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Free Will and Determinism - Coggle Diagram
Free Will and Determinism
Free will
suggests that humans are self determined and free to choose their own thoughts and actions
does not deny there may be biological and environmental forces that have some influence on behaviour but implies we have control to accept or reject these forces as we are in control
view of human behaviour that is advocated by humanistic approach
Determinism
contrast to free will and proposes it has no place in explaining behaviour, though are soft and hard versions
hard determinism - referred to fatalism and suggests all behaviour is determined by internal and external factors that we cant control
soft determinism- view that human behaviour is also caused by conscious mental life rather than totally by external, environmental causes
types of determinism
Biological determinism
emphasise the role of biological determinism in behaviour, such as influence of the autonomic nervous system on the stress response or the influence of genes on mental health
modern biological psychologists would recognise the mediating influence of the environment on our biological structures
Environmental determinism
B.F.Skinner described free will as an 'illusion' and is actually the result of conditioning. Although we may think we are acting independently, our experience of 'choice' is the sum of reinforcement and punishment
Psychic determinism
Freud emphasised influence of biological drives and instincts. He saw human behaviour determined by unconscious conflicts, repressed in childhood. There is no such thing as accidence and even something as seemingly so accident can be explained by the influence of the unconscious
Evaluation
Practical Value
Common sense view is we exercise free will everyday lives. however even if this is not there case, thinking we do exercise free will improves our mental health
study by rebecca roberts looked at adolescents who believed in fatalism - that their lives were 'decided' by events outside their control. the study found that they were at significantly greater risk of depression
Research in Evidence
Brain scans do not support free will but does support determinism
Benjamin Libety instructed participants to choose moments to flick their wrists when he studied there brain activity. people had to say when they felt a conscious will to move.
Libet found that unconscious brain movement leading up to the conscious decision to move came around half a second before they felt like they had to mov. May be interpreted as even the most basic experiences of free will are actually determined by our brain before we are aware of them
The Law
hard determinist stance is that individual choice is not the cause of behaviour which does not go along with legal system as in courts of law offenders are held responsible for their actions. Main principle in legal system is that a defendant exercises there free will in committing a crime.
suggests that in the real world deterministic arguments do not work.