially like machines)
  • Can be reductionist - if the researchers search for 'the' cause (or determinant) of a particular behaviour