Free Will and Determinism

• Determinism:

  :) practical applications

  > if we know the cause of abnormal behaviour, we can develop treatments

  > e.g. it is unlikely that anyone would choose to have schizophrenia (as free will would suggest), so taking a deterministic stance has led to drugs to help decrease dopamine activity, to reduce symptoms

  > important part of applied psychology
• Hard Determinism:

  :( implications for legal system

  > hard determinism is inconsistent with the idea of self-control and responsibility - we have no choice over our behaviour due to internal and external factors

  > in a court of law, offenders are considered morally accountable for their actions - free will plays a role in whether or not someone commits a crime

  > restricts the use of determinism in the real world
• Free Will:

  :) positive

  > allows people to believe they have choice over their behaviour, which can have a positive effect on mental health

  > e.g. research suggests those with an internal locus of control tend to be mentally healthy because they believe they have high influence over their behaviour

  > even if we do not genuinely have free will, the belief that we do can have a positive impact on behaviour
• Free Will:

  :( subjective

  > free will is difficult to define, and research provides some support for the role of determinism

  > Libet - brain scans have shown that the brain initiates the process of moving a hand almost half a second before the participant reported being consciously aware of deciding to move their hand

  > current understanding of behaviour cannot conclusively argue for either (many hold a position of soft determinism for a combination of each)