Free Will and Determinism

• Free will and determinism


  The debate asking whether our behaviours are a matter of free will or the product of a set of internal and/or external influences that determine who we are and what we do
• Determinism


  • The view that all behaviour has a cause and is theoretically predictable, with a scientific emphasis on causal explanations and demonstrating causal relationships to predict behaviour
• Free will


  The idea that we have genuine, voluntary choice in how we behave, that we are self-determining and free from constraints and causes
• Philosopher William James' view that behaviour is constrained but only to a certain extent, accepting that there is an element of free will in our behaviour</b>
• Human behaviour


  A result of internal, physiological factors like genes determining mental health
• Human behaviour


  The result of unconscious conflicts, repressed childhood experiences, and innate drives (id, ego, superego)
• A person's behaviour


  Both influences and is influenced by personal factors and the social environment (Albert Bandura)