Volitional act. Excitatory and inhibitory functions of the will Regulatory function of the will in psychology

Volitional function as an inhibitory, delaying function was first proposed by T. Ribot. It, in his opinion, manifests itself in conditions of insufficiently strong excitation (delay is impossible if strong excitation immediately leads to action), associations between two states (for example, horror causes numbness), the emergence of antagonistic states of consciousness (for example, anger is delayed by the idea of ​​duty) . The essence of this function is to suppress competing motives in the mind in order to ensure the victory of one of them. In the modern interpretation of Smirnova E.O. The development of will and arbitrariness in early ontogenesis. - 1990 - No. 3. - With. 49-54 attention is drawn to the function of the will (general and for arbitrariness in general) of inhibiting spontaneous activity and overcoming established stereotypes.

Basov M.Ya. 5 functions of mental phenomena were identified: perceptual, reproductive, associative (intelligence), reactive (emotions), regulatory (will). Thus, a regulatory function was monopoly assigned to the will, the essence of which Basov saw in controlling the course of other mental processes (calling, accelerating, slowing down, strengthening, weakening, stopping, coordinating) and in their assessment by the individual. Man as a person is characterized by the presence and severity of the regulative function of the will. Basov called this function "will-function", the form of existence of which was declared to be volitional attention. In the form of attention, will regulates perception, memory, thinking, emotions. Thus, the regulatory function was assigned to the will, was considered as embodied in attention, and the actual regulation was interpreted as mainly carried out in the address of mental processes, and not in the address of the behavior of the individual as a whole.

The regulatory function of the will is now recognized by all authors. Researchers believe that volitional regulation is a conscious self-regulation or self-determination of human behavior and activity, which is carried out in relation to movements and their parameters, emotional behavior, actions and their parameters, motives, and various mental states. It warns, overcomes or softens the effect of an obstacle that has already arisen.

The function of organization of mental functions by the will and mobilization of mental resources is distinguished by Kalin V.K. . The cited author interprets the will as a system of mechanisms of consciousness that provide self-management of the organization of mental functions. "The procedural aspect of the will - volitional regulation - is the choice and implementation by the subject of activity of the most effective way(forms) of transformation of the original, actual organization of mental functions into the necessary, most adequate to the goals of activity.

The function of motives or initiation of actions has traditionally been attributed to the will by most researchers. Attention was drawn to the conditions for the actualization of the function of motivation: the presence of obstacles and competing motives, the absence of an actually experienced desire for the implementation of an action.

The reflective function of the will was discussed in Soviet psychology in connection with volitional actions. It was postulated that the objects of reflection are both the goal of the activity in relation to the actually performed activity, and the conditions and environment of actions, as well as such phenomena as the struggle of motives, decision making, purposefulness, the level of claims, volitional effort. The properties of the so-called volitional reflection included mediation, selectivity, an active-personal character and relation to higher regulation aimed at achieving the goal.

The function of "freedom from" and "freedom for", realized by the will, was singled out by V. Frankl, emphasizing the freedom of a person in realizing the meaning of life in conditions of restriction of this freedom by objective circumstances. A person is free in relation to his inclinations, heredity and factors and circumstances of the external environment. A person is free to take responsibility for his own destiny, listen to the voice of his conscience, make decisions about his own destiny and change himself.

The repressive function of the will manifests itself as a way of a person's struggle with the satisfaction of his own desires. When this function is emphasized, a repressive type of willpower arises, leading to impoverishment of imagination and aspirations, to the presence of depression, hostility, and self-rejection in a person.

The function of fighting the struggle of motives, identified by Vasilyuk F.E. , consists in preventing (by means of "value-based attention and special content-temporal transformations of motivation") stopping or deviating the activity of the subject due to the struggle of motives, which is characteristic of the model of an internally complex and externally difficult life world. Thanks to the will, there is a practical linking of the ideal-value and temporal-spatial perspectives of life into the unity of the concrete-situational actually carried out behavior of the individual, the embodiment of the ideas of the individual in specific practical activities.

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 ​​will as an integral part of the mental human life, was fundamentally different from the 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).

Since childhood, we all hear such phrases as "willpower", "a weak-willed person" or "gather your will into a fist." Each of us has an approximate idea of ​​what exactly the interlocutor means when he says these words. However, a precise definition of the concepts of "will" and "functions of the will" can usually only be given by a specialist in the field of psychology or philosophy. This is all the more surprising because without this term it is difficult to imagine a person as a whole and all aspects of his life. Therefore, in this article we will consider the concept of will, and the function of will.

