The concept of will and its functions. Willpower and volitional regulation

Will -this is a conscious regulation by a person of his actions and deeds that require overcoming internal and external difficulties on the way to the intended goal.

Will is not an isolated property of the human psyche. It is present in many acts. human behavior as a conscious regulation, a conscious application of physical and mental forces for the realization of a consciously set goal. Therefore, the will is one of essential conditions human activity.

Will provides two interconnected functions - motivating (activating)- this is a conscious direction of mental and physical efforts to overcome difficulties and achieve goals; And brake- this is the containment of an undesirable manifestation of activity (refusal of something).

The will ensures the fulfillment of two interrelated functions - stimulating and inhibitory, and manifests itself in them.

incentive function provided by human activity. In contrast to reactivity, when the action is determined by the previous situation (a person turns around at a call, hits a ball thrown in a game, takes offense at a rude word, etc.), activity generates an action due to the specifics of the subject’s internal states that are revealed at the moment of the action itself (a person , in need of obtaining the necessary information, calls out to a friend, experiencing a state of irritation, allows himself to be rude to others, etc.).

In contrast to field behavior, which is distinguished by unintentionality, activity is characterized by arbitrariness, i.e., the conditionality of the action by a consciously set goal. Activity may not be caused by the requirements of a momentary situation, the desire to adapt to it, to act within the boundaries of a given one, it is characterized by supra-situation, that is, going beyond the original goals, the ability of a person to rise above the level of the requirements of the situation, set goals that are excessive in relation to the original task (such as “risk for the sake of risk”, creative impulse, etc.).

One of the manifestations of a person’s social activity, what can be called his active civic position, is “excessive activity”, i.e., his activity, the implementation of which is not strictly obligatory for the figure (no one can reproach him if he does not fulfill it), but the implementation of which meets social expectations.

One more feature of volitional processes can be indicated, which acts as a manifestation of its incentive function. If a person does not have an actual (“here and now”) need to carry out an action, the objective necessity of which he realizes, the will creates additional impulses that change the meaning of the action, making it more significant, causing experiences associated with the foreseen consequences of the action.

In a state of exhaustion, it can be difficult for a student to muster the strength to go to a gym for training on the other side of the city, but the idea that the overall success of the team and the maintenance of the sports glory of the school depends on how prepared he is as a team captain , mobilizes his will, creating additional motivation to carry out the action.

braking function will, acting in unity with incentive function, is manifested in the containment of undesirable manifestations of activity. A person is able to slow down the awakening of motives and the implementation of actions that do not correspond to his worldview, ideals and beliefs. Regulation of behavior would be impossible without inhibition.

Speaking about the style and tone of relationships in the team, A. S. Makarenko especially emphasized the task of developing a “habit of inhibition”. He wrote: “The leadership of a children's institution must constantly develop in pupils the ability to be restrained in movement, in a word, in a cry. This braking should not have the character of a drill; it should be logically justified by the direct benefit for the organism of its pupil, aesthetic ideas and conveniences for the entire team. A special form of inhibition is politeness, which must be strongly recommended at every convenient occasion and demand its observance.

A person's motives for action form a certain ordered system - a hierarchy of motives - from the needs for food, clothing, shelter from heat and cold to higher motives associated with the experience of moral, aesthetic and intellectual feelings. In the event that, in the name of higher motives, lower ones, including vital ones, are inhibited and restrained, this happens due to manifestations of the will. And in Everyday life to restrain the manifestation of one's feelings, to complete the work begun despite any difficulties, to resist the temptation to give up everything and do something more attractive - perhaps with a sufficiently strong will.

In their unity, the motivating and inhibitory functions of the will provide the individual with overcoming difficulties on the way to achieving the goal.

The first materialistic explanation of the nature of the will was given by Sechenov, who pointed out that the will is the active side of the mind and moral feeling, expressed in the ability of a person to perform purposeful actions and deeds that require overcoming difficulties.

Will is a property (process, state) of a person, manifested in his ability to consciously control his psyche and actions. It manifests itself in overcoming obstacles that arise on the way to achieving a consciously set goal.

In everyday life, there is usually no difficulty in determining the phenomena that relate to the manifestations of the will. Volitional includes all actions and deeds that are not performed according to inner desire, and if necessary, as well as those actions that are associated with overcoming various life difficulties and obstacles. In addition, there are a number of personality traits that are traditionally referred to as strong-willed: perseverance, endurance, purposefulness, patience, etc.

