Humanistic and Existential Approach to Free Will
One approach to personality is through the humanistic and existential perspectives and it is based on a quality versus quantity view of life. Seeking a reason for being and a meaning for life to become self-actualizing are the hallmarks of this perspective. The humanistic thought is positive and spiritual while the existentialists can be bleak. However, both emphasize the individual owns their existence and within the constraints of their situation they can choose through exercising free will to make the most of it or subsist.
The humanistic/existential approach does not ignore that individuals have responses to drives, rewards, and punishments, however, it extends motivation to positive actualized fulfillment. Self-determination represents “decision(s) independent of external constraints but in accordance with the inner motives and goals of the actor” (Wilks & Ratheal, 2010). This approach posits that individuals strive to improve their being and in doing so are capable of changing their future through self-determination (Friedman & Schustack, 2016).
Behaviorists Conflicting Views
The Behavioral perspective is based on traditional behavioral and learning theory. Pavlov and Skinner are big names in this perspective and the ideas of response to the environment, response extinction and reward/punishment are central perspectives (Friedman & Schustack, 2016). This leaves little (or no) room for human free will to be the determinant of behavior (e.g. “I decided to go to bed and read my book.”), as al behavior is determined by the environment (e.g. “I went to bed, because it is rewarding to wake up early or because my mom told me to go to bed.”). Although behavioral techniques have proven useful for some inappropriate behavior in younger individuals who are not able to work with Cognitive or Humanistic perspectives, and for treatment of phobias, Humanistic thinkers would argue that constraints of their environment, determine the individuals own destiny through the exercise of their own free will to either take opportunities afforded or not (Wilks & Ratheal, 2010).
Behaviorism seems too mechanistic and deterministic (e.g., “I learned my Math because the teacher praised or punished me,” “the person broke the law because his parents broke the law”), according to Humanistic/Existential thinkers who argue that people make decisions to act and do (e.g. “I learned my Math because I decided to study and work hard” or “the person broke the law because he decided to follow the footsteps of his parents”). And according to Skinner, there was no proof that he wasn’t strictly responding to stimuli, which implies that people are completely programmable (Friedman & Schustack, 2016). This is in sharp contrast to the humanistic/existential view of human beings as the prime actor and determinant of behavior through the exercise of their free will and decision-making ability. While we can be conditioned, we can also resist conditioning and make our own way through life, argues the humanistic thinker.
Other perspectives to consider are the biomedical or biological perspectives, psychodynamic perspectives, and cognitive perspectives.
References
Friedman, H. S. & Schustack, M. W. (2016). Personality: Classic theories and modern research (6th ed.). MA: Pearson
Wilks, D., & Ratheal, J. D. (2010, Fall). A historical review and contemporary reassessment of free will concepts in psychological humanism and counseling. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, 49(2), 147-162
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