ISSUES AND DEBATES 16 MARKERS
Free will and determinism: hard determinism and soft determinism; biological,
environmental, and psychic determinism. The scientific emphasis on causal
explanations.
Idiographic and nomothetic approaches to psychological investigation.
Ethical implications of research studies and theory, including reference to social
sensitivity
Discuss the free will and determinism debate in psychology [16 marks]
The free will vs determinism debate revolves around the extent to which our behaviour is the
result of forces over which we have no control over or whether people are able to decide for
themselves whether to act in a certain way. Determinism is the notion that our behaviour is
pre-determined, and that we have no control over the way we behave. There are two broad
types of determinism. Hard determinism states that all behaviour has a cause that we can
identify and is an approach that is compatible with science as it uncovers laws that
determine our thoughts and actions. An example of this is biological determinism, which
claims mental disorders are a cause of genetics such as hormones, which control our
behaviour. Soft determinism, on the other hand, acknowledges that all human action has a
cause but there is still room to manoeuvre. We have determining forces but the freedom to
make rational, conscious choices at the same time. For example, the social learning theory
claims that we have meditational processes that mean we only learn from others around us if
we want the reward. Someone who takes a free will stance believes that humans are self-
determining, and that we choose our thoughts and actions. They doesn’t deny that there are
external influences that factor into our behaviours, but they claim that we can reject these
and make our own destinies. An example of a free will approach is humanism, which claims
that all humans have free will and have the potential to grow and self-actualise.
A strength of the deterministic approach is that it can be beneficial. Determinism is
consistent with the aims of science, which means that we can predict behaviour and then
develop treatments. For example, we are able to treat OCD because we know that it is
linked to reduced levels of serotonin. The experience of these mental disorders, such as
OCD, can also cast a doubt upon free will, as no one would choose to have OCD and
therefore biology must play some part in the mental illness. This strengthens the
deterministic viewpoint as it can help improve the lives of others and weakens the free will
stance as it cannot explain mental illnesses.
A weakness of the deterministic approach is that it is not consistent with the legal system.
For example, Stephen Mobley claimed that murdering an innocent man was a result of his
biology, and that he was born a killer so had no control over his behaviour. In a court of law,
the offender is held morally accountable for their actions. If we adopt a biologically
deterministic stance, then it suggests criminal behaviour is innate and it gives people an
excuse for evil behaviour, weakening this approach.
There is evidence that weakens the free will viewpoint from neurological studies. A
psychologist showed the brain activity that determines simple choices may come before our
knowledge of having made such a choice. An activity related to whether to press a button
with the left or right hand occurred up to 10 seconds before the participants reported being
consciously aware of making the decision. This suggests that everything is pre-determined
by the brain, therefore weakening the free will explanation of human behaviour.
Dancho is a talented and famous musician. He was taught to play the piano by his
father who was a concert pianist. From the age of four years Dancho attended a
specialist music school where he spent many hours each day practising the piano.
In a recent TV interview Dancho said, ‘My earliest memories are of notes and
melodies, so music is a part of me. To hear the applause in the concert hall is what I
live for. Even if I wanted to stop playing, I could not.’
Free will and determinism: hard determinism and soft determinism; biological,
environmental, and psychic determinism. The scientific emphasis on causal
explanations.
Idiographic and nomothetic approaches to psychological investigation.
Ethical implications of research studies and theory, including reference to social
sensitivity
Discuss the free will and determinism debate in psychology [16 marks]
The free will vs determinism debate revolves around the extent to which our behaviour is the
result of forces over which we have no control over or whether people are able to decide for
themselves whether to act in a certain way. Determinism is the notion that our behaviour is
pre-determined, and that we have no control over the way we behave. There are two broad
types of determinism. Hard determinism states that all behaviour has a cause that we can
identify and is an approach that is compatible with science as it uncovers laws that
determine our thoughts and actions. An example of this is biological determinism, which
claims mental disorders are a cause of genetics such as hormones, which control our
behaviour. Soft determinism, on the other hand, acknowledges that all human action has a
cause but there is still room to manoeuvre. We have determining forces but the freedom to
make rational, conscious choices at the same time. For example, the social learning theory
claims that we have meditational processes that mean we only learn from others around us if
we want the reward. Someone who takes a free will stance believes that humans are self-
determining, and that we choose our thoughts and actions. They doesn’t deny that there are
external influences that factor into our behaviours, but they claim that we can reject these
and make our own destinies. An example of a free will approach is humanism, which claims
that all humans have free will and have the potential to grow and self-actualise.
A strength of the deterministic approach is that it can be beneficial. Determinism is
consistent with the aims of science, which means that we can predict behaviour and then
develop treatments. For example, we are able to treat OCD because we know that it is
linked to reduced levels of serotonin. The experience of these mental disorders, such as
OCD, can also cast a doubt upon free will, as no one would choose to have OCD and
therefore biology must play some part in the mental illness. This strengthens the
deterministic viewpoint as it can help improve the lives of others and weakens the free will
stance as it cannot explain mental illnesses.
A weakness of the deterministic approach is that it is not consistent with the legal system.
For example, Stephen Mobley claimed that murdering an innocent man was a result of his
biology, and that he was born a killer so had no control over his behaviour. In a court of law,
the offender is held morally accountable for their actions. If we adopt a biologically
deterministic stance, then it suggests criminal behaviour is innate and it gives people an
excuse for evil behaviour, weakening this approach.
There is evidence that weakens the free will viewpoint from neurological studies. A
psychologist showed the brain activity that determines simple choices may come before our
knowledge of having made such a choice. An activity related to whether to press a button
with the left or right hand occurred up to 10 seconds before the participants reported being
consciously aware of making the decision. This suggests that everything is pre-determined
by the brain, therefore weakening the free will explanation of human behaviour.
Dancho is a talented and famous musician. He was taught to play the piano by his
father who was a concert pianist. From the age of four years Dancho attended a
specialist music school where he spent many hours each day practising the piano.
In a recent TV interview Dancho said, ‘My earliest memories are of notes and
melodies, so music is a part of me. To hear the applause in the concert hall is what I
live for. Even if I wanted to stop playing, I could not.’