IN scientific psychology there is no such clarity, the concept of will is one of the most complex in psychological science. Moreover, the problem of will is often completely denied - instead, the regulation of behavior is discussed in connection with the needs, motives, desires and goals of a person. Within the framework of the motivational approach, the will is considered as the ability to initiate an action or increase the incentive to act when it is deficient due to external and (or) internal obstacles, the absence of an actually experienced desire for action, or in the presence of motives competing with the action being performed.

Usually in psychology, two functions of the will are distinguished: stimulating (stimulating) and inhibitory. Ilyin approached the analysis of the will and the structure of arbitrary control more broadly. He considers will as self-management of behavior with the help of consciousness, which implies the independence of a person in making decisions, in initiating actions, their implementation and control. In the structure of arbitrary control, Ilyin includes: self-determination (motives, goals, desires); self-initiation and self-inhibition of action, self-control, self-mobilization and self-stimulation.

The incentive function is provided by the activity of a person, which generates an action due to the specifics of the internal states of the subject, which are revealed at the moment of the action itself.

Unlike volitional behavior, characterized by unintentionality, activity is characterized by arbitrariness, i.e. the conditionality of the action by a consciously set goal. Activity may not be caused by the requirements of a momentary situation, the desire to adapt to it, to act within the boundaries of a given one. It is characterized by over-situation, i.e. going beyond the original goals, the ability of a person to rise above the level of the requirements of the situation, to set goals that are excessive in relation to the original task (such is “risk for the sake of risk”, a creative impulse, etc.).

The main psychological function of the will is to increase motivation and improve on this basis the conscious regulation of actions. The real mechanism for generating an additional motivation for action is a conscious change in the meaning of the action by the person performing it. The meaning of the action is usually associated with the struggle of motives and changes with certain, deliberate mental efforts.

The need for volitional action arises when an obstacle appears on the way to the implementation of motivated activity. act of will associated with overcoming it. Beforehand, however, it is necessary to realize, comprehend the essence of the problem that has arisen. A volitional action is always associated with the consciousness of the purpose of the activity, its significance, with the subordination of the actions performed to this purpose. Sometimes it becomes necessary to give a special meaning to any goal, and in this case, the participation of the will in the regulation of activity comes down to finding the appropriate meaning, the increased value of this activity. Otherwise, it may be necessary to find additional stimuli for carrying out, bringing to the end an activity that has already begun, and then the volitional meaning-forming function is associated with the process of performing the activity. In the third case, the goal may be to learn something, and actions related to learning acquire a volitional character.

The energy and source of volitional actions is always, one way or another, connected with the actual needs of a person. Based on them, a person gives a conscious meaning to his arbitrary actions. In this regard, volitional actions are associated with consciousness, hard work of thinking and overcoming difficulties.

The following can be distinguished characteristics will:

• - endurance and perseverance of will, which are characterized by the fact that vigorous activity covers long periods human life striving to achieve the set goal.
• - the fundamental consistency and constancy of the will, as opposed to inconstancy and inconsistency. The fundamental sequence lies in the fact that all actions of a person follow from a single guiding principle of his life, to which a person subordinates everything secondary and secondary.
• - critical will, opposing its easy suggestibility and a tendency to act thoughtlessly.

This feature lies in the deep thoughtfulness and self-critical evaluation of all their actions. It is possible to persuade such a person to change the line of behavior taken by him only through reasonable argumentation.

Decisiveness, which consists in the absence of unnecessary hesitation in the struggle of motives, in quick decision-making and bold implementation.

Volitional action and the need for it arises when an obstacle arises in the way of carrying out the action. One of the psychological functions of the will is to increase motivation and improve on this basis the conscious regulation of actions. When the initial motives are not enough to continue the activity, then the will turns on. According to W. James, in these cases it seems to a person that the action is carried out along the line of greatest resistance, although it can be easily directed in another way - along the line of least resistance.

Imagine that in a trolleybus you stepped on your foot painfully, in a simple way response in such a situation would be to scream, push away the careless neighbor. But the realization that other people are standing nearby, that rudeness is not The best way settlement of relations, may be the reason that you will not show it, although it will be painful and unpleasant for you. well-mannered people often proud of victories over their nature. On the other hand, one who gives himself up to momentary urges or natural inclinations cannot admit that he has strengthened motives of a higher order in himself. So lazy people do not say that they have opposed their industriousness, and drunkards do not claim that they are struggling with the desire for a sober life.

Will always involves reliance on spiritual goals and moral values, beliefs and ideals. Strengthened influence on the moral side of the matter is an essential feature of a strong-willed person.

Volitional action is always associated with awareness of the purpose of the activity, its significance. Sometimes it becomes necessary to give any goal a special, privileged meaning. In this case, we can talk about the meaning-forming function of volitional action, which manifests itself in a change in the impulse to action through a change in its meaning. Psychology knows various ways of such meaning formation. Here are some of them.

