Free Will And Determinism

• What is determinism?


  The view that an individual's behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individual's will to do something.Linked with nomothetic approach
• What approaches take a deterministic view

  Behaviourist(environmental)SLT(soft)Cognitive(soft)Biological(biological)Psychodynamic(psychic)
• What is hard determinism?

  Behaviour iscaused by events outside an individual's control.Freewill is not possible
• What are the three main types of hard determinism?

  Environmental, biological, psychic
• What is environmental determinism?

  behaviour is controlled bysocial factorssuch as cultural norms, group pressures and expectations. (Behaviourism)Behaviourists believe we are born a blank slate.
• Topic link - Little Albert


  Watson & Raynor's Little Albert study showed that phobias are learned via classical conditioning. Initially Little Albert showed no fear of rats (NS) but eventually after being conditioned 'presented with white rat (NS) and hearing loud banging sound (UCS) which frightened Little Albert he became fearful (UCR) of them and all white furry things. This supports the notion of hard determinism and that Phobias are caused by previous experiences.However, the Watson study has been replicated and not always led to a phobia being developed which supports the idea that other factors are also involved.
• What is biological determinism?


  Behaviour is caused byinternal biological factorse.g genetics, neurochemistry, brain structure and hormones (Biological)
• Topic link - MAOA

  MAOA is a gene that is responsible for the production of an enzyme also called MAOA, responsible for the regulation of neurotransmitters such as serotonin in the brain.less production of the enzyme MAOA result in irregular levels of serotonin (low). As we know that normal levels of serotonin regulate mood, low levels are thought to lead to aggressive behaviour. A deterministic approach ismore scientific. It isolates variables and tries to examine them under scientific conditions which can help us understand and interpret the world more easily and develop practical applications which can have a positive impact on the economy.
• What is psychic determinism?


  Unconscious forces and innate drives control behaviour. (psychodynamic)
• Topic link - Bowbly's 44 thieves


  Early childhood experiences impact on personality development. Bowlby demonstrated in this 44 juvenile thieves study, that early childhood experiences play a vital role in the social development of children. Bowlby theorised that children who experience maternal deprivation during the critical time period are more likely to end up being affectionless psychopaths, have a negative internal working for relationships and be delinquent. He used this to support the idea of early childhood experience being crucial in the development of a healthy unconscious mind supporting a hard deterministic approach to later adult behaviour.However, Bowlby has been criticised for the use of non-experimental methods to collect his data
• What is sort determinism?

  All events including human behaviour have causes but behaviour can also be determined by our conscious choices in the absence of coercion.SLT and cognitive
• Topic link - Milgram


  Milgram (1963) for example, showed that situational factors are a powerful influence on an individual's likelihood to obey however he also showed that not all participants did fully obey up to 450 volts and therefore there must be some element of freewill and choice involved.This supports a soft deterministic viewpoint as it recognises that individuals still have a part to play in choosing how to think/behave.
• What is freewill?


  Assumes humans are free to choose their behaviour and that influences (biological or environmental) can be rejected at will.People with a high LoC are more likely to make their own decisions.The British legal system is based on the notion of freewill- we are responsible for our actions so can be tried in a court
• Humanistic approach and free will

  Humans have control over their own environment and are capable of change
• Limitation of freewill


  The existence ofmental health issues and anxiety disordersfor example, implies that people do not have freewill as people with these conditions would generally not choose to have them. This supports a Biologically deterministic standpoint that heredity factors are more influential in shaping our personalities and experiences.
• Conclusion


  It is difficult to separate whether human behaviour is caused by freewill/determinism as sometimes it is a combination of both. Both viewpoints on its own are reductionist as they limit behaviour to one explanation. The freewill/determinism debate is reductionist in that the freewill debate says all behaviour is determined by the individual in control of their behaviour whereas the deterministic debate says that our surroundings and or biology can determine our behaviour and development. Soft determinism maybe a more logical conclusion.However, at times a particular type of determinism may hold the answer which allows for practical applications to be developed.