Interpretation of the concept in philosophy and psychology

Since ancient times, philosophers and psychologists have been concerned with questions of the will, and they have been viewed from numerous angles and interpreted in completely different ways. For example, studies of the will in psychology were conducted by Schopenhauer. He revealed rational nature will, but took it to the most hidden corners of the soul. During this period of time, it was believed that it represents a force that binds a person and obliges him to perform certain actions. Therefore, in order to have the hope of a happy and free life, a person had to get rid of the fetters of the will.

I would like to note that in psychologists there are three main areas human activity:

• emotional;
• intellectual;
• strong-willed.

Experts believe that the latter area is the least studied, and often it is presented in a distorted version. For example, psychologists in the Soviet Union, defining the function of the will and the concept itself, argued that it can be understood as the pressure of social goals and interests over individual ones. It is noteworthy that with such an interpretation, individual values ​​formed by volitional nature became just a set of accepted value orientations of society as a whole. This approach has brought up several generations of citizens, whose will was completely and unconditionally subordinated to public and state interests.

It is noteworthy that philosophers are still debating about free will. Some authors of works adhere to the ideas of determinism. Their meaning in a few words can be expressed in the absence of free will in principle. That is, a person cannot independently choose one or another path, based on his own convictions, and Another group of philosophers promotes the theory of indeterminism. Representatives of this trend provide an evidence base for the ideas of free will. They argue that every person is free from birth, and in such a context, the will only contributes to development and movement forward.

In psychology, there are certain characteristics through which the will is determined:

• personality traits - purposefulness, perseverance, self-control, and so on;
• the ability to regulate mental and behavioral reactions;
• volitional actions that have a number of clear signs - overcoming moral and other types of obstacles, awareness, and the like.

Of course, all of the above does not give a precise definition of the structure of the will and function. However, in general, the mechanism of its action under certain conditions becomes clear. In the following sections of the article, we will take a closer look at the will, its main features and functions.

Definition

In the modern scientific world, the concept of will is considered one of the most complex and multifaceted. After all, considering it, one has to take into account that the will can act as an independent process, an indispensable aspect of certain actions, as well as the ability of a person to subordinate and control his actions and emotions.

If we refer to the terminology of psychology, then we can say that will is the ability of a person to regulate his behavior by overcoming a number of difficulties and obstacles. This process proceeds consciously and has a number of functions and features. Will in this case appears as a certain property of the human psyche. Indeed, in order to achieve his goal, a person must not only overcome a number of obstacles, but also apply all his emotional and physical strength for this. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine human activity without the volitional aspect.

act of will

It is possible to reveal the signs of will and function only through understanding act of will. This process is extremely complex, it includes several successive stages, which can be represented as follows:

• a need that performs a motivational function;
• awareness of the need;
• internal definition of motives that prompt action;
• selection of options to meet the needs;
• first steps towards the goal;
• control over the implementation of a well-thought-out plan.

It is noteworthy that each stage is accompanied by a strain of will. She participates in all the above processes. Psychologists believe that each time a person compares his action with a picture drawn in his head, taken as an ideal. The real plan is adjusted and re-launched.

Experts also call all items on our list “volitional actions” and believe that it is in them that the personality is most fully revealed, and also enters a new stage of development.

signs

Before talking about the functions of the will, it is necessary to consider its features. There are several of them:

• concentration of efforts for a volitional act;
• a detailed action plan;
• attention to one's own efforts;
• lack of positive emotions in the process of their actions;
• mobilization of all the forces of the body;
• ultimate concentration on the goal and the path to it.

These signs reveal the psychological basis of the will. After all, such actions are aimed primarily at overcoming their own fears and weaknesses. In the process of implementing a volitional action, a person is set to fight with himself, which is considered characteristic only of a highly developed personality.

Signs of volitional action

We have already said that the will is the main aspect of all human activity. It imperceptibly penetrates into all spheres of life and sometimes subjugates them to itself. This process has three main features that explain that the will and volitional processes and functions of the will are closely related concepts:

• Providing the goal of any human activity, as well as streamlining life. Volitional actions are able to change the world around a particular person, subordinating it to certain goals.
• The ability to control oneself with the help of the will gives a person freedom. After all, in this case, external circumstances cannot have a decisive influence and the personality turns into an active subject, having the ability to make conscious decisions.
• The conscious overcoming of obstacles on the way to the goal activates all volitional processes. After all, when faced with difficulties, only the person himself can decide whether to continue moving forward or whether it is time to stop. Will gives him the impetus to make a decision.

It should be noted that the mental function described by us is manifested in various properties of the human personality. It is worth talking about them in more detail.

