Since childhood, we have all heard such phrases as “willpower”, “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, usually only a specialist in the field of psychology or philosophy can give a precise definition of the concepts of “will” and “functions of the will”. 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 functions of will.
Interpretation of the concept in philosophy and psychology
Since ancient times, philosophers and psychologists have been concerned with questions of will and They have been viewed from numerous angles and interpreted in completely different ways. For example, Schopenhauer conducted research on will in psychology. 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 commit certain actions. Therefore, in order to have hope for a happy and free life, the individual had to get rid of the shackles of the will.
I would like to note that psychologists distinguish three main areas of human activity:
- emotional;
- intellectual;
- strong-willed.
Experts believe that the latter area is the least studied, and it is often presented in a distorted version. For example, psychologists in the Soviet Union, defining the function of will and the concept itself, argued that it can be understood as the subordination of public goals and interests over individual ones. It is noteworthy that with this interpretation, individual values, formed by volitional nature, became just a set of accepted value guidelines of society as a whole. This approach raised 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 can be expressed in a few words as the absence of free will in principle. That is, a person cannot independently choose one path or another based on his own beliefs, and another group of philosophers promotes the theory of indeterminism. Representatives of this movement provide evidence 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 will is determined:
- personality traits - determination, 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 provide an accurate definition of the structure of the will and function. However, in general, the mechanism of its action in 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, when considering it, we have to take into account that will can act as an independent process, an indispensable aspect of certain actions, as well as the ability of an individual to subordinate and control his actions and emotions.
If we refer to the terminology of psychology, we can say that will is the ability of an individual to regulate his behavior by overcoming a number of difficulties and obstacles. This process occurs consciously and has a number of functions and characteristics. 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 to this end. So it's hard to imagine human activity without the volitional aspect.
Volitional act
The signs of will and function can only be revealed 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 emerging need;
- internal determination of motives that motivate action;
- selection of options to fulfill the need;
- first steps towards the goal;
- control over the process of implementing a well-thought-out plan.
It is noteworthy that each stage is accompanied by tension of will. She participates in all the processes described above. Psychologists believe that every time a person checks his action against a picture drawn in his head, accepted as an ideal. The real plan is adjusted and put into action again.
Experts also call all the items on our list “volitional actions” and believe that it is in them that the personality is revealed most fully, and also enters a new stage of development.
Signs
Before talking about the functions of the will, it is necessary to consider its characteristics. There are several of them:
- concentration of efforts for an act of will;
- availability of 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;
- extreme concentration on the goal and the path to it.
The listed signs reveal the psychological basis of will. After all, such actions are aimed primarily at overcoming one’s own fears and weaknesses. In the process of implementing volitional action, a person is determined to fight with himself, which is considered characteristic only of a highly developed personality.
Signs of volitional action
We have already said that will is the main aspect of all human activity. She imperceptibly penetrates into all spheres of life and sometimes subjugates them to herself. This process has three main features that explain that the will and volitional processes and functions of the will are closely interrelated concepts:
- Providing a purpose for any human activity, as well as streamlining life. Volitional actions can change the world around a particular person, subordinating it to certain goals.
- The ability to control oneself through will gives a person freedom. Indeed, in this case, external circumstances cannot have a decisive influence and the personality turns into an active subject who has the ability to make conscious decisions.
- 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 he should continue moving forward or whether it’s time to stop. Will gives him the impetus to make a decision.
It is worth noting that the mental function we describe is manifested in various properties of the human personality. It is worth talking about them in more detail.
Manifestation of will
Each personality has certain qualities. Many of them are a clear reflection of the will:
- Perseverance. It can be interpreted as the ability to gather all your strength and concentrate on the task at hand.
- Excerpt. Subjugation and restraint of the mind, emotions and actions for the sake of one single goal.
- Determination. The desire to make decisions as quickly as possible and implement an action plan.
- Mandatory. Completing all actions on time and in full.
Of course, these are not all personality traits. In reality, there are many more of them, but even from this small list it becomes clear that will literally permeates all human activities, his thoughts and dreams. Without it, the person would not be able to realize any of the ideas that arose. In this, the will and volitional processes are fully revealed.
Functions of the will
Science has been identifying 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 consider in detail the main functions of the will.
Incentive
Many scientists consider this to be the main function of the will. It ensures human activity, both voluntary and conscious. It is noteworthy that this function is often confused with reactivity. However, there are serious differences between them that are noticeable even to beginners in psychology. Reactivity causes action in response to a particular situation. For example, a walking person almost always turns around when he hears a shout, and teasing will definitely cause offense and negativity. In contrast to this process, the incentive function is expressed in action caused by certain states within the personality. An example is a situation where the need for some information forces a person to shout out and start a conversation with a friend or classmate. This is what primarily distinguishes the basic function of the will, as it is called, from the reactivity described.
It is noteworthy that activity caused by the impulse of the will allows one to rise above the situation. The action can be carefully thought out in advance and go beyond what is happening right now.
It is worth keeping in mind that the incentive function often provokes a person to engage in activity that is not obligatory. No one expects it from a person and no one will judge him for failure to perform any actions. But despite this, an action plan is being drawn up and implemented.
The incentive function helps to mobilize all forces even when the need for activity does not exist right now. For example, it can be difficult for a school graduate to study hard every day for a year, but thoughts about the final exam and admission to the coveted university force him to mobilize and start studying.
Braking function
The functions of the will in psychology have been studied for a long time, so experts argue that the inhibitory and incentive functions act in unity and work for the same goal in a person’s life. Any personality is capable of suspending actions that contradict its principles, moral principles and worldview formed as a result of upbringing. Remarkably, the inhibitory function can even stop the development of unwanted ideas. Without it, not a single person would be able to regulate his behavior in society.
The habit of controlling oneself is especially important in a team. She is nurtured as a person from infancy. First parents, and then teachers in kindergarten teach the child to slow down in various negative manifestations. Even Anton Semenovich Makarenko in his works more than once emphasized how important it is to cultivate self-regulation in a growing individual. Moreover, control should become a habit and be as natural as possible. For example, banal politeness is considered one of the manifestations of the inhibitory function. It is at the same time a certain framework that regulates a person’s relationship with society.
