Faith in one's own strengths, self-discipline, manifestation of determination, courage, patience - there are so many names for the will. But depending on the circumstances, the situation takes on a different look. Will is one of the most complex phenomena in modern psychology. This is some inner strength, capable of managing your decisions, actions, and, as a result, the results of actions. It is thanks to her strong-willed character that she is able not only to set herself goals that are impossible at first glance, but also to achieve them, overcoming any obstacles on the way to this.

Types of will in psychology

There are three most common types of this important component of the human psyche:

  1. Free will is referred to in other words as spiritual freedom. It is this freedom of decisions and actions that is characteristic of deeply religious individuals. For example, it is worth remembering how monks live. They easily give up wealth and live "not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
  2. The will, called natural, is manifested in the freedom of choice, thinking, views, judgments, and human behavior.
  3. And the last kind is a forced will, characterized by an imposed decision. In this case, you are forced to make your choice out of necessity in connection with certain prevailing circumstances.
Development of the will

In psychology, the development of will in a person is attributed, first of all, to the main features that distinguish it from the behavior of other living beings. It is generally accepted that this conscious quality (that is, it is natural for a person to control the manifestation of will in his behavior) arose along with the emergence of society, social labor. Will is associated with emotional and cognitive processes in the human psyche.

It is important to note that it exhibits two functions:

  • incentive
  • brake.

It is by our activity that we ensure the functioning of the first one, and the inhibitory one acts in unity with the previous one and manifests itself in the form of restraint of those manifestations of activity, that is, actions that contradict the norms of morality and society. Thanks to the interaction of two functions, a person manages to develop volitional qualities in himself, to overcome obstacles on the way to achieving what he wants.

If the living conditions of a person from childhood were unfavorable, it is unlikely that the cherished volitional qualities will be developed in it. But determination, perseverance, discipline, courage, etc. can always be developed. For this, the main thing, doing various types activities to overcome both external and internal obstacles.

Everyone knows what will is, but not everyone fully understands this concept. The term itself is used in modern speech quite often, but the meaning that is put into it does not always correspond to reality. In this article, we will talk about what will is and whether it is possible to develop this quality in oneself.

General concept

Each person is a person with a special set of qualities. Some of them are acquired, others are congenital. Such a person's ability as will is associated with his mental activity and desires. Each individual may develop it differently. So, for example, a person with strong will clearly knows what he wants, and confidently follows his goal. On the contrary, if this ability is poorly developed, it is difficult to make decisions and achieve goals. In the life of a person with a weak will, various factors and people control his fate, but not himself.

Conscious self-regulation

Considering the question of what will is, one should pay special attention to the fact that this ability is meaningful and conscious. It is controlled by many parts of the brain and generally depends on the person's psychotype. Given the above written, we can conclude that the full control of their activities - this is the will. There is another important nuance. Many psychologists argue that a prerequisite for the presence of will is a goal. So, the desire of a person to achieve a certain desire is a manifestation of this ability.

Strength of will

Quite often this simple four-letter word is found in certain phrases. So, perhaps, one of the most popular is “willpower”. The meaning of the words is quite simple. This concept is invested in the ability to self-persuasion. But is it? For example, a person wants to quit smoking. He convinces himself that this habit does not bring anything good into his life. Then there are attempts not to pick up cigarettes. If they are successful, the person is said to have willpower. If such a fuse lasted only for a few hours or days, then we can say that he does not have it. It turns out that a person could not convince himself? Is not a fact. So, a person can be firmly convinced that smoking is bad, but at the same time continue to take one puff after another. Therefore, the ability to convince oneself is not yet willpower. So, one desire and understanding is not enough. You also need to stick to the original plan and not deviate from it.

Consider what is will, on the other hand. A person sets himself a difficult task (true intention) and adheres to it at all costs. That is what willpower is. Among other things, it is characterized certain functions. Without them, it will be just a desire and attempts to fulfill it.

Main functions

Will is enough complex concept in psychology. In order to understand it, you should know what basic functions it can perform.

  • So, the first and most important function is incentive. It provides the beginning of certain actions to overcome some obstacles.
  • The second function is stabilization. It is associated with volitional efforts, which help to maintain activity at a certain level, despite interference.
  • The third function is called braking. Its purpose is to inhibit desires and goals that are incompatible with the main one.

Any situation where the manifestation of willpower takes place can be considered according to these functions. Let's look at the example we looked at earlier. So, a person decided to quit smoking in order, for example, to save money - this is an incentive function. Imagine a situation where he succeeds, but then a friend comes to visit and offers to smoke one piece at a time. Refusal of the offer will be a function of stabilization. When it suddenly occurs to a person to give up this stupid idea and start saving on something else, the braking function will work. He will rethink everything again and decide that he will not deviate from the goal.

personality traits

As mentioned earlier, not everyone has a strong will. It depends on many factors, including personality traits. In order to understand what the word "will" means, let's consider in which personalities it manifests itself most often.

