Debates – PSYB4 2 hour exam

Topic includes…. Free will vs. determinism debate Heredity vs. Environment debate Holism vs. Reductionism debate Idiographic vs. Nomothetic debate Scientific approach to psychology

Some issues in philosophy Can you doubt that you exist? Will the sun rise tomorrow? Can you think about nothing at all?

Complete handout Decide what score you would give for each of the scenarios then look and see which debate you are more likely to support!!!

Read Tim is 14 years and displays a variety of twitches and tics. His head sometimes jerks and he often blinks and grimaces. Occasionally, he blurts out words, usually vulgarities. He doesn’t mean to do it and is embarrassed by it, but he cannot control it. Because of this strange behaviour, most other children avoid him. His isolation and embarrassment are interfering with his social development. Tim suffers from a rare condition called Tourette’s disorder.

Questions What behaviours can someone with Tourette’s actually show they have free will to an extent? If you think Tim lacks free will, what led you to this conclusion? Think of other behaviours (normal or abnormal) that demonstrate lack of free will.

Free will vs. Determinism debate Are we free to choose how to think and behave or is our behaviour determined and caused by factors outside our control.

Free will ‘A hypothetical and often reified internal agency that functions independently of externally imposed forces.’

Not being coerced or constrained Free will It is very difficult to have an absolute definition for free will so instead a number of meanings have been proposed: (Valentine, 1992) Having a choice If we have a choice then we should be able to behave differently under the same circumstances Not being coerced or constrained If you have a choice then you should not have been forced into something you didn’t want to do Voluntary behaviour We have few behaviours which are involuntary (reflex) therefore there are many which are voluntary (free) and so our own choice Deliberate control We have a choice when we have to deliberately change our automatic/routine behaviours due to disruption of some sorts

Think Can you think of the advantages and disadvantages of having complete free will?

Free will must be exercised with responsibility if we are to live harmoniously together in society. Advantage - a happier public... people who are able to make their own decisions are generally happier than those that are forced to live under dictatorships. Disadvantage - not everybody makes the right decisions. Adopting the view that people can choose whatever they do is not at the extreme a practical, ethical or morally acceptable position.

Free will EV Some would argue that free will is the opposite to determinism, but that would suggest that all behaviours are totally unpredictable, random and has no cause. However most behaviours are predictable and do have a cause! Planning a holiday for example has many determining factors…. Lots of behaviours then can be freely chosen but still caused by a number of factors, for example you personality type..…. This has been referred to as Soft Determinism – the belief that behaviours are determined or caused by a persons own character, wishes or desires but that behaviour is free from coercion (force)

Draw a table and complete… Free will and personal responsibility Determinism and fatalism Fear of freedom

Application Of all 5 perspectives….which do you believe to be most associated with Free will?

Humanistic psychology The humanistic approach places great conscious awareness on our ability to choose our own behaviours. For example, in all situations we have autonomy – we can choose our behaviour in small ways (choosing what to have for lunch) or in big ways (choosing a career). This ability to choose leads to personal growth and so we become the best we can. Humanists believe we are all potentially good and if left to ourselves we will become better people. They do believe however that we are constrained to en extent, where we are born, society, our physical bodies…which is why CCT is used to overcome these obstacles.

Client Centred Therapy (Carl Rogers) CCT is used mainly to treat people who need focus motivation in their lives. Who find it difficult to make decisions or who display symptoms of depression. Free will is very much apparent. The facilitator (therapist) behaves like an equal with the client (patient). It isn’t about trying to find a cure, ask them questions or offer a diagnosis – it is about empowering them to gain better insight into their current thoughts and feelings. It is about helping them to figure themselves out. To remove the ‘I can’t do it’s’…

How can free will be tested? Free will is such an abstract hypothesis it makes it very difficult to measure. Mostly we must rely on peoples subjective thoughts and feelings – i.e. they describe the lifestyle they have chosen, their friends, the subjects they learn etc…. Question – do you think brain activity happen before or after the decision to act – i.e. flex your wrist? Read the study by Libet (1985) to provide one of the very few objective measurements of free will…

See evaluations handout Make notes on which are in support or against the free will debate…. Also see small exam questions handout and complete