free will vs determinism

• free will


  humans can make their own choices and its not determined by a biological or external force
• determinism


  individuals behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces, rather than their will todo something
• hard determinism

  implies that free will is not possible, our behaviour is always caused by internal or external events out of our control
• soft determinism


  human behaviour has causes but behaviour can also be determined by our conscious choices in the absence of coercion
• biological determinsim

  behaviour is caused by biological influences (DNA,hormones and evolutionary)
• environmental determinism


  behaviour is caused by features of the environment (systems of reward and punishment) that we can't control
• psychic determinism

  behaviour is caused by unconscious conflicts that we can't control
• are we free human beings

  we are self-determining and free to choose our thoughts and actions

  advocated for by the humanistic approach
• is our behaviour determined

  in contrast determinism proposes that free will has no place in explaining behaviour, though there are soft and hard versions. everything we think and do is dictated by internal and external forces- we have no free will

  
• evaluation for free will

  P: A strength is that everyday experiences give the impression that we are constantly exercising choice on any given day. 

  E: Research suggest that people who have an internal locus of control – people who believe they have a high level of control over their lives – tend to be more mentally healthy. 

  C: This suggests that if we do not have free will, the fact that we think we do may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour. 
• evaluation for determinism

  P: A strength is that determinism is consistent with the aims of science. The notion that human behaviour is orderly, and obeys laws is more in line with other established sciences. 

  E: The value of such research in the prediction and control of human behaviour has led to treatments, therapies and behavioural interventions, for instance, psychotherapeutic drug treatment in controlling and managing schizophrenia.

  C: Therefore, at least in terms of mental illness, behaviour would appear to be determined. 
• evaluation against free will

  P: However, the idea of free will has attracted similar criticisms. Some psychologists, such as Skinner, argue that free will is an illusion. he insisted that our behaviour environmentally determined, even if we are unable or unwilling to admit it. 

  E: For example, Libet et al. (1983) found that the motor regions of the brain become active before a person registers conscious awareness of a decision 

  C: This strongly suggests that many responses are biologically determined and although we believe that we have free will, Skinner’s claim may be correct.
• evaluation against determinism

  P: A limitation is that psychologists believe that if behaviour is determined by outside forces, it provides a potential excuse for criminal acts. 

  E: For example, Stephen Mobley argued that he was ‘born to kill’ after killing a pizza shop manager because his family had a disposition towards aggressive behaviour. An American court rejected this argument. 

  C: Therefore, a truly determinist position may be undesirable as it provides an ‘excuse’.