We have already said that a person cannot exist without incentives to 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 the work he has begun to its logical conclusion, despite all temptations and difficulties.
The incentive and inhibitory functions in their unity work to achieve the goal, despite all the problems encountered along the way.
Stabilizing
Defining the functions of the will is impossible without describing the stabilizing function. She plays her very significant role in the development and formation of personality. Thanks to it, the required degree of activity is maintained when encountering obstacles. At the moment when a person realizes a number of problems that he will have to overcome to achieve his goal, and is ready to retreat, it is the stabilizing function that prevents activity from decreasing and motivates the person to continue the struggle.
Definition of the function of the will: voluntary and volitional regulation
When talking about the will and its functions, it is impossible not to mention voluntary and volitional regulation. This is not the easiest topic, because in psychology there is still no unity among specialists regarding terminology. It is noteworthy that most psychologists equate voluntary and volitional regulation, but apply these definitions in different situations.
In the broad sense of the word, voluntary regulation refers to control over the behavior and activities of a person as a whole. This process has its own characteristics, but it is worth considering that not every action that is subject to self-regulation is volitional. For example, a person who abuses alcohol does it arbitrarily. That is, he consciously destroys himself every day, but he doesn’t have enough to radically change the situation. However, in others life situations It is the voluntary regulation of behavior that becomes the very mechanism that triggers the process of dominance of higher motives and needs over lower ones. This depends on the level of development of the individual himself and the conditions in which certain actions should take place.
When psychologists mention volitional regulation, this most often means action in a situation that is critical or difficult for a particular individual, requiring the concentration of physical and, above all, moral forces. Any volitional action includes a struggle of motives and is accompanied by continuous movement towards a consciously set goal. regulation can be considered using a simple example. Many people are actively involved in sports and go for morning jogging. What motivates them to do these actions almost daily? Let's find out:
- First of all, the need for physical activity is determined, which is transformed into a specific and clear goal.
- Every morning there is a struggle of motives, because often you want to sleep much more than to go out into the fresh air in the very early hours, when everyone in the household is still sweetly dozing.
- 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 clearly regulates his actions so as not to be tempted by going into a store, for example, or jogging 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 strong-willed qualities of the individual become more noticeable. A person’s consciousness, determination, determination and self-control increases. Some psychologists call this mechanism genetic function will. However, not all scientists agree with this term, so it is used in scientific works rarely.
To summarize, I would like to say that will is a mental process that has not yet been fully studied. But it is difficult to argue about its significance, because it is thanks to it that humanity still lives and develops.
In different situations, the will receives different names. Its names are courage, determination, self-discipline, self-confidence... The most common manifestations of will are:
- and - the manifestation of will in the face of fatigue, emotions and other temptations.
- - manifestation of will in difficult or extreme circumstances. Responsible and reasonable, moderately courageous and moderately calm behavior in difficult or extreme circumstances.
- patience - the exercise of will in the face of ongoing stress, refusal of impulsive actions, maintaining reasonable inaction, or repeating actions over and over again that do not lead to immediate results.
- - manifestation of will in the face of responsible decisions. Ability to make decisions in an uncertain situation. The ability and ability to independently make responsible decisions and do what you decide, despite obstacles. See→
- self-confidence - a person’s conviction that he will succeed; self-confidence in the face of a challenge, in front of a difficult task.
Wisdom in the manifestations of will
One of the most important manifestations of wisdom is to maintain the right balance between courage and patience. See→
Volitional act and volitional efforts
Will manifests itself in volitional acts: actions accompanied by volitional efforts. decisions on how to do it right.
Running away from what is scary is not a volitional decision. Running to a scary place to help people is a volitional decision.
In this case, the motivation to run away (to save oneself) must be equal in strength, or stronger than the motivation to stay in place and help - then an act of will manifests itself. If a person stays to save people, because otherwise he will be shot, we are not talking about an act of will.
An act of will is the right action when it is easier or more habitual to act incorrectly.
In other words, an act of will (volitional effort) is a confrontation between instinctive behavior dictated by genes or habits and conscious behavior chosen by the person himself.
A volitional decision appears where the body unconsciously prepares one physiological reaction, and the mind forces it to launch another. The moment of restructuring the body from one instinctive or habitual reaction to another is called volitional effort.
Imagine that you need to jump with a parachute from a tower: your body says - get away from the edge, but your mind says: step over the edge! Since the body generally thinks faster than the mind, it has time to prepare in advance for the fact that it needs to leave. At the key moment, the mind commands - forward! and the body has already prepared to run back: the corresponding muscles have become toned, and now you need to connect completely different muscles. The body does not want to rebuild, but usually, if a person insists, he obeys.
Volitional effort is always associated with the mind, controlled by a person through the mind, and directed against habit or instinctive behavior. Accordingly, the process of natural restructuring of the body (for example, from sleep to wakefulness) is not a volitional effort, because it occurs unconsciously and out of habit.
Will and determination
Decisiveness is the manifestation of the will to make and push through difficult decisions.
Let us note that a decisive person is not always consistent, not always methodical, and does not necessarily follow through with all his decisions. He started decisively, decisively promoted it - and then simply cooled down and decisively switched to another project.
Factors influencing the ease of volitional effort
Depending on the situation, making a volitional effort can be easy or difficult; it depends on a number of factors.
1. Habit or instinct?
A habit is something that we are accustomed to, but which is not inherent in our genes. Instinct is something that is inherent in our genes. Accordingly, volitional effort directed towards “ reverse side“Habits are easier to accomplish than volitional efforts directed against instinct.
Getting up early in the morning or saving the life of not only yourself but also the people around you in an extreme situation requires different efforts.
2. Environment
The internal incentive to do as usual is stronger than the conscious incentive to do in a new way.
This means that in order to achieve what you want you need to find or create external incentives for yourself:
say the commitment out loud, come up with a controller, create a dream collage, and so on.
