Free will and determinism 16 marker
Firstly, free will is the notion that humans can make choices and their behaviours and
thoughts are not determined by biological or external forces. It is advocated by the
humanistic approach.
Secondly, determinism is the view that an individual’s behaviour is caused by something
(internal or external factors), so free will is an illusion. Soft determinism is the view that
behaviour may be replicable (caused by internal/external factors) but there is also room for
personal choice from a limited range of possibilities (restricted free will). Hard determinism
is the view that all behaviour is caused by something (internal or external factors), so free
will is an illusion.
There are three different types of determinism. Firstly, there is biological determinism which
is the belief that behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, or evolutionary)
influences that we cannot control such as the influence of the autonomic nervous system on
the stress response. Then, there is environmental determinism which is the belief that
behaviour is caused by features of the environment (such as systems of reward and
punishment) that we cannot control. Lastly, there is psychic determinism which is the belief
that behaviour is caused by unconscious psychodynamic conflicts that we cannot control.
One of the basic principles of science is that every event in the universe has a cause and that
causes can be explained using general laws (hard determinism). Knowledge of causes and
the formulation of laws are important as they allow scientists to predict and control vents in
the future. IN psychology, the lab experiment is the ideal of science as it enables researchers
to demonstrate causal relationships.
One strength of free will is its practical value. A study by Rebecca Robert and others looked
at adolescents who had a strong belief in fatalism – that their lives were ‘decided’ by events
outside of their control. The students found that these adolescents were at a greater risk of
developing depression. It seems that people who exhibit an external locus of control are less
likely to be optimistic. This suggests that, even if we do not have free will, the fact that we
believe we do may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour.
One limitation of free will is that brain scan evidence does not support it, but it does support
determinism. Libet and others instructed participants to choose a random moment to flick
their wrist while he measured their rain activity (‘readiness potential’). Participants had to
say when they felt the conscious will to move. Libet found the unconscious brain activity
leading to the conscious decision to move came around half a second before the participant
consciously felt they had decided to move. This may be interpreted as meaning that even
our most basic experiences of free will are actually determined by our brain before we are
aware of them (a thought that could keep you awake at night if you dwell on it!).
However, Libet’s findings are not surprising. Just because the action comes before the
conscious awareness of the decision to act, doesn’t mean that there was no decision to act –
just that the decision to act took time to reach consciousness. Our conscious awareness of
Firstly, free will is the notion that humans can make choices and their behaviours and
thoughts are not determined by biological or external forces. It is advocated by the
humanistic approach.
Secondly, determinism is the view that an individual’s behaviour is caused by something
(internal or external factors), so free will is an illusion. Soft determinism is the view that
behaviour may be replicable (caused by internal/external factors) but there is also room for
personal choice from a limited range of possibilities (restricted free will). Hard determinism
is the view that all behaviour is caused by something (internal or external factors), so free
will is an illusion.
There are three different types of determinism. Firstly, there is biological determinism which
is the belief that behaviour is caused by biological (genetic, hormonal, or evolutionary)
influences that we cannot control such as the influence of the autonomic nervous system on
the stress response. Then, there is environmental determinism which is the belief that
behaviour is caused by features of the environment (such as systems of reward and
punishment) that we cannot control. Lastly, there is psychic determinism which is the belief
that behaviour is caused by unconscious psychodynamic conflicts that we cannot control.
One of the basic principles of science is that every event in the universe has a cause and that
causes can be explained using general laws (hard determinism). Knowledge of causes and
the formulation of laws are important as they allow scientists to predict and control vents in
the future. IN psychology, the lab experiment is the ideal of science as it enables researchers
to demonstrate causal relationships.
One strength of free will is its practical value. A study by Rebecca Robert and others looked
at adolescents who had a strong belief in fatalism – that their lives were ‘decided’ by events
outside of their control. The students found that these adolescents were at a greater risk of
developing depression. It seems that people who exhibit an external locus of control are less
likely to be optimistic. This suggests that, even if we do not have free will, the fact that we
believe we do may have a positive impact on mind and behaviour.
One limitation of free will is that brain scan evidence does not support it, but it does support
determinism. Libet and others instructed participants to choose a random moment to flick
their wrist while he measured their rain activity (‘readiness potential’). Participants had to
say when they felt the conscious will to move. Libet found the unconscious brain activity
leading to the conscious decision to move came around half a second before the participant
consciously felt they had decided to move. This may be interpreted as meaning that even
our most basic experiences of free will are actually determined by our brain before we are
aware of them (a thought that could keep you awake at night if you dwell on it!).
However, Libet’s findings are not surprising. Just because the action comes before the
conscious awareness of the decision to act, doesn’t mean that there was no decision to act –
just that the decision to act took time to reach consciousness. Our conscious awareness of
