FREE WILL-DETERMINISM SCALE

Abstract

The Free Will-Determinism Scale is a 19-item psychometric instrument designed to measure an individual’s belief system regarding the philosophical and psychological concepts of Free Will and Determinism. The scale was adapted from earlier work by Viney, Waldman, and Barchilon (1982) and validated by Stroessner and Green (1990).

The instrument utilizes a 9-point Likert-type format, where responses range from (1) “strongly agree” to (9) “strongly disagree.” Crucially, the scale is multidimensional, yielding three distinct factor scores reflective of the complex nature of the belief system: Religious-Philosophical Determinism, Psychosocial Determinism, and Libertarianism (free will endorsement).

Keywords

Free Will, Determinism, Libertarianism, Psychosocial Determinism, Religious Determinism, Locus of Control, Attribution, Psychological Assessment, Belief System, Factor Analysis.

Authors

Steven J. Stroessner, C. Wayne Green (1990 Validation and Adaptation); original concepts adapted from Viney, Waldman, & Barchilon (1982).

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Free Will-Determinism Scale is to quantify the degree to which an individual endorses beliefs in free will or determinism, moving past the historical view of this concept as a simple dichotomy. By measuring these beliefs, researchers can assess how an individual’s orientation influences their psychological functioning, including their actions, attitudes, and attributions of responsibility.

The scale is instrumental in isolating specific sources of perceived constraint. It differentiates between environmental or social constraints (Psychosocial Determinism) and fate or divine control (Religious-Philosophical Determinism), allowing for a nuanced understanding of internal and external control beliefs that affect personal outcomes and judgments of others.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of belief in free will and determinism, conceptualized as a multidimensional belief system rather than a unidimensional continuum. The construct acknowledges that while the metaphysical existence of free will or determinism is beyond empirical proof, the degree to which an individual believes in either affects their behavior and judgment.

The three dimensions measured are:

• Religious-Philosophical Determinism: The conviction that transcendent forces (such as God or fate) control behavior.
• Psychosocial Determinism: The belief that behavior is determined by environmental factors, conditioning, and life experiences.
• Libertarianism: The belief that choice and internal control play a predominant role in actions and outcomes, representing the affirmation of free will.

The framework also implicitly excludes a “non-lawful universe” (one governed by chaos or random forces), as such a chaotic view invalidates the preconditions necessary for either true free will (internal control) or determinism (external control and order).

Validity

The scale demonstrates strong face validity, as the items are transparent and written in straightforward language, ensuring easy comprehension by respondents.

Evidence hinting at construct validity was derived from the relationship between the scale’s subdimensions and locus of control (LOC). Libertarians and religious-philosophical determinists showed higher levels of internal LOC compared to psychosocial determinists. However, individuals endorsing high religious-philosophical determinism also exhibited more external LOC than those low in that belief, suggesting complex interrelationships between these constructs.

A notable finding was the absence of the fundamental attribution error. Respondents judging themselves made the same types of moral and punitive judgments as when judging others, indicating a consistent application of their belief system regardless of the target of the judgment. This finding further supports the scale’s ability to measure underlying stable beliefs.

Reliability

Reliability was assessed by Stroessner and Green (1990) through internal consistency, determined via Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the three factors identified through factor analysis.

The reliability coefficients reported were:

• Religious-Philosophical Determinism (6 items): Alpha coefficient of .87.
• Psychosocial Determinism (7 items): Alpha coefficient of .64.
• Libertarianism (4 items): Alpha coefficient of .69.

The internal consistency for Religious-Philosophical Determinism is strong, while Psychosocial Determinism and Libertarianism show acceptable to borderline acceptable reliability. The initial study noted that test-retest reliability would be straightforward to establish but was not reported in the 1990 validation paper.

Factor Analysis

Stroessner and Green (1990) utilized a principal axes factor analysis with varimax rotation to evaluate the internal structure of the 19-item scale. This analysis confirmed the hypothesis that the belief system is multidimensional, identifying three primary factors that corresponded precisely to the predicted dimensions: Religious-Philosophical Determinism, Psychosocial Determinism, and Libertarianism.

The factor structure was clean, with each scored item loading distinctly onto only one factor. Two items that did not contribute to any factor were removed from the final scoring procedure, resulting in the current 17 scored items used to calculate the subscale totals.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychometric scale.

Format: 19 items (17 scored) using a 9-point Likert-type format (1 = “strongly agree,” 9 = “strongly disagree”).

Language Available: English (Original research).

Population Group: Individuals of normal intelligence.

Age Group: Teen years and older.

Population Details: The original standardization data came from 507 students attending a private liberal arts college affiliated with a mainline Protestant denomination in the Midwestern United States. This sample may limit the generalizability due to restricted diversity.

Test Methodology: Easy-to-administer paper-and-pencil instrument. A key practical limitation noted by the developers is the scale’s failure to address beliefs concerning genetic or biological determinants of behavior.

Keywords

Psychology, Philosophy, Belief Systems, Religious Determinism, Psychosocial Factors, Locus of Control, Punitiveness, Social Cognition, Internal Consistency, Attribution Bias.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale validation and adaptation was published in 1990 by Stroessner and Green, utilizing items adapted from earlier work (Viney et al., 1982). The scale items are publicly available through the academic reference provided below. Current permissions or usage fees for commercial application should be sought from the journal publisher or authors.

Test Year: 1990 (Validation Study).

Reference’s

Stroessner, S. J., & Green, C. W. (1990). Effects of belief in free will or determinism on attitudes toward punishment and locus of control. Journal of Social Psychology, 130, 789-799.

Viney, W., Waldman, D. A., & Barchilon, J. (1982). Attitudes toward punishment in relation to beliefs in free will and determinism. Human Relations, 35, 939-950.

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Items of the FREE WILL-DETERMINISM SCALE

Respondents are asked to rate their degree of agreement with each item on a 9-point Likert scale in which 1 denotes “strongly agree” and 9 denotes “strongly disagree.”

1. My exercise of free will is limited by my upbringing.
2. Because of my background influences, I have no real free will.
3. I will have free will all of my life.
4. I have free will in life, regardless of group expectations or pressures.
5. My behaviors are determined by conditioning and life experiences.
6. My choices are limited by God’s plan for my life.
7. My wealth, class, race, and gender determine my decisions and behavior.
8. My choices are constrained by God.
9. I am free to make choices in my life regardless of social conditions.
10. I have total free will.
11. My free will is limited by such social conditions as wealth, career, and class.
12. My decisions fit into and thus are limited by a larger plan.
13. My present behavior is totally a result of my childhood experiences.
14. God’s will determines the choices I make.
15. God has my life planned out.
16. My behaviors are limited by my background.
17. When things are going well for me, I consider it due to a run of good luck.

Scoring Information:

• Religious-Philosophical Determinism: Sum of responses to items 6, 8, 12, 14, 15, and 17.
• Libertarianism: Sum of responses to items 3, 4, 9, and 10.
• Psychosocial Determinism: Sum of responses to items 1, 2, 5, 7, 11, 13, and 16.

The score on the belief in determinism is calculated by reverse scoring and summing items 3, 4, 9, and 10 (the Libertarianism items).