A.N. Leontyev in his article “Volya” mentioned a case when a woman who was afraid to jump from a tower with a parachute returned the next day and asked to jump. When asked why she did this, she said that yesterday she was asked if she had jumped with a parachute and she said yes, but in fact she had not. And now she wants to jump so as not to seem like a liar to herself.
3. Positive-negative
Concentrating on the good, “not scary” side of a difficult decision makes the implementation of willpower easier. (again referring to Leontyev, if people were asked to look at the parachute, and not down, where it was high and scary, there were fewer refusals to jump).
If you want to learn how to do exercises, concentrate on the good, on how great it will be to run towards you cool wind, winking at the rising sun, about how quiet it is in the park in the morning, how clear and fresh the crystal morning air is - it will be easier to get yourself out of bed.
4. Speed of decision making
The more volitional effort is carried out, the more difficult it is: the longer the body prepares a “retreat,” the more difficult it will be for it to adapt to a new way under the influence of reason and will.
Accordingly, the faster you get up in the morning and the less time you spend thinking about whether to get up or not, the easier it will be to get up.
Will in different areas of human life
FEDERAL AGENCY FOR EDUCATION
State educational institution of higher professional education
FAR EASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS
FACULTY OF ECONOMICS
Will and its main features. Theories of will. Volitional regulation of behavior. Development of will.
Essay
students gr.
Vladivostok
1 Will and its main features
Will is a person’s conscious regulation of his behavior, associated with overcoming internal and external obstacles, which has a number of characteristics: the presence of efforts and a well-thought-out plan for performing a particular act of will; increased attention to such behavioral action; lack of direct pleasure received in the process and as a result of its execution; a state of optimal mobilization of the individual, concentration in the right direction.
The manifestation of will is reflected in the following properties (qualities):
Willpower - the degree of willpower required to achieve a goal;
Perseverance is a person’s ability to mobilize to overcome difficulties for a long time;
Self-control is the ability to restrain feelings, thoughts, actions;
Decisiveness – the ability to quickly and firmly implement decisions;
Courage – the ability to quickly and firmly implement decisions;
Self-control is the ability to control oneself, to subordinate one’s behavior to solving assigned tasks;
Discipline is the conscious subordination of one’s behavior to generally accepted norms and established order;
Commitment - the ability to fulfill assigned duties on time;
Organization – rational planning and ordering of one’s work, etc.
Will is present in many acts of human behavior, helping to overcome resistance, as well as other desires and needs on the way to the intended goal. Most often, a person shows his will in the following typical situations:
It is necessary to make a choice between two or more thoughts, goals, and feelings that are equally attractive, but require opposite actions, and are incompatible with each other;
No matter what, it is necessary to purposefully move towards the intended goal;
On the path of a person’s practical activity, internal (fear, uncertainty, doubts) or external (objective circumstances) obstacles arise that must be overcome.
In other words, will (its presence or absence) manifests itself in all situations related to choice and decision-making.
The main features of a volitional act:
a) applying effort to perform an act of will;
b) the presence of a well-thought-out plan for the implementation of a behavioral act;
c) increased attention to such a behavioral act and the absence of direct pleasure received in the process and as a result of its execution;
d) often the efforts of the will are aimed not only at defeating circumstances, but at overcoming oneself.
The main functions of the will are:
Selection of motives and goals;
Regulation of the impulse to action in case of insufficient or excessive motivation;
Organization of mental processes into a system that is adequate to the activity performed by a person;
Mobilization of physical and mental capabilities in achieving goals in a situation of overcoming obstacles.
Will presupposes self-restraint, restraining some fairly strong drives, consciously subordinating them to other, more significant and important goals, and the ability to suppress desires and impulses that directly arise in a given situation. At the highest levels of its manifestation, will presupposes reliance on spiritual goals and moral values, beliefs and ideals.
Another sign of the volitional nature of an action or activity regulated by the will is the presence of a well-thought-out plan for its implementation. An action that does not have a plan or is not carried out according to a predetermined plan cannot be considered volitional. Volitional action is a conscious, purposeful action through which a person achieves the goal facing him, subordinating his impulses to conscious control and changing the surrounding reality in accordance with his plan.
Significant features volitional action are increased attention to such action and the absence of direct pleasure received in the process and as a result of its implementation. This means that volitional action is usually accompanied by a lack of emotional, rather than moral, satisfaction. On the contrary, the successful completion of a volitional act is usually associated with moral satisfaction from the fact that it was possible to fulfill it.
Often, a person’s efforts of will are directed not so much at winning and mastering circumstances, but at overcoming himself. This is especially typical for people of the impulsive type, unbalanced and emotionally excitable, when they have to act contrary to their natural or characterological data.
None more or less complicated life problem a person cannot be solved without the participation of the will. No one on Earth has ever achieved outstanding success without possessing outstanding willpower. Man, first of all, differs from all other living beings in that, in addition to consciousness and intellect, he also has will, without which abilities would remain an empty phrase.
2 Theories of will
Currently in psychological science there is no single theory of will, although many scientists are making attempts to develop a holistic doctrine of will with its terminological certainty and unambiguity.
Traditionally, will is defined as a person’s conscious regulation of his behavior and activities, expressed in the ability to overcome internal and external difficulties when performing purposeful actions and deeds.
Among the most popular directions in the study of the problem of will are the so-called heteronomous and autonomous (or voluntaristic) theories of will.
Heteronomous theories reduce volitional actions to complex mental processes of a non-volitional nature - associative and intellectual processes. G. Ebbinghaus gives an example: a child instinctively, involuntarily reaches for food, establishing a connection between food and satiety. The reversibility of this connection is based on the phenomenon in which, having felt hunger, he will purposefully search for food. A similar example can be given from another area - personality psychology. According to Ebbinghaus, will is an instinct that arises on the basis of the reversibility of associations or on the basis of the so-called “sighted instinct”, aware of its goal.
For other heteronomous theories, volitional action is associated with a complex combination of intellectual mental processes (I. Herbart). It is assumed that impulsive behavior first arises, then on its basis an action developed on the basis of habit is actualized, and only after that an action controlled by the mind, i.e. volitional action. According to this point of view, every act is volitional, because every action is reasonable.
