Psychology of Free Will and Determinism

Psychic Determinism

• Psychic determinism is a major assumption of Freudian theory
• It suggests everything a person does has meaning and is goal-directed
• It proposes all human behavior is determined by unconscious forces, motives, and conflicts
• These forces stem from early childhood experiences and aren't under conscious control
• Behavior and thoughts are shaped by the unconscious mind, while the conscious mind acts as an observer
• Based on Freud's theories

Determinism

• Determinism proposes behavior has a cause and is predictable
• Free will has no role in explaining behavior; it's an illusion
• Behavior is governed by internal or external forces beyond one's control
• Mental events are not random; they have underlying causes that can be analyzed

External Determinism (Environmental)

• External determinism views behavior's cause as outside the individual (e.g., parental influence, media, school)
• Behaviorism and social learning theory support this viewpoint
• An example is children becoming aggressive by observing and imitating violent parents (Bandura, 1961)

Internal Determinism

• Internal determinism argues that evolution (sociobiology) and genetics govern species and individual behaviors
• An example is a child's innate need for attachment figures (Bowlby, 1969)
• Personality traits (e.g., extraversion, neuroticism) and associated behaviors are influenced by neurological and hormonal processes
• Freud also believed behavior is controlled by unconscious motivations from within the individual.

Levels of Determinism

• The two forms of determinism are hard determinism and soft determinism

Hard Determinism

• Hard determinism views free will as an illusion, believing every event and action has a cause.
• It's possible to understand and describe these causes.
• External and internal forces determine all thought and actions.
• Examples like committing a crime were seen as dictated by environmental or personal history
• All behavior is under stimulus control

Soft Determinism

• Soft determinism views people as having choices, but these choices are influenced by internal or external factors
• This perspective is compatible with science.
• Some behaviors are more constrained than others
• Example: Poverty may encourage stealing (though is not the sole cause), driven by desperation

Biological Determinism

• Biological determinism suggests behavior is caused by biological factors (genetic, hormonal, evolutionary) beyond one's control
• Physiological and neurological processes affect behavior, such as the autonomic nervous system's response to stress.

Environmental Determinism

• Environmental determinism posits that behavior is triggered by environmental factors
• Reward and punishment systems within the environment influence all behavior
• B.F. Skinner argued free will is an illusion, and behavior results from conditioning experiences
• Experiences are the sum of reinforcement contingencies encountered throughout life (e.g., teachers, institutions)

Free Will

• Free will suggests people have choices in their behaviour and actions.
• Individuals are responsible for their actions
• Free will, allows personal responsibility for actions, which is necessary for full human development as it is a unique aspect of humankind (Maslow, 1943; Rogers, 1951).

Psychology & Determinism

• The basic principle in science is that events have causes.
• General laws in science allow predictions and control of future events.
• In psychology, laboratory experiments are used to control variables and predict human behavior.
• Research methods in psychology, aimed at determining the causes of behavior have led to treatments, therapies, and behavioral interventions.

Arguments Against Determinism

• Determinism and the legal system are incompatible because individuals will be held responsible for their actions;
• Unfalsifiable; it proposes causes always exist even if they haven't been demonstrated

Arguments For Free Will

• The concept of free will makes cognitive sense
• People with an internal locus of control generally are more mentally healthy

Arguments Against Free Will

• Neurological studies (like Libet's experiments) suggest decisions are made by the brain before we are aware.
• Brain activity related to decisions occurs before conscious awareness.

Benjamin Libet

• He was a neuroscientist who researched human consciousness and made contributions to the debate on free will.
• His studies suggested that brain activity preceding a decision may precede conscious awareness of it.

Social Learning Theory

• Social learning theory, proposed by Albert Bandura, suggests that learning occurs through observation, imitation, and modeling.
• It's influenced by factors like attention, motivation, attitude, and emotions.
• It emphasizes the interplay of environmental and cognitive elements in learning.