Free Will and Determinism Issues and Debates Essay Plan

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Determinism

The view that human behaviour is caused by factors beyond personal control.

Hard determinism- means there is no free will

Soft determinism- allows for some free will

Biological determinism

Research suggests that some of our behaviours are genetically determined. E.g. high intelligence has been linked to the IGF2R gene- Hill et al (1999).

Environmental determinism

Behaviourists believe that most behaviour is learned and unlearned via classical and operant conditioning. 

Psychic determinism

Freud's psychoanalytic theory suggests that personality is determined by innate drives and early experience.

Scientific determinism

Scientists believe that all events are causally related. In experiments, they manipulate an IV to observe the effect on a DV. 

Free Will

Humanistic approach

Humanistic psychologists argued that free will is necessary in order to take responsibility for and change behaviour (Rogers, 1959).

Moral responsibility

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