Humanistic and Bahaviourist Approach To Free Will and Determinism

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Humanistic and Bahaviourist Approach To Free Will and Determinism

In psychology the idea that all human behaviour is caused by influences beyond our control is suggested by many theorists, determinists believe that there are causes for every event that takes place, and that if we know enough about a person we could explain all their actions and predict what they would do in the future. However those who disagree with this view point believe to some extent we have ‘free will’ and we can choose our actions ( Baker, M 2003 Introd psych:themes & persp Page 101). This essay shall address free will and determinism from a behaviourist and humanistic approach. Both approaches shall be discussed in relation to free will and determinism, relevant theories shall be identified and the theorists research shall be critically discussed. 

The issue of free will versus determinism has occupied philosophers and psychologists for centuries. It is one of the oldest philosophical debates in the study of human behavior and it can be seen in almost all areas of psychology. One of the fundamental issues here is the extent to which human beings have control over their behavior. Therefore the definitions of both are required for an introduction to what these terms mean.  Determinism is ‘the pholosophical proposition that every event, including human cognition and action, this is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences. No mysterious miracles or wholly random events occur. If there has been even one indeterministic event since the beginning of time, then determinism is false’ (falsified), (wikipedia:online). As behaviorists would suggest we are controlled by external forces as Skinner says ‘’ freedom is an illusion’’. ( Gross 2001: Psych Themes & Persp 4th ed).  Free will is ‘the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. The phrase "up to ourselves" is vague, and, just like free will itself, admits of a variety of interpretations. Because of this ambiguity, the utility of the concept of free will is questioned by some’ (wikipedia:online).

Valentine (1992) a psychologist ccarried out a research study that was used as evidence for the distinction between voluntary and involuntary behaviour and his study suggested three meanings when using the term ‘free will’. The first was  ‘choice’, he states that we have free will when we could have chosen to behave differently in a situation, the second was ‘behaviour’ that is uncaused, this is behaviour that has no cause and would be totally random behaviour. The final suggestion was ‘having control and being able to exert a voluntary choice over our behaviour’ (M. Barker 2004: Introd Psych chap: 5).  Valentines study supports the argument that having free will is a vital part of the subjective experience of ourselves, but does not prove we are actually free. Nisbett and Wilson (1977) both theorists carried out many studies  in relation to this discovering that people are unaware of the factors that determine their behaviour. In one study some people were shown a table with several packets of stockings and asked to choose one . Their results that people were more likely to choose the packet to the far right of the table, regardless of which one it was, since this was the last one they looked at.  The participants gave many reasons for why they chose that packet, but denied that the positioning of the stockings was a factor, suggesting Valentines findings were inadequate. ( Gross 2001: Psych Themes & Persp 4th ed).

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The behaviorist approach proposes that all behavior is learned and can be explained solely in terms of external (environmental) factors. This is environmental determinism. Skinner (1971) argued forcefully that freedom is an illusion, maintained only because people are unaware of the environmental causes of behavior (Wikipedia:online).  Causes are clear when there is a direct threat of punishment or possibility of reward e.g. not committing a crime through fear of imprisonment. In some cases where the environmental causes are not so apparent it may seem that we are acting freely, but behavior is still determined by things that have been rewarded in ...

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