Heteronomous theories have advantages and disadvantages. Their advantage is the inclusion of the factor of determinism in the explanation of will. Thus, they contrast their point of view on the emergence of volitional processes with the point of view of spiritualistic theories, which believe that will is a kind of spiritual force that is not amenable to any determination. The disadvantage of these theories is the assertion that the will is not substantial, does not have its own content and is actualized only when necessary. Heteronomous theories of will do not explain the phenomena of arbitrariness of actions, the phenomenon of internal freedom, the mechanisms of the formation of volitional action from involuntary action.
An intermediate place between heteronomous and autonomous theories of will is occupied by W. Wundt's affective theory of will. Wundt sharply objected to attempts to derive the impulse for volitional action from intellectual processes. He explains the will using the concept of affect. The most important thing for the emergence volitional process- the activity of external action, which is directly related to internal experiences. In the simplest act of will, Wundt distinguishes two moments: affect and the action associated with it. External actions are aimed at achieving the final result, and internal actions are aimed at changing other mental processes, including emotional ones.
Theories of autonomous will explain this mental phenomenon based on the laws inherent in the volitional action itself. All theories of autonomous will can be divided into three groups:
Motivational approach;
Free choice approach;
Regulatory approach.
Motivational approach means that the will, one way or another, is explained using the categories of the psychology of motivation. In turn, it is divided into:
1) theories that understand will as a superhuman, world power:
Will as world power, embodied in man, was the subject of research by E. Hartmann, A. Schopenhauer, G.I. Chelpanova. Schopenhauer believed that the essence of everything is the world will. It is a completely irrational, blind, unconscious, aimless and, moreover, never-ending or weakening impulse. It is universal and is the basis for everything that exists: it gives birth to everything (through the process of objectification) and governs everything. Only by creating the world and looking into it as in a mirror, does she gain the opportunity to realize herself, first of all, that she is the will to live. The will that exists in every person is simply an objectification of the world's will. This means that the doctrine of the world will is primary, and the doctrine of human will is secondary, derivative. Schopenhauer presents different ways of getting rid of the world's will. The common point is that all methods are realized through spiritual activity (cognitive, aesthetic, moral). It turns out that knowledge and aesthetic contemplation can relieve one from “serving” the world will. He pays great attention to moral ways.
The same approximately understanding of will as an active force that ensures human actions was characteristic of G.I. Chelpanova. He believed that the soul has own strength make choices and motivate action. In the act of will, he distinguished aspiration, desire and effort; later he began to connect the will with the struggle of motives.
2) theories that consider will as the initial moment of motivation for action:
Will as the initial moment of motivation for action is the subject of research by various authors (T. Hobbes, T. Ribot, K. Levin). Common to all concepts is the proposition that the will has the ability to motivate actions. T. Ribot added that it can not only encourage action, but also inhibit some undesirable actions. Identification by Kurt Lewin incentive function will with quasi-need as a mechanism for inducing intentional action led Western psychology to the identification of motivation and will. Lewin distinguished between volitional behavior, carried out in the presence of a special intention, and field behavior, performed in accordance with the logic (forces) of the field. Levin invested mainly in the dynamic aspect of understanding the will. This - internal tension caused by some unfinished action. Implementation strong-willed behavior is to relieve tension through certain actions - movements in the psychological environment (locomotion and communications).
3) theories that understand will as the ability to overcome obstacles:
Will as the ability to overcome obstacles was studied in the works of Yu. Kuhl, H. Heckhausen, D.N. Uznadze, N. Akha, L.S. Vygotsky. In this case, the will does not coincide with motivation, but is actualized in a difficult situation (in the presence of obstacles, struggle of motives, etc.), such an understanding of the will is primarily associated with volitional regulation.
Yu. Kul connects volitional regulation with the presence of difficulties in implementing intentions. He distinguishes between intention and desire (motivation). Active intentional regulation is activated at the moment an obstacle or competing tendencies arise in the path of desire.
H. Heckhausen identifies four stages of motivation for action, which involve different mechanisms - motivational and volitional. The first stage corresponds to motivation before making a decision, the second - volitional effort, the third - the implementation of actions, and the fourth - evaluation of the results of behavior. Motivation determines the choice of action, and will determines its strengthening and initiation.
D.N. Uznadze correlates the formation of will with activities that are aimed at creating values independent of actual human needs. Satisfying current needs occurs with the help of impulsive behavior. Another type of behavior is not associated with the impulse of an actual need and is called volitional. Volitional behavior, according to Uznadze, differs from impulsive behavior in that it has a period preceding the act of decision-making. Behavior becomes volitional only thanks to a motive that modifies behavior in such a way that the latter becomes acceptable to the subject.
Overcoming obstacles, according to N. Akh, is possible with the actualization of volitional processes. Motivation and will are not the same. Motivation determines the general determination of action, and will strengthens determination. There are two sides to a volitional act: phenomenological and dynamic. Phenomenological includes such moments as 1) a feeling of tension (figurative moment), 2) determining the goal of the action and its relationship with the means (objective), 3) committing internal action(current), 4) experiencing difficulty, making an effort (moment of state). The dynamic side of a volitional act lies in the implementation, embodiment of a motivated (volitional) action.
L.S. Vygotsky considers overcoming obstacles as one of the signs of will. As a mechanism for strengthening the impulse to action, he defines the operation of introducing an auxiliary motive (means). Such an additional motive can be drawing lots, counting by one, two, three, etc. In their early works L.S. Vygotsky explains the arbitrary form of regulation of mental processes through the intentional organization of external stimuli. “If you force a child to often do something in a count of “one, two, three,” then he himself gets used to doing exactly the same thing as, for example, we do when throwing ourselves into the water. Often we know that we need to do something, say, following the example of W. James, get out of bed, but we don’t want to get up... And at such moments, an offer to ourselves from the outside helps us get up... and we, unnoticed by ourselves we find ourselves standing up” (Vygotsky L.S., 1982, p. 465). In later works, he changes his view of the will, using the concept of semantic formations of consciousness, which, if the semantic emphasis in them is changed, can strengthen/weaken the impulse to action. In his opinion, an interesting trend is found when performing meaningless tasks. It consists in coming to an understanding of it by creating a new situation, making changes in the psychological field.