Manifestation of will

Every person has certain qualities. Many of them are a clear reflection of the will:

• persistence. It can be interpreted as the ability to gather all the forces and concentrate on the task at hand.
• Excerpt. Subjugation and restraint of the mind, emotions and actions for the sake of a single goal.
• Determination. The desire for the fastest decision-making and implementation of the action plan.
• obligatory. Completion of all activities on time and in full.

Of course, these are not all personality traits. In reality, there are many more of them, but already from this small list it becomes clear that the will literally permeates all human activity, his thoughts and dreams. Without it, a person would not be able to realize any of the ideas that have arisen. This fully reveals the will and volitional processes.

Will Functions

Science has distinguished them for a long time. Initially, psychologists spoke of the presence of two functions of the will, but now their number has increased to three. This is considered the most accurate definition of the functional role of this mental aspect. Today we can highlight:

• incentive function;
• brake;
• stabilizing.

In the following sections of the article, we will take a closer look at the main functions of the will.

Incentive

Many scientists consider it to be the main function of the will. It provides human activity, both arbitrary and conscious. It is noteworthy that this function is often confused with reactivity. However, there are serious differences between them, which are noticeable even to beginners in psychology. Reactivity causes action in response to a particular situation. For example, a walking person almost always turns into a shout, and a teaser will definitely cause resentment and negativity. In contrast to this process, the incentive function is expressed in the action caused by certain states within the personality. An example is a situation where the need for some information forces a person to shout and start a conversation with a friend or classmate. This is what distinguishes the basic function of the will, as it is called, from the described reactivity in the first place.

It is noteworthy that the activity caused by the impulse of the will makes it possible to rise above the situation. The action can be carefully thought out in advance and go beyond what is happening right now.

It should be borne in mind that the incentive function often provokes a person to an activity that is not mandatory. Nobody expects it from a person and will not condemn him for not performing any actions. But, despite this, the action plan is built and implemented.

The incentive function contributes to the mobilization of all forces even when there is no need for activity right now. For example, it can be difficult for a school graduate to study hard every day for a year, but the thought of the final exam and entering the coveted university makes him mobilize and start studying.

braking function

The functions of the will in psychology have been studied for a long time, so experts say that the inhibitory and incentive functions act in unity and work for the same goal in human life. Any person is able to suspend actions that are contrary to his principles, moral principles and the worldview formed as a result of education. Remarkably, the inhibitory function can even halt the development of undesirable ideas. Without it, not a single person could regulate his behavior in society.

The habit of controlling oneself in a team is especially important. She is nurtured as a person from infancy. Parents first, then teachers kindergarten teach the baby to slow down himself in various negative manifestations. Even Anton Semenovich Makarenko in his works more than once emphasized how important it is to educate self-regulation in a growing personality. Moreover, control should become a habit and be as natural as possible. For example, one of the manifestations of the inhibitory function is considered banal politeness. At the same time, it is a certain framework that regulates the relationship of a person with society.

We have already said that a person cannot exist without motives for action. They can be divided into lower and higher. The former form our need for the simplest and most necessary things: food, drink, clothing, and the like. But the higher ones give us the opportunity to experience a wide range of emotions and feelings associated with moral experiences. The will allows the individual to restrain his lower needs for the sake of higher ones. Thanks to her, a person can bring to its logical conclusion the work begun, despite all the temptations and difficulties.

Incentive and inhibitory functions in their unity work to achieve the goal, despite all the problems encountered on the way.

Stabilizing

Determination of the functions of the will is impossible without a description of the stabilizing function. It performs its very significant role in the development and formation of personality. Thanks to it, the necessary degree of activity is maintained in the event of a collision with obstacles. At the moment when a person is aware of a number of problems that he will have to overcome in order to achieve his goal, and is ready to retreat, it is the stabilizing function that does not allow activity to decline and motivates the person to continue the struggle.

Determination of the function of the will: arbitrary and volitional regulation

Talking about the will and its functions, it is impossible not to mention voluntary and volitional regulation. This is not the easiest topic, because until now in psychology there is no unity between specialists regarding terminology. It is noteworthy that most psychologists equate voluntary and volitional regulation, but they apply these definitions in various situations.

In the broad sense of the word, arbitrary regulation is understood as control over the behavior and activities of a person as a whole. This process has its own characteristics, but it should be borne in mind that not every action that is subject to self-regulation is volitional. For example, a person who abuses alcohol does so voluntarily. That is, he consciously destroys himself every day, but he does not have enough to radically change the situation. However, in others life situations it is the arbitrary regulation of behavior that becomes the very mechanism that starts the process of dominance of higher motives and needs over the lower ones. It depends on the level of development of the personality itself and the conditions in which certain actions must take place.

