Findings and Limitations of Psychological Research on Free Will

Abstract

Philosophers have long debated the issue of free will. It has sometimes become a part of the debate even among (social) psychologists. That is probably because while psychologists generally postulate the existence of free will, the results of some studies and their underlying assumptions may imply a denial of the existence of free will. This paper introduces some psychological studies and their underlying assumptions that are relevant to the problem of free will, and then evaluates whether they implicate a denial of the existence of free will and the potential reasons behind that implication. The field of sociological criminology (desistance from crime) also examines the problem of free will (agency), and this paper suggests the possibility that the awareness of free will (agency) in each respective field may be at least partially common.