Free Choice Vs Free Will Study

The self is an important component of free will. It can be assumed that the self is the entity within a person making a decision without having causal determination (Gomes, 2007). The self can be described as the entity that gives one the sense that they are making a free choice. One of the limitations to many free will studies is that the definition of freedom is broad. For researchers, it is hard to decipher between a free choice and a random choice. Gomes (2007) explains that an action is considered free when one decides on A when they could have chosen otherwise. When faced with a choice there are internal and external factors that can influence the chooser, however, this does not mean that these factors cause or determine what

choice is made. Choices that are influenced are said to be slightly determined by factors that are unconscious to the person. However, context, environment, prior knowledge, and experience can have an effect on a person’s choice. For example, if a person is driving to work and there are different paths of which they could choose, they may decide to choose the fastest route on a day they are running late. On a different day, they may decide to take a more scenic route. They could also decide to avoid a particular route all together because they learned there is road construction which would cause them to be late arriving to their destination. These types of choices and actions can vary from day to day. This gives one a sense of self because they are able to critically think for themselves and decide the best option for the time. There are conscious and unconscious factors that play a role in decisions that are made, but it is the person (the self) which ultimately decides how influential these internal and external factors will be on the final choice that is made.