Changes in the meaning of the action, firstly, can be achieved through a reassessment of the significance of the original motive.

For example, H. Lindemann went on a solo voyage in an inflatable boat through Atlantic Ocean, prompted by the desire for public fame and glory as a pioneer. In the most difficult situations, when the original motive lost its original strength, the navigator teased himself: "If you die, then your death will be printed in all the newspapers." When life hung in the balance, H. Lindemann spurred himself on: “To hell with fame! Think better how to survive! You must overcome it! You can handle it all!" Secondly, the change in the meaning of an action is carried out through the combination of a given action with other higher motives (duty, honor, dignity).

So, a fighter who remains at his post, despite the intense shelling and the growing danger, remembers that he is protecting his comrades, which means that he is fulfilling his duty as a soldier and a man. Thirdly, the meaning of an action can be changed by anticipating and emotionally experiencing the social and moral consequences of the results of one's actions.

For example, a young man refuses a tourist trip, which he has long dreamed of, and spends his vacation with his sick father. This choice is not easy for him. But when he remembers how happy his mother was that now she is not alone in this difficult situation, when he imagines how sorry he will be if his father dies and he does not have time to say goodbye to him, then he is strengthened in the legitimacy of the decision. Allocate the organizing function of the will, which consists in the organization of behavior as a systemic, purposeful activity. Thanks to the will, a person, on his own initiative, can perform actions in a pre-planned direction, with pre-foreseen force, and exercise control over their execution. The mental processes of a person are carried out, as a rule, in the mode of volitional action: the perception of what is needed in this moment subject. memorizing the required material, creating an image of the imagination, deliberate and purposeful search for a solution to the problem.

The influence of the will in restraining the corresponding emotions, in reproducing the necessary emotional states is known. This is where the restraining function of the will comes into play. Indeed, there are situations in which inaction requires a much greater volitional effort from a person than active intervention.

For example, a student refrains from sneaking a look into a notebook (and he really wants to, and the teacher left the classroom) when he was preparing to answer an exam that assesses knowledge in a professionally significant subject. To demonstrate here one's awareness for a student is "a matter of honor."

FEDERAL AGENCY FOR EDUCATION

MOSCOW STATE CONSTRUCTION UNIVERSITY

Discipline: "Psychology and Pedagogy"

Essay

"Will"

Lecturer: Gusareva N.B.

Student: Masaltseva O.V.

Moscow, 2010

Introduction.

The concept of “will” is used by psychiatry, psychology, physiology and philosophy. IN explanatory dictionary Ozheg's will is interpreted as the ability to achieve the goals set for oneself. In antiquity, in European culture, the idea of ​​the will, as an integral part of the mental life of a person, was fundamentally different from the one prevailing at the present time. So, Socrates compared the will with the direction (in the sense of action) of the flight of an arrow, understanding by this the indisputable fact that the arrow is still destined to break off the bowstring, but the will allows it to do this only when the target is correctly chosen. Philosophers of the school of Plato defined the will as “purposefulness combined with correct reasoning; prudent aspiration; reasonable natural desire. Zeno opposed will to desire. The Greek philosophers ascribed to the will a mainly restraining role. In their understanding, the will played the role of internal censorship rather than being a creative agent.

The modern idea of ​​will has been enriched by attributing additional characteristics to this concept. For example, Hume, having defined will as “an internal impression that we experience and are aware of when we consciously give rise to some new movement of our body or a new perception of our spirit”, actually pointed out that consciousness of will is inherent in a person, it has the character of experiencing , volitional acts are carried out consciously, the will precedes the action. Moreover, in the modern philosophical understanding, will has become inseparable from action, “every true, real, immediate act of the will is at the same time and directly a manifested act of the body.”

Modern psychiatry considers the will as a mental process, which consists in the ability to actively systematic activity aimed at meeting the needs of a person.

A volitional act is a complex, multi-stage process, including a need (desire), which determines the motivation of behavior, awareness of the need, the struggle of motives, the choice of a method of implementation, the launch of implementation, control of implementation.

Properties and functions of the will.

On personal level will manifests itself in such properties as willpower, energy, perseverance, endurance, etc. They can be considered as primary, or basic, volitional qualities of a person. Such qualities define behavior that is characterized by all or most of the properties described above.

A strong-willed person is distinguished determination, courage, self-control, self-confidence. Such qualities usually develop in ontogenesis (development) somewhat later than the above group of properties. In life, they manifest themselves in unity with the character, so they can be considered not only as volitional, but also as characterological. Let's call these qualities secondary.

