Free Will and Mental Illness: A Diathesis-Stress-Agency Model

Free Will and Determinism Track

Curtis Lehmann, Ph.D., Psychology

William Whitney, Ph.D., Psychology

Human agency, or free will, often seems at odds with scientific perspectives on behavior. Learning about the biological, cognitive, developmental, social, and cultural influences on the way people act can challenge our common notions about personal control of, as well as personal responsibility for, our actions. In particular, the “diathesis-stress” perspective argues that mental disorders, as a unique facet of human behavior, emerge from longstanding biopsychosocial vulnerabilities that are triggered by a stressful event. This presentation argues that free will, particularly in regard to mental disorders, must be understood in the context of the vulnerabilities and stressors that human beings possess and encounter in their lives. This diathesis-stress-agency model suggests that free will, if it does exist, must be bounded in its ability to exert any change in our mental condition. This perspective is then related to theological notions of free will and systemic sin.