With the motivational approach, will was studied as an independent mental phenomenon, but the disadvantages of this direction are that the explanation of the mechanisms of the emergence of will did not have a specific source: they came from teleological interpretations, then from natural sciences, then from cause-and-effect ones.
Free choice approach consists in the correlation of volitional processes with the problem of making a choice, with the situation in which any person often finds himself. I. Kant was interested in the question of compatibility, on the one hand, with the determinism of behavior, and on the other, with freedom of choice. He compared the causality of the material world with the determinism of behavior, and morality presupposed freedom of choice. The will becomes free when it is subordinated to the moral law.
In addition to the philosophical point of view, there are a number of psychological interpretations of will in line with the problem of free choice. Thus, W. James believed that the main function of the will is to make a decision about action in the presence of two or more ideas. In such a situation, the most important feat of will is to direct consciousness towards an attractive object. S.L. also considers choice as one of the functions of the will. Rubinstein.
Regulatory approach correlates the will not with certain contents, but with the function of exercising control, management and self-regulation. M.Ya. Basov understood will as a mental mechanism through which a person regulates his mental functions. Volitional effort is defined as a subjective expression of regulatory volitional function. The will is deprived of the ability to generate mental or other actions, but it regulates them, revealing itself in attention. According to K. Lewin, the will can indeed control affects and actions. This fact was proven by many experiments conducted at his school.
Research on the regulation of mental processes, carried out within the framework of the problem of will, has given rise to a completely independent direction in psychology, dealing with the problem of self-regulation of the individual. Despite the close connection with will and volitional processes, the subject of research in this area of psychological knowledge is techniques and ways of regulating behavior, states and feelings.
3 Volitional regulation of behavior
The psychology of will studies volitional actions, the problem of choosing motives and goals, volitional regulation of mental states, and volitional qualities of the individual.
Volitional regulation is understood as intentional control of the impulse to action, consciously accepted out of necessity and carried out by a person according to his own decision. If it is necessary to inhibit a desirable, but socially disapproved action, what is meant is not the regulation of the impulse to action, but the regulation of the action of abstinence.
Among the levels mental regulation the following stand out:
Involuntary regulation (pre-psychic involuntary reactions; figurative (sensory) and perceptual regulation);
Voluntary regulation (speech-mental level of regulation);
Volitional regulation (the highest level of voluntary regulation of activity, ensuring overcoming difficulties in achieving the goal).
The function of volitional regulation is to increase the efficiency of the corresponding activity, and volitional action appears as a conscious, purposeful action of a person to overcome external and internal obstacles with the help of volitional efforts.
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 determine behavior that is characterized by all or most of the properties described above.
A strong-willed person is distinguished by determination, courage, self-control, and self-confidence. Such qualities usually develop in ontogenesis somewhat later than the group of properties mentioned above. In life, they manifest themselves in unity with 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 that, while reflecting a person’s will, are at the same time associated with his moral and value orientations. This is responsibility, discipline, integrity, commitment. This group, designated as tertiary qualities, includes those in which the will of a person and his attitude to work simultaneously appear: efficiency, initiative. Such personality traits are usually formed only by adolescence.
Volitional qualities are a dynamic category, i.e. capable of change and development throughout life. Volitional qualities are often aimed not so much at mastering circumstances and overcoming them, but at overcoming oneself. This especially applies to people of the impulsive type, unbalanced and emotionally excitable, when they have to act contrary to their natural or characterological data.
The mechanisms of volitional regulation are: mechanisms for replenishing the deficit of motivation, making a volitional effort and deliberately changing the meaning of actions.
Mechanisms for replenishing motivation deficits consist of strengthening weak, but socially more significant motivation through the assessment of events and actions, as well as ideas about what benefits it can bring. goal achieved. Increased motivation is associated with emotional revaluation of value based on the action of cognitive mechanisms. Cognitive psychologists paid special attention to the role of intellectual functions in replenishing motivational deficits. Associated with cognitive mechanisms is the mediation of behavior by an internal intellectual plan, which performs the function of conscious regulation of behavior. Strengthening motivational tendencies occurs due to the mental construction of a future situation. Anticipating the positive and negative consequences of an activity evokes emotions associated with achieving a consciously set goal. These impulses act as additional motivation for the deficit motive.
The need to make a volitional effort is determined by the degree of difficulty of the situation. Volitional effort is the method by which difficulties are overcome in the process of performing a purposeful action; it ensures the possibility of successful activities and the achievement of previously set goals. This mechanism of volitional regulation is correlated with various types of self-stimulation, in particular with its speech form, with frustration tolerance, with the search for positive experiences associated with the presence of an obstacle. Usually there are four forms of self-stimulation: 1) direct form in the form of self-orders, self-encouragement and self-suggestion, 2) indirect form in the form of creating images, ideas associated with achievement, 3) abstract form in the form of constructing a system of reasoning, logical justification and conclusions, 4) combined form as a combination of elements of the three previous forms.
An intentional change in the meaning of actions is possible due to the fact that the need is not strictly connected with the motive, and the motive is not clearly related to the goals of the action. The meaning of activity, according to A.N. Leontiev, consist in the relation of motive to goal. The formation and development of an impulse to action is possible not only by replenishing the deficit of impulse (by connecting additional emotional experiences), but also by changing the meaning of the activity.
A change in the meaning of an activity usually occurs:
1) by reassessing the significance of the motive;
2) through changing the role, position of a person (instead of a subordinate, become a leader, instead of a taker, a giver, instead of a desperate person, a desperate one);
3) through the reformulation and implementation of meaning in the field of fantasy and imagination.
Volitional regulation in its most developed forms means connecting an insignificant or insignificant, but obligatory action to the semantic sphere of the individual. Volitional action means the transformation of pragmatic action into action due to its attachment to moral motives and values.