Finally, there is a third group of qualities, which, reflecting the will of a person, are connected at the same time with his moral and value orientations. This is responsibility, discipline, adherence to principles, commitment. The same group, designated as tertiary qualities, can include those in which the will of a person and his attitude to work simultaneously act: efficiency, initiative. Such personality traits are usually formed only by adolescence.

The will ensures the performance of two interrelated functions - incentive And brake and shows up in them.

incentive function ensured activity a person that generates an action due to the specifics of the internal states of the subject, which are revealed at the moment of the action itself (for example: a person in need of obtaining the necessary information calls out to a friend, experiencing a state of irritation, allows himself to be rude to others, etc.).

Unlike strong-willed behavior, characterized by unintentionality, activity is characterized by arbitrariness, i.e., the conditionality of the action by a consciously set goal. Activity may not be caused by the requirements of a momentary situation, the desire to adapt to it, to act within the boundaries of a given one. It is characterized by over-situation, i.e. going beyond the original goals, the ability of a person to rise above the level of the requirements of the situation, to set goals that are excessive in relation to the original task (such is “risk for the sake of risk”, creative impulse, etc.).

According to V.A. Vannikov, the main psychological function of the will is increased motivation and improvement on this basis of conscious regulation of actions. The real mechanism for generating an additional motivation for action is a conscious change in the meaning of the action by the person performing it. The meaning of the action is usually associated with the struggle of motives and changes with certain, deliberate mental efforts.

The need for volitional action arises when an obstacle appears on the way to the implementation of motivated activity. The act of will is connected with its overcoming. Beforehand, however, it is necessary to realize, comprehend the essence of the problem that has arisen.

The inclusion of will in the composition of activity begins with a person asking himself the question: “What happened?” The very nature of this question indicates that the will is closely connected with the awareness of the action, the course of activity and the situation. The primary act of including the will in action actually consists in the arbitrary involvement of consciousness in the process of carrying out the activity.

A volitional action is always associated with the consciousness of the purpose of the activity, its significance, with the subordination of the actions performed to this purpose. Sometimes it becomes necessary to give a special meaning to any goal, and in this case, the participation of the will in the regulation of activity comes down to finding the appropriate meaning, the increased value of this activity. Otherwise, it may be necessary to find additional stimuli for carrying out, bringing to the end an activity that has already begun, and then the volitional meaning-forming function is associated with the process of performing the activity. In the third case, the goal may be to learn something, and actions related to learning acquire a volitional character.

The energy and source of volitional actions is always, one way or another, connected with the actual needs of a person. Based on them, a person gives a conscious meaning to his arbitrary actions. In this regard, volitional actions are no less determined than any others, only they are associated with consciousness, hard work of thinking and overcoming difficulties.

Volitional regulation can be included in the activity at any of the stages of its implementation: the initiation of the activity, the choice of means and methods for its implementation, following the planned plan or deviating from it, monitoring the execution. The peculiarity of the inclusion of volitional regulation at the initial moment of the implementation of activity is that a person, consciously refusing some drives, motives and goals, prefers others and implements them in spite of momentary, immediate impulses. The will in choosing an action is manifested in the fact that, having consciously abandoned the usual way of solving a problem, the individual chooses a different, sometimes more difficult one, and tries not to deviate from it. Finally, the volitional regulation of control over the execution of an action consists in the fact that a person consciously forces himself to carefully check the correctness of the actions performed when there is almost no strength and desire to do this. Particular difficulties in terms of volitional regulation are presented for a person by such an activity, where problems of volitional control arise along the entire path of the activity, from the very beginning to the end.

A typical case of the inclusion of the will in the management of activity is the situation associated with the struggle of incompatible motives, each of which requires the performance of different actions at the same time. Then the consciousness and thinking of a person, being included in the volitional regulation of his behavior, are looking for additional incentives in order to make one of the drives stronger, to give it more meaning in the current situation. Psychologically, this means an active search for connections between the goal and the ongoing activity with the highest spiritual values ​​of a person, consciously attaching much more importance to them than they had at the beginning.

Features of the will

The following characteristic features of the will can be distinguished:

endurance And persistence wills, which are characterized by the fact that vigorous activity covers long periods of a person's life, striving to achieve the goal.

principle sequence And constancy will, as opposed to inconstancy and inconsistency. The fundamental sequence lies in the fact that all actions of a person follow from a single guiding principle of his life, to which a person subordinates everything secondary and secondary.

criticality will, contrasting it with easy suggestibility and a tendency to act thoughtlessly. This feature lies in the deep thoughtfulness and self-critical evaluation of all their actions. It is possible to persuade such a person to change the line of behavior taken by him only through reasonable argumentation.

determination, which consists in the absence of unnecessary hesitation in the struggle of motives, in the rapid adoption of decisions and the bold implementation of them.

