SOCIAL DETERMINISM

By: Brayden Dekker, Brianna Anderson, Cassandra Malandrino, Grace Rajballie, and Reilly Unroe

WHAT IS SOCIAL DETERMINISM?

➤ Behaviour that is not determined by one’s genetics (DNA) but by influences such as: parents, culture, your psychological state, traumatic experiences, history, race, gender, religion, education.

➤ The reasoning behind a person’s actions can be explained by what others have done to them.

➤ You are not free because you are the product of what others have done to you.

➤ An individual’s past determines their actions.

➤ “If today’s actions are determined entirely by your past, how can you be responsible for those actions?”

WHO IS SIGMUND FREUD?➤ Born in Moravia, now known as Czech Republic.(1856-

1939)

➤ Moved to Vienna at a young age where he lived out the rest of his life.

➤ Due to prejudice against Jewish people, he was unable to be a Doctor.

➤ However, he studied neurology in a hospital.

➤ Freud followed in the footsteps of one of his contemporaries, Joseph Breuer, who introduced him to psychotherapy.

➤ The key to his studies was exploring the human unconscious.

CONTINUATION

➤ 1897-> began a self analysis in which he analyzes his dreams.

➤ Later published it in a book called, “The interpretation of Dreams”.

➤ 1905-> Freud and three other researchers developed the four pillars of depth psychology.

➤ They later parted ways and he continued his psychoanalysis.

➤ 1938-> Freud fled to Vienna and died the following year.

FREUD’S THEORY OF THE UNCONSCIOUS

➤ Freud believed that before you can understand a person it is important to understand the concept of the unconscious mind.

➤ Human behaviour is motivated by the unconscious.

➤ Painful memories and personal desires are repressed through a mental censor.

➤ This censorship represses the unacceptable memories and desires from the conscious mind to the unconscious.

➤ The unconscious thoughts of a person may be theoretically below the surface, however, they continue to influence the conscious mind.

CONTINUATION

➤ The unconscious indirectly affects a person’s conscious perceptions and decisions.

➤ Freud would call behaviour patterns that are forced from the unconscious “neurotic.”

➤ This proves Freud’s theory of the unconscious to be deterministic.

➤ Freud said that your actions are not free and you cannot be held responsible for them.

➤ Once you are able to reconnect with the repression and understand what caused you to act in a certain way, you then have the ability to make free choices.

➤ Freud also concluded that repressed memories and desires have the ability to lead to positive actions.

➤ If a person uses their emotional power for right action, this is called sublimation.

LIFE AND DEATH INSTINCT

➤ A separate section of Freud’s theory that had an impact on morality is his theory of instinct.

➤ Instinct is a thing that applies pressure on the mind which induces humans to act to reduce tension. This tension is reduced by pleasure.

➤ Freud’s psychoanalytic theory revolves widely around instinct. (fixed behaviour)

➤ Freud believes in two determining instincts in humans: The life, or love (eros) instinct and the death (Thanatos) instinct.

DESIRE FOR LIFE VS. DESIRE FOR DEATH

➤ Desire for Life:

➤ Found in many different ways that an individual can express their “desire for life and love for the other.”

➤ Freud says, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

➤ Desire for Death:

➤ The act of aggressively dealing with yourself. (Self-aggression)

➤ ex. Adrenaline while skydiving

➤ Superego- The eternal director that imposes the feelings of guilt.

CASE STUDY

Should a life of abuse justify homicide?

A woman named Charlene Hill murdered her husband Danny Hill and ended a 25 year marriage. According to Charlene, Danny was a loving father, faithful husband, and a good person, but there was another side to him. He would suddenly fly into fits of rage, turning violent, resulting in domestic abuse. After finding out Charlene’s plans to leave him, he knocked her around, tied her to a chair, and poured gasoline on her. With a lighter in hand, he threatened if she ever left him, he would kill her. Charlene knew that going to the authorities was out of the question because if the police ever got involved his anger would get her killed. Charlene suffered in silence, until Nov. 14, 2006. One night Danny came home angrier than ever, and when he approached Charlene she felt she had no choice but to shoot. He was shot three times and died that night.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/should-a-life-of-abuse-justify-homicide/

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CASE STUDY?

Turn to your desk partner and express your views on the article

RELATING BACK TO SOCIAL DETERMINISM

As stated earlier, social determinism is the theory that we are a product of our environment. In particular, human actions such as murder can be viewed as a result of social determinism. The article depicts how Charlene was subjected to abuse for the majority of her marriage. A social determinist would look at this and say that her violent act of murder was entirely influenced by this experience. They would also say that because her actions are caused by her past, it was not a free choice.

NOW IT’S TIME TO…