The problem of volitional regulation of personality is closely related to the question of volitional qualities of a person. Volitional qualities are understood as such features of a person’s volitional activity that contribute to overcoming external and internal difficulties and, under certain circumstances and conditions, manifest themselves as stable personality traits.
The most important volitional properties are purposefulness, perseverance, determination, initiative, courage, etc.
Determination is understood as a person’s ability to subordinate his actions to his goals. It manifests itself in the ability to be tolerant, i.e. resistant to possible obstacles, stress, unexpected turns of events when focusing on a specific goal.
Perseverance is the ability to mobilize to overcome difficulties, the ability to be strong, as well as reasonable and creative in difficult life situations.
Decisiveness is the ability to make and implement timely, informed and firm decisions.
Initiative - ability to accept independent decisions and their implementation in activity, the spontaneous expression of a person’s motives, desires and motives.
Volitional regulation is necessary in order to keep in the field of consciousness for a long time the object that a person is thinking about and to maintain attention concentrated on it. The will is involved in the regulation of almost all basic mental functions: sensations, perception, imagination, memory, thinking and speech. Development of these cognitive processes from lower to higher means a person’s acquisition of volitional control over them.
Volitional action is always associated with the consciousness of the purpose of the activity, its significance, and the subordination of the actions performed to this purpose. Sometimes there is a need to give a special meaning to a 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 is necessary to find additional incentives to carry out, to complete an already started activity, 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 teach something and actions associated with learning acquire a volitional character.
Volitional regulation can be included in activity at any of the stages of its implementation: initiation of activity, choice of means and methods of its implementation, adherence to the intended plan or deviation from it, control of execution. The peculiarity of the inclusion of volitional regulation at the initial moment of activity is that a person, consciously abandoning some drives, motives and goals, prefers others and implements them contrary to momentary, immediate impulses. Will in choosing an action is manifested in the fact that, having consciously abandoned the usual way of solving a problem, the individual chooses another, sometimes more difficult, and tries not to deviate from it. Finally, 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 left to do this. Particular difficulties in terms of volitional regulation are presented for a person by such activities where problems of volitional control arise throughout the entire path of the activity, from the very beginning to the end.
A typical case of the inclusion of will in the management of activity is a situation associated with the struggle of difficultly compatible motives, each of which requires the performance of different actions at the same moment in time. Then the consciousness and thinking of a person, being included in the volitional regulation of his behavior, look for additional incentives in order to make one of the drives stronger, to give it greater meaning in the current situation. Psychologically, this means an active search for connections between the goal and the activity being carried out with the highest spiritual values of a person, consciously giving them much greater significance than they had at the beginning.
With the volitional regulation of behavior generated by actual needs, a special relationship develops between these needs and the human consciousness.
Knowledge of the mechanisms of volitional regulation and methods of developing will is necessary for every person striving for systematic and successful self-development and achieving life goals.
4 Development of will
The development of volitional regulation of behavior in humans occurs in several directions. On the one hand, this is the transformation of involuntary mental processes into voluntary ones, on the other hand, a person gains control over his behavior, and on the third, the development of volitional personality traits. All these processes ontogenetically begin from the moment in life when the child masters speech and learns to use it as an effective means of mental and behavioral self-regulation.
The development of will in a person is associated with:
a) with the transformation of involuntary mental processes into
arbitrary;
b) with a person acquiring control over his behavior;
c) with the development of volitional qualities of the individual;
d) with the fact that a person consciously sets himself more and more difficult tasks and pursues increasingly distant goals that require significant volitional efforts over a long time.
Within each of these directions of development of the will, as it strengthens, its own specific transformations occur, gradually raising the process and mechanisms of volitional regulation to a higher level. high levels. For example, within cognitive processes, the will first appears in the form of external speech regulation and only then in terms of the intra-speech process. In the behavioral aspect, volitional control first concerns voluntary movements of individual parts of the body, and subsequently - planning and control of complex sets of movements, including inhibition of some and activation of other muscle complexes. In the field of formation of volitional qualities of a person, the development of will can be represented as a movement from primary to secondary and then to tertiary volitional qualities.
Another direction in the development of the will is manifested in the fact that a person consciously sets himself more and more difficult tasks and pursues more and more distant goals that require the application of significant volitional efforts for quite a long time. For example, a schoolchild, while still in adolescence, may set himself the task of developing abilities for which he does not have clear natural inclinations. At the same time, he can set himself the goal of engaging in a complex and prestigious activity in the future, the successful implementation of which requires such abilities. There are quite a few life examples how people who became famous scientists, artists, writers achieved their goals without having good inclinations, mainly due to increased efficiency and will.
The development of will in children is closely correlated with the enrichment of their motivational and moral sphere. The inclusion of higher motives and values in the regulation of activity, increasing their status in the general hierarchy of incentives that govern activity, the ability to highlight and evaluate the moral side of performed actions - all these are important points in the education of will in children. The motivation for an act, which includes volitional regulation, becomes conscious, and the act itself becomes voluntary. Such an action is always performed on the basis of an arbitrarily constructed hierarchy of motives, where the top level is occupied by a highly moral motivation, which gives moral satisfaction to a person if the activity is successful. A good example Such activity can be performed by excess activities associated with the highest moral values, performed on a voluntary basis and aimed at benefiting people.
Improving the volitional regulation of behavior in children is associated with their general intellectual development, with the emergence of motivational and personal reflection. Therefore, it is almost impossible to cultivate a child’s will in isolation from his general psychological development. Otherwise, instead of will and perseverance as undoubtedly positive and valuable personal qualities, their antipodes may arise and take hold: stubbornness and rigidity.
Games play a special role in the development of will in children in all of these areas, and each type of play activity makes its own specific contribution to the improvement of the volitional process. Constructive object games that appear first in age development child, contribute to the accelerated formation of voluntary regulation of actions. Role-playing games lead to the consolidation of the necessary volitional personality traits in the child. In addition to this task, collective games with rules solve another problem: strengthening the self-regulation of actions. Learning that appears in the last years of preschool childhood and turns into a leading activity in school greatest contribution contributes to the development of voluntary self-regulation of cognitive processes.