When psychologists mention volitional regulation, then most often this is understood as an action in a situation that is critical or difficult for a particular person, requiring concentration of physical and, above all, moral forces. Any volitional action includes a struggle of motives and is accompanied by a continuous movement towards a consciously set goal. regulation can be considered on the simplest example. Many people are actively involved in sports and do morning runs. What motivates them to do these things almost every day? Let's find out:

• First of all, the need for the need for physical activity is determined, which is converted into a specific and clear goal.
• Every morning there is a struggle of motives, because often you want to sleep much more than go out into the fresh air in the very early hours, when all the household members are still sweetly napping.
• At this stage, volitional regulation comes into play, forcing the person to get out of bed and go for a run.
• In parallel, this process weakens the motivation that inclines a person to abandon his intentions regarding the morning run.
• Before returning home, the individual carefully regulates his actions so as not to be tempted to enter the store, for example, or run a shorter distance than originally planned.

Based on the foregoing, it can be understood that volitional regulation contributes to the manifestation, formation and development of various mental processes. Thanks to them, the volitional qualities of the individual become more noticeable. Consciousness, purposefulness, determination and self-control of a person increase. Some psychologists call this mechanism genetic function will. However, not all scientists agree with this term, so it is used in scientific papers rarely.

Summing up, I would like to say that the will is not yet fully studied mental process. But it is difficult to argue about its significance, because it is thanks to it that humanity still lives and develops.

Will manifests itself in two interrelated functions - incentive and brake.

Incentive function is provided by human activity. Activity gives rise to action due to the specifics of a person’s internal states that arise at the moment of the action itself (a person who needs support during his speech calls on like-minded people to speak; being in deep sadness, a person complains about everyone around, etc.). Activity is characterized by spontaneity and arbitrariness of the course of actions and behavior. If activity is a property of the will, then it is characterized by arbitrariness, that is, the conditionality of actions and behavior by a consciously set goal. Such activity is not subject to actual motivation, it is characterized by the ability to rise above the level of the requirements of the situation (above situational).

One more feature of the incentive function can be pointed out. If a person does not have an urgent need to perform an action, but at the same time she is aware of the need to perform it, the will creates an auxiliary motivation, changing the meaning of the action (makes it more significant), causing experiences associated with the predictable consequences of the action. So, after a long period of uninteresting work, the child refuses to continue it. But it was enough for the experimenter to ask to work more, arguing that other children would have to be taught such actions, that they wanted it, and the child willingly agreed and did monotonous work for a long time. In this case, the child saw himself in the role of "teacher" and the meaning of the situation changed for her.

A person's motivation for action creates a certain ordered system - a hierarchy of motives - from natural needs to higher motives associated with the experience of moral, aesthetic and intellectual feelings. If we proceed from the will as moral self-regulation, then its main characteristic will be the subordination of personal motives to socially significant ones, and the emphasis is shifted to the problem of personality orientation. The act becomes the main manifestation of the will.

brake function is manifested in the containment of unwanted manifestations activity. This function most often acts in unity with the incentive. A person is able to inhibit the emergence of undesirable motives, the performance of actions, behavior that contradict ideas about the model, the standard and the implementation of which may call into question or damage the authority of the individual. Volitional regulation of behavior was impossible without an inhibitory function. Individual manifestations of human upbringing can be examples of inhibitory function. So, take charge of a difficult case, knowing that an accomplice can "break down" to give him a chance to rise; withstand the condemnation of others if the deed, condemned, will benefit in the future. Especially often the braking function is necessary in Everyday life. It may be a decision to abstain in a dispute of principle for a person; not give vent to aggression; to prove an uninteresting but necessary task to the end; resist entertainment for classes and the like.

So, in the concept of "freedom" the integral character of the human psyche is clearly traced. According to L.S. Vygotsky, the general path of development of the psyche runs through interfunctional connections. Therefore, the study of the phenomenon of freedom leads us to the study of personality, consciousness, self-awareness of the individual, his motives and needs, emotions and thinking, memory and imagination. In the problem of freedom, as in no other, the realization of the principle of the unity of the psyche is needed.

The merit of traditional psychology lies not only in attention to the problem of freedom, but also in the definition of important provisions relating to this phenomenon.

1. Will is a product of the socio-historical development of a person, its formation is associated with the emergence and development of labor activity.

2. Freedom is not an innate or genetically given ability, it is formed in the process of life, in real activity, which requires certain volitional qualities and skills of volitional regulation.

