心理学专业外语精要.ppt

心理学专业英语 English for Psychology Chapter nine The freewill vs. determinism debate in psychology The freewill vs.determinism debate in psychology Assumptions Examples in psychology For Against Freewill-assumptions The freewill approach assumes that humans are free to choose their behaviour, that they are essentially self-determining. Freewill does not mean that behaviour is uncaused in the sense of being completely random, but assumes that influences (biological or environmental) can be rejected at will. Soft determinism(william James,1890)suggests that freewill is not freedom from causation,but freedom from coercion and constraint-if our actions are voluntary and in line with our conscious desired goals then they are free. The freewill approach assumes that humans are free to choose their behaviour, that they are essentially self-determining. Freewill does not mean that behaviour is uncaused in the sense of being completely random, but assumes that influences (biological or environmental) can be rejected at will. Soft determinism (william James,1890)suggests that freewill is not freedom from causation, but freedom from coercion and constraint-if our actions are voluntary and in line with our conscious desired goals then they are free. Determinism-assumptions The determinism approach assumes that every physical event is caused, and, since human behaviour is a physical event, it follows that it too is caused by preceding factors. If all events are caused and perfect knowledge is gained of the current state of the universe, it follows that future events are entirely predictable. Determinism, with its emphasis on causal laws is, therefore, the basis of science, which aims to reveal those laws to provide prediction and control of the future. The determinism approach assumes that every physical event is caused, and, since human behaviour is a physical event, it follows that it too is caused by preceding factors. If all events are caused and perfect knowle