Bibliography
1. Rubinshtein S.L. Fundamentals of general psychology: In 2 vols. - M, 1989. - T. II. - P. 187.
2. Nikolaenko V.M. Psychology and pedagogy: textbook. – 2000
3. Radugin A.A. Psychology and pedagogy: textbook. – M. 2002 – 257s.
4. Lukovtseva A.K. Psychology and pedagogy. Lecture course: textbook for university students. – M.: KDU, 2008. – P.192.
1. The concept of will……………………………………………………………………...5
2. Structure of volitional action………………………………………..…………….6
3. Volitional regulation of behavior ……………………………………………………10
4. Volitional personality traits……………………………………………...……13
5. Techniques and methods of self-education of will……………………………………………………….….16
6. Free will and personal responsibility………….………………………...18
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………......19
List of references………………………………………………………………...21
Appendix……………………………………………………….………………………..…….22
Introduction
The concept of “will” is used by psychiatry, psychology, physiology and philosophy. IN explanatory dictionary Ozhegov’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 human mental life, was fundamentally different from the one that prevailed at the present time. Thus, Socrates compared the will with the direction (in the sense of action) of the flight of an arrow, meaning by this the indisputable fact that the arrow is still destined to break from the string, but the will allows it to do this only when the target is chosen correctly. The philosophers of Plato's school defined will as “purposiveness combined with correct reasoning; prudent aspiration; reasonable natural desire.” Zeno opposed will to desire. Greek philosophers attributed to the will a mainly restraining role. In their understanding, the will performed 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. In modern philosophical understanding, will has become inseparable from action.
Modern psychiatry views will as a mental process consisting of the ability to engage in active, systematic activity aimed at satisfying human needs.
An act of will is a complex, multi-stage process, including a need (desire) that determines the motivation of behavior, awareness of the need, struggle of motives, choice of method of implementation, launch of implementation, control of implementation.
Purpose of the work: the concept of will in psychology.
Goal resolution based on tasks:
1) reveal the concept of will in psychology;
2) characterize the volitional properties of the individual;
3) emphasize both the importance of free will and the importance of personal responsibility.
The relevance of this topic does not raise any doubts, since “the rudiments of will are already contained in needs as the initial motivations of a person to act.”
The main features of a volitional act:
1) applying effort to perform an act of will;
2) the presence of a well-thought-out plan for implementing a behavioral act;
3) increased attention to such a behavioral act and the lack of direct pleasure received in the process and as a result of its execution;
4) often the efforts of the will are aimed not only at defeating circumstances, but at overcoming oneself.
Currently, there is no unified theory of will in psychological science, although many scientists are making attempts to develop a holistic doctrine of will with its terminological certainty and unambiguity. Apparently, this situation with the study of will is connected with the struggle between reactive and active concepts of human behavior that has been going on since the beginning of the 20th century. For the first concept, the concept of will is practically not needed, because its supporters represent all human behavior as human reactions to external and internal stimuli. Supporters of the active concept of human behavior, which in Lately becomes leading, human behavior is understood as initially active, and the person himself is endowed with the ability to consciously choose forms of behavior.
So, we have revealed the definition of will, and now we need to consider where volitional action begins, what is its structure.
2. structure of volitional action
Where does volitional action begin? Of course, with awareness of the purpose of the action and the motive associated with it. With a clear awareness of the goal and the motive that causes it, the desire for the goal is usually called desire (See Appendix).
But not every desire for a goal is conscious. Depending on the degree of awareness of needs, they are divided into drives and desires. If the desire is conscious, then the attraction is always vague, unclear: a person realizes that he wants something, that he lacks something, or that he needs something, but he does not understand what exactly. As a rule, people experience attraction as a specific painful state in the form of melancholy or uncertainty. Because of its uncertainty, attraction cannot develop into purposeful activity. For this reason, attraction is often considered a transitional state. The need presented in it, as a rule, either fades away or is realized and turns into a specific desire.
However, not every desire leads to action. Desire in itself does not contain an active element. Before a desire turns into a direct motive, and then into a goal, it is assessed by a person, that is, it is “filtered” through a person’s value system and receives a certain emotional coloring. Everything that is connected with the realization of a goal is painted in positive tones in the emotional sphere, just as everything that is an obstacle to achieving a goal causes negative emotions.
Desire intensifies, having a motivating force, awareness of the purpose of future action and the construction of its plan. In turn, when forming a goal, its content, nature and meaning play a unique role. The more significant the goal, the more powerful the desire it can generate.
A wish is not always immediately translated into reality. A person sometimes has several uncoordinated and even contradictory desires at once, and he finds himself in a very difficult situation, not knowing which of them to realize. A mental state that is characterized by a clash of several desires or several different motivations for activity is usually called a struggle of motives. The struggle of motives contains a person’s assessment of those reasons that speak for and against the need to act in a certain direction, thinking about how exactly to act. The final moment of the struggle of motives is decision-making, which consists in choosing a goal and method of action. When making a decision, a person shows decisiveness; at the same time, he feels responsible for the further course of events.
The executive stage of volitional action has a complex structure. First of all, the execution of a decision is related to one time or another, i.e. with a certain period. If the execution of a decision is postponed for a long period, then in this case it is customary to talk about the intention to fulfill the decision made. We usually talk about intention when we are faced with complex activities.
Intention, in its essence, is the internal preparation of a deferred action and represents a decision-fixed focus on achieving a goal. But intention alone is not enough. As in any other volitional action, if there is an intention, one can distinguish the stage of planning ways to achieve the goal. The plan can be detailed to varying degrees. In this case, the planned action is not implemented immediately. To implement it, you need a conscious volitional effort. “Volitional effort is understood as a special state of internal tension or activity, which causes the mobilization of a person’s internal resources necessary to carry out the intended action. Therefore, volitional efforts are always associated with a significant waste of energy.”
This The final stage volitional action can receive a twofold expression: in some cases it manifests itself in external action, in other cases, on the contrary, it consists in abstaining from any external action (such a manifestation is usually called internal volitional action).
