501478
Free will and determinism
- Basic argument
- Supporters of determinism - an
individual's behaviour couldn't have
been different in a given situation if
they had willed it
- Supporters of free will - an
individual's behaviour could
have been different in a
given situation if they had
willed it
- Supporters of determinism - an
individual's behaviour couldn't have
been different in a given situation if
they had willed it
- Biological determinism - all behaviour
and thought is caused by the nervous
system and genetic factors
- Internal determinism - belief in the
internal causes of behaviour eg.
internal biological factors and mental
processes are seen as causes of
behaviour
- Instinctive needs (eat, drink, sleep) - can
choose when but cannot avoid the fact that
each of these behaviours are essential for our
survival; no choice as these behaviours are
determined
- Controlling role of the different parts of the brain -
hypothalamus (small structure at the base of the
forebrain) controls many aspects of behaviour i.e
water and food intake, agressive responses; language
functions are predominately located in the left
hemisphere of the brain - Broca's area is involved in
speech production and Wernicke's area in the
understanding of speech
- No amount of willing can help someone
with damage to either of these areas
overcome the devastating effect on
language
- No amount of willing can help someone
with damage to either of these areas
overcome the devastating effect on
language
- Hormonal system - research has implicated the
synthetic form of oestrogen in sexual preference and
behaviour; (Meyer-Bahlburg et al.) 7/30 adult women
whose mothers had taken the synthetic hormone to
prevent miscarriage reported some degree of
same-sex or bisexual interest; only 1 woman in the
control group of 30 women whose mothers had not
taken the synthetic oestrogen when pregnant reported
same-sex interest - sexual preference may not
necessarily be the result of free choice
- Evolutionary forces - fight or flight response
by which animals and humans prepare them to
deal with environmental demands can be
explained from an evolutionary perspective;
some situations individual may respond by
freezing or fainting; behaviours are determined
- Genes - numerous twin studies have pointed
towards a genetic predisposition in behaviours
such as depression and schizophrenia;
biological determinism - often advanced as an
argument for the absence of free will in
schizophrenia
- Places limits on
behaviours beyond the
capacity of human body
i.e. flying
- Incorrect to speak purely of
'biological determinism' - also
considers the interaction of
biology and the environment;
people are determined
biologically and environment
- Internal determinism - belief in the
internal causes of behaviour eg.
internal biological factors and mental
processes are seen as causes of
behaviour
- Psychic determinism - all thought and
behaviour is caused by unconscious forces
associated with the life and death instincts
- Internal determinism
- Humans are biologically determined by
strong inherent instincts of sex and
aggression and by repressed conflicts,
childhood experiences, wishes and memories
within the unconscious mind - mental activity
is a result of unconscious mental processes
- Freud - no accidents as unconscious causes
can always account for them; people believe
they are free but free will is an illusion
- Overdetermination - much of our
behaviour, thoughts and feelings
have multiple causes
- Dreams - caused by many factors in the life of the
dreamer such as 'residue of the day' (superficial
memories), deeply repressed conflicts, unconscious
wishes etc.; caused implications in psychoanalysis
because one had to always search beyond the first
unconscious causes
- Dreams - caused by many factors in the life of the
dreamer such as 'residue of the day' (superficial
memories), deeply repressed conflicts, unconscious
wishes etc.; caused implications in psychoanalysis
because one had to always search beyond the first
unconscious causes
- Internal determinism
- Environmental determinism - all behaviour is under
the control of environmental stimuli and external
forces of reward and punishment
- External determinism - behaviours a
result of the environment (behaviourist)
- Research into social influence (Asch;
Milgram) demonstrates the power of the
situation and how social factors can have
strong causal effect on behaviour
- Behaviourist approach (extreme environmental
determinism) - product of prior reinforcements
(positive and negative) and punishment; Skinner -
free will is an illusion; theoretical basis of
behaviourism lies in laboratory research involving
animals - humans are considered to be qualitatively
different (conscience-wise) and mechanistic
laboratory behaviour lacking ecological validity
- Skinner - the successful conditioning of behaviour does not require any element of
free will, just consistent reinforcement; behaviour is moulded by agents of
socialisation (parents, teachers); no such thing as personal freedom and causes of
behaviour are often found in the environment
- External determinism - behaviours a
result of the environment (behaviourist)
- Evaluation
- + Determinism is compatible with the
scientific method - supports the
idea of psychology as a science
- + Determinism claims that our
behaviour is a result of prior
causes - predict and ultimately
control behaviour
- - False assumption that accurate
predictions of behaviour are
possible; human behaviour is
uncertain
- + Determinism is compatible with the
scientific method - supports the
idea of psychology as a science
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