The will is characterized by the ability to subordinate one's personal, individual aspirations to the will of the collective, the will of the class to which the person belongs.

Volitional disorders

It seems possible to combine volitional disorders into the following main groups:

Group 1. Disorder of volitional actions.

Volitional actions are actions performed without an actually experienced need for the action itself or for its results, but behind which there is a decision aimed at satisfying the need in the distant future (the action is not in the nature of a knowingly necessary one). The disorder is clinically manifested by the inability to fix one's attention and perform actions, the result of which is not obvious, instantly achievable. The disorder is also associated with prognostic function. Patients who detect the disorder report that they cannot imagine the fruits of their labor, are disappointed in the work they do before the result is achieved, or they perceive the long work itself as a negative result, are unable to motivate themselves for long work, need additional incentives - “milestones ". In particular, they cannot make savings for the purchase of any valuable thing, study if their knowledge does not find practical application. Creation of objective values ​​for the benefit of society or individuals. It is manifested by the lack of ability for altruistic actions, which often creates the impression of callousness, reduced energy and emotional potential. Satisfying the requirements of the team, the immediate environment (in the absence of self-interest).

Will is one of the most complex concepts in psychology. It is considered both as a mental process and as an aspect of most other important mental processes and phenomena, and how unique ability individuals arbitrarily control their behavior.

Will- it is a person's conscious overcoming of difficulties on the way to the implementation of an action. Faced with obstacles, a person either refuses to act in the chosen direction, or “increases” efforts to overcome the barrier, that is, he performs a special action that goes beyond the boundaries of his original motives and goals; this special action consists in changing the very urge to act. A person intentionally attracts additional motives for action, in other words, builds a new motive. An important role in the construction of new motives is played by a person's imagination, foresight and ideal "playing" of certain possible consequences of activity.

Ultimately, the complexity of the concept of "will" is explained by the fact that it is very closely related to the concept of "consciousness", an extremely complex psychological phenomenon, and is one of its most important attributes. Being closely associated with motivational sphere personality, will is a special arbitrary form of human activity. It involves the initiation, stabilization and inhibition (inhibition) of a number of aspirations, impulses, desires, motives; organizes a system of actions in the direction of achieving conscious goals.

Three main functions volitional processes.

1. initiating, or incentive, function(directly related to motivational factors) is to force one or another action, behavior, activity to start, overcoming objective and subjective obstacles.

2. Stabilizing function associated with volitional efforts to maintain activity at the proper level in the event of external and internal interference of various kinds.

3. Inhibitory or inhibitory function consists in inhibiting other, often strong motives and desires, other behaviors that are not consistent with the main goals of activity (and behavior) at one time or another. A person is able to slow down the awakening of motives and the implementation of actions that contradict his idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe proper, is able to say “no!” motives, the exercise of which could jeopardize the values ​​of more high order. Regulation of behavior would be impossible without inhibition.

Along with this, volitional actions also have three main features.

The first one is awareness freedom implementation of actions, a sense of fundamental "uncertainty" of one's own behavior.

The second is the obligatory objective determinism any, even seemingly extremely “free” action.

The third - in volitional action (behavior) the personality is manifested generally - as fully and explicitly as possible, since volitional regulation acts as highest level mental regulation.

Will as a conscious organization and self-regulation of activity, aimed at overcoming internal difficulties, it is, first of all, power over oneself, over one's feelings, actions. It is well known that different people this power has varying degrees of expression. Ordinary consciousness captures a huge spectrum individual features will, differing in the intensity of their manifestations, characterized on one pole as strength, and on the other - as weakness of the will. The range of manifestations of weak will is as great as the characteristic qualities of a strong will. extreme degree weakness of will is beyond the norm of the psyche. These include, for example, abulia and apraxia.

Abulia - this is the lack of motivation for activity, arising on the basis of brain pathology, the inability, upon understanding the need to make a decision to act or execute it.

Apraxia - a complex violation of the purposefulness of actions caused by damage to the brain structures. If the damage to the nervous tissue is localized in the frontal lobes of the brain, apraxia occurs, which manifests itself in a violation of the voluntary regulation of movements and actions that do not obey a given program and, therefore, make it impossible to carry out an act of will.

Abulia and apraxia - relatively rare events, inherent in people with severe mental disorders. The weak will that a teacher encounters in everyday work is, as a rule, due not to brain pathology, but to certain conditions of upbringing. Correction of lack of will is possible, as a rule, only against the background of a change in the social situation of personality development.