Volitional effort is qualitatively different from muscle tension. In a volitional effort, external movements can be minimally represented, but internal tension can be very significant. At the same time, in any volitional effort, muscle tension is present to one degree or another.
Will is present in many acts of human behavior, helping to overcome resistance, as well as other desires and needs on the way to the intended goal. If, for example, a person does not want to drink bitter medicine, but he knows that it is extremely necessary for his health, then, suppressing his reluctance by willpower, he forces himself to systematically carry out the prescribed treatment. Another example: a student wants to go to a disco, but his homework is not ready yet test by tomorrow. Overcoming a momentary desire with an effort of will, the student forces himself to work, setting the goal of tomorrow's success. We also observe the manifestation of will in various communication situations. For example, a person is unpleasant to us, but our further advancement objectively depends on him, therefore, through an effort of will, we restrain our hostility, put on a psychological “mask” suitable for the given situation, and as a result we achieve our goal.
Most often, a person shows his will in the following typical situations:
it is necessary to make a choice between two or more thoughts, goals, feelings that are equally attractive, but require opposite actions, and are incompatible with each other;
no matter what, it is necessary to purposefully move towards the intended goal;
On the path of a person’s practical activity, internal (fear, uncertainty, doubts) or external (objective circumstances) obstacles arise that must be overcome.
In other words, will (its presence or absence) manifests itself in all situations related to choice and decision-making. Will is a person’s conscious overcoming of difficulties on the path to action.
As main functions will highlight:
choice of motives and goals;
regulation of the impulse to act when there is insufficient or excessive motivation;
organization of mental processes into a system that is adequate to the activity performed by a person;
mobilization of physical and mental capabilities in achieving set goals in a situation of overcoming obstacles.
Will as a phenomenon of the human psyche attracted the attention of thinkers back in antiquity. Aristotle introduced the concept of will into the system of categories of the science of the soul in order to explain how human behavior is realized in accordance with knowledge, which in itself is devoid of motivating power. Aristotle's will acted as a factor, along with desire, capable of changing the course of behavior: initiating it, stopping it, changing direction and pace. However, thinkers of antiquity, and later the Middle Ages, did not interpret will in its modern personal understanding. Thus, in antiquity the concept of “will” was absorbed by the concept of “logic”. According to Aristotle, for example, any action follows primarily from a logical conclusion.
During the Middle Ages, there was a ritual of exoris - exorcism of the devil. Man in those days was perceived only as a passive principle, in which the will manifested itself in the form of good and evil spirits (sometimes even personified). This understanding of will was due to the fact that traditional society actually denied independent behavior. S.I. Rogov* notes that the personality appears in it only as a genus, as a program according to which the ancestors lived. The right to deviate was recognized only for certain members of society, for example, a shaman - a person who communicates with the spirits of ancestors; a blacksmith - a person who has the power of fire and metal; a robber - a criminal man who opposed himself to a given society.
* Rogov S.I. General psychology. -- M., 1995.
The concept of will seems to be revived in modern times along with the emergence of the concept of personality, one of the main values of which is free will. A new worldview is emerging - existentialism, the “philosophy of existence”, according to which freedom is absolute, free will. M. Heidegger, K. Jaspers, J.-P. Sartre and A. Camus believed that any person is essentially self-willed and irresponsible, and any social norms are a suppression of human essence.
In Russia, an interesting interpretation of will was presented by I.P. Pavlov, considering will as an “instinct” (reflex) of freedom. As an instinct of freedom, will is no less a stimulus for behavior than the instincts of hunger or danger.
Much controversy has arisen and is arising on the issue of the conscious or unconscious origin of the concept of “will”.
Supporters of idealistic views interpreted as a phenomenon of will the inherent human ability to independently choose a goal and ways to achieve it. They interpreted the ability to make decisions expressing personal attitudes and beliefs as the result of the actions of an irrational force behind these acts.
At one time, the German philosophers A. Schopenhauer and E. Hartmann absolutized the will, declaring it cosmic force, a blind unconscious principle, the derivative of which are all mental manifestations of a person.
Psychoanalytic psychology represented the human will as a kind of energy of human actions. Proponents of psychoanalysis believed that human actions are controlled by a certain biological energy of a person, converted into mental energy. Freud identified this energy with the psychosexual energy of sexual desire - the unconscious libido, thereby explaining human behavior first by the “cultivated” manifestations of this life-affirming force (Eros), and then by its struggle with man’s equally subconscious craving for death (Thantos).
Proponents of the theory of will as a special supernatural force underlying the psyche and existence in general were such famous psychologists as W. Wundt and W. James.
The theological interpretation of will is that will is identified with the divine principle in the world: God is the exclusive owner of free will, endowing it with people at his own discretion.
Materialists interpret will as a side of the psyche that has a material basis in the form of nervous brain processes. Volitional or voluntary actions develop on the basis of involuntary movements and actions. The simplest of involuntary actions are reflex ones. This type also includes impulsive actions, unconscious, not subordinate to the general goal of the reaction. In contrast to involuntary actions, a person’s conscious actions are aimed at achieving his goal, which is characteristic of volitional behavior.
The material basis of voluntary movements is the activity of giant pyramidal cells located in one of the layers of the cerebral cortex in the region of the anterior central gyrus. Impulses for movement are generated in these cells. Scientists came to this conclusion by studying the causes of abulia (painful lack of will), which develops on the basis of brain pathology and appraxia (impaired voluntary regulation of movements and actions that make it impossible to carry out a volitional act), resulting from damage to the frontal lobes of the brain.
The doctrine of the second signal system I.P. Pavlova significantly supplemented the materialistic concept, proving the conditioned reflex essence of will.
Modern studies of will in psychology are conducted in different ways. scientific directions: in behaviorist-oriented science, certain forms of behavior are studied; in the psychology of motivation, the focus is on intrapersonal conflicts and ways to overcome them; in personality psychology, the main attention is focused on identifying and studying the corresponding volitional characteristics of the individual. At the same time modern psychology strives to give the science of the will an integrative character.
