Free Will vs. Determinism

Free will and determinism

The free will and determinism debate can be traced back to Descarte. This debate regards whether we are autonomous or whether our behaviour is determined by other factors such as upbringing or genetics. Most scientific approaches take a deterministic view, while society operates on the idea that we have free will. 

Scientific emphasis on casual explanations

One of the main purposes of science is to work out the causes of things. Psychology is interested in the causes of behaviour. Deterministic approached make it easier to decipher what makes people act in the way that they do, while taking a free will approach makes it harder to determine exactly what makes a person act in a particular way. 

The scientific emphasis on casual explanations means that usually methods are used that allow cause and effect to be determined. This links with hard determinism.  These methods have certain features:

• All variables are controlled
• Any changes to the DV are assumed to be due to changed in the IV
• The level of control allows the researcher to infer a cause and effect relationship

Free will

Valentine (1992) identified three features of free will:

1. Having a choice
2. Not being coerced into a choice
3. Acting voluntarily

The humanistic approach is the only approach that advocates for the role of free will. While the humanistic approach acknowledges that we can’t always choose our circumstances, we have a choice in the moment to act how we choose, 

Hard and soft determinism

Hard determinism, also referred to as fatalism, sees all behaviours as pre determined and out of a person’s control. However, this view is inconsistent with most of what we believe about human nature. While a deterministic view is essential for scientific research, humans tend to believe ourselves to be able to change and control situations.…