3. Volitional regulation is a conscious activity mediated by a person's knowledge of the outside world, his values ​​and capabilities, on the basis of which predictions and assessments of the consequences of personality activity are carried out.

4. The development of the will is closely connected with the development of thinking, imagination, emotions, motivational and semantic sphere, with the development of consciousness and self-awareness, of the personality as a whole.

Will- one of the most complex concepts in psychology. Will is considered both as an independent mental process, and as an aspect of other major mental phenomena, and as unique ability individuals arbitrarily control their behavior.

Will is a person's conscious overcoming of difficulties on the way to the goal. Faced with obstacles, a person either refuses to act in the chosen direction, or increases efforts. to overcome the difficulties encountered.

The will manifests itself in two interconnected functions - stimulating and inhibitory.

stimulating function is provided by human activity. Activity gives rise to action due to the specifics of a person’s internal states that arise at the moment of the action itself (a person who needs support during his speech calls on like-minded people to speak out; being in deep sadness, a person complains about everyone around him, etc.).

brake the function is manifested in the containment of undesirable manifestations of activity. This function most often acts in unity with the stimulating one. A person is able to inhibit the emergence of undesirable motives, the performance of actions, behavior that contradict ideas about the model, the standard, and the implementation of which may call into question or damage the authority of the individual.

6. Structure and content of volitional action. The phenomenon of "struggle of motives" in volitional action.

Will- this is a conscious overcoming of difficulties by a person on the way to the goal. Faced with obstacles, a person either refuses to act in the chosen direction, or increases efforts. to overcome the difficulties encountered.

Volitional activity consists of certain actions, which contain all the signs and qualities of the will. They are simple and complex.

TO simple include those when a person goes without hesitation to the intended goal and it is clear to him what and how he will achieve. In this case, the choice of a goal, the decision to perform an action in a certain way does not imply a struggle of motives.

IN complex Volitional action is divided into the following stages:

Awareness of the goal and the desire to achieve it; awareness of the possibilities to achieve the goal; the appearance of motives confirming or denying these possibilities; struggle of motives and choice; accepting one of the possibilities as a solution; implementation of the decision; overcoming external obstacles and achieving the goal.

The stage of "awareness of the goal and the desire to achieve it" is not always accompanied by a struggle of motives in a complex action. If the goal is set from the outside and its achievement is obligatory for the performer, then it remains only to cognize it, having formed in oneself a certain image of the future result of the action. The struggle of motives arises at this stage when a person has the opportunity to choose goals, at least the order of their achievement. Each of the motives, before becoming a goal, goes through the stage of desire (in the case when the goal is chosen independently). Desire is the content of needs that ideally (in the human head) exists .. Since a person at any moment has various significant desires, the simultaneous satisfaction of which is objectively excluded, then there is a collision of opposing, mismatched motives, between which a choice has to be made. This situation is called struggle of motives. At the stage of understanding the goal and striving to achieve it, the struggle of motives is resolved by choosing the goal of the action, after which the tension caused by the struggle of motives at this stage weakens. The stage "realization of a number of possibilities for achieving the goal" is actually a mental action, which is part of a volitional action, the result of which is the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships between the ways of performing a volitional action in the existing conditions and possible results. The stage of the struggle between motives and choice turns out to be central in a complex volitional action. Here, as at the stage of choosing a goal, a conflict situation is possible, connected with the fact that a person accepts the possibility of an easy way to achieve a goal, but at the same time, due to his moral feelings or principles, he cannot accept it. Other ways are less economical (and this is also understood by a person), but following them is more in line with a person's value system. The result of resolving this situation is the next stage - the adoption of one of the possibilities as a solution. It is characterized by a drop in tension as the internal conflict is resolved. Here the means, methods, sequence of their use are specified, i.e. detailed planning is being carried out. After that, the implementation of the decision planned at the implementation stage begins. The stage of implementation of the decision, however, does not relieve a person from the need to make strong-willed efforts, and sometimes no less significant than when choosing the goal of an action or methods for its implementation, since the practical implementation of the intended goal is again associated with overcoming obstacles. The results of any volitional action have two consequences for a person: the first is the achievement of a specific goal; the second is connected with the fact that a person evaluates his actions and draws appropriate lessons for the future regarding the ways to achieve the goal, the efforts expended.

Will provides purposefulness and orderliness of human activity. But the definition of S.R. Rubinshtein, "A volitional action is a conscious, purposeful action by means of which a person achieves the goal set for him, subordinating his impulses to conscious control and changing the surrounding reality in accordance with his plan."

Will as a person's ability to self-regulate makes him relatively free from external circumstances, truly turns him into an active subject.