So, a strong-willed person, as a rule, is purposeful, resolute, persistent, independent. Such a person has good endurance and discipline. These qualities are very important for a person with a strong will. So, for example, it will be very difficult for an indecisive individual to make a decision and set a goal for himself. Persistence will help him to stick to the plan at all costs and not deviate from the goal. Independence will be manifested in the fact that he will carry out his plans without outside help.

ancient greek philosophers

The meaning of the word "will" was interesting ancient Greek philosophers. They carefully studied this ability and tried to understand its essence. For example, Aristotle believed that the will is connected with the mind. In this term, he put certain actions and deeds of a person. Aristotle believed that the will is the true desires of a person, what he wants most of all. They are not related to needs, but arise only as a result of reflection. Plato, in turn, connected the will with the soul. After all, it is inner world man, his mind can control desires. Only the soul determines and awakens the activity of a person and the desire to act.

Will and Bible

Few people think that it is in the Bible that you can find a lot of information regarding the word “will”. So, it is God's ability to do and will whatever He wants. It is by the will of the Lord that many of the events described in the Bible take place. God is manifestation higher mind. It is He who is endowed with the authority and power to do whatever He pleases. So, it becomes clear that the will is the true desires and the path to their implementation. Since man is created in the image and likeness of God, he is also endowed with this ability.

Is it possible to train the will?

If someone likes to think that someone else controls his life, then such a person is unlikely to be interested in knowing that the will can be trained. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but in fact a person is a creation of God, and he himself has the right to control his life and destiny. But in order to avoid responsibility, some people unconsciously do not want to admit it. They shift responsibilities to other people and live not by their own will, but by chance. In fact, this is a rather convenient position, because later, in case of failure, you can blame anyone, but not yourself.

The will can and should be trained, because in its essence this ability is freedom. When a person manages his life, there are no impossible tasks before him. He is absolutely free to do what he really wants. Such an important ability as willpower can greatly facilitate a person's life, make it richer and more colorful.

Self improvement

Many scientists answer the question of what the word “will” means: it is an ability that helps a person put his life in order. And in fact, setting goals and getting results is very important. In order to develop willpower, it is necessary to train those personality traits that we mentioned earlier. So, a person should become more decisive, independent, persistent. Another important detail is organization. First, you need to discipline yourself. Try to organize your day so that you do certain activities at the same time. For example, eat breakfast every day at 8 a.m. sharp.

Another synonym for the word "will" is "purposefulness". Try to set small tasks for yourself and complete them in a clear time frame. It is also important to pay attention to momentary desires. These are the main enemies of willpower. When a desire arises, it must first be analyzed. So, for example, you wanted a piece of chocolate. Analyze how much you need it right now. Set a goal to eat it in exactly one hour. You need to convince yourself that your mind controls your body, and not vice versa.

In this way, one should try to discipline oneself in many things. Willpower is actually the ability of a person to control his thoughts and desires, taking into account the basic and main task. If every time you stop and think about the need for this or that action, then after a month you will notice that it will be much easier for you to set a task and complete it.

So with little effort, willpower is formed. It is also important to remember that the better the motivation, the easier it will be to perform certain tasks. People who have this ability well developed are more successful. They know how to plan their time and go to the goal in small but sure steps.

FEDERAL AGENCY FOR EDUCATION

State educational institution higher vocational 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. Will development.

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 features: the presence of efforts and a well-thought-out plan for the implementation of a particular volitional act; increased attention to such behavioral action; lack of direct pleasure received in the process and as a result of its execution; the 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 necessary volitional effort to achieve the goal;

Perseverance - the ability of a person to mobilize for a long overcoming of difficulties;

Endurance - 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 - the ability to control oneself, to subordinate one's behavior to the solution of tasks;

Discipline - conscious submission of one's behavior to generally accepted norms, established order;

Obligation - the ability to perform assigned duties on time;

Organization - rational planning and streamlining 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 manifests his will in the following typical situations:

It is necessary to make a choice between two or more equally attractive, but requiring opposite actions, thoughts, goals, feelings, incompatible with each other;

In spite of everything, it is necessary to purposefully move along the path to the intended goal;

On the way of practical human activity, there are internal (fear, uncertainty, doubts) or external (objective circumstances) obstacles that must be overcome.

In other words, the will (its presence or absence) is manifested in all situations related to choice and decision-making.

The main features of an act of will:

a) the application of efforts 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 lack of direct pleasure received in the process and as a result of its execution;

d) often the efforts of the will are directed not only to victory over circumstances, but to overcoming oneself.

The main functions of the will are:

Choice of motives and goals;

Regulation of motivation for actions with 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, the restraint of some fairly strong drives, the conscious subordination of them to other, more significant and important goals, the ability to suppress the desires and impulses that directly arise in a given situation. At the highest levels of its manifestation, the will involves reliance on spiritual goals and moral values, on 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 their implementation. An action that does not have a plan or is not carried out according to a predetermined plan cannot be considered volitional. A volitional action is a conscious, purposeful action by which a person accomplishes his goal, subordinating his impulses to conscious control and changing the surrounding reality in accordance with his plan.

The essential features of a volitional action are increased attention to such an action and the absence of direct pleasure received in the process and as a result of its implementation. This means that a volitional action is usually accompanied by a lack of emotional rather than moral satisfaction. On the contrary, the successful performance of an act of will is usually associated with moral satisfaction from the fact that it was possible to perform it.

Often, the efforts of the will are directed by a person not so much towards conquering and mastering circumstances, but towards overcoming oneself. This is especially true for people of an impulsive type, unbalanced and emotionally excitable, when they have to act contrary to their natural or characterological data.

Not a single more or less complex life problem of a person can 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 a will, without which abilities would remain an empty sound.

2 Theories of will

At present, 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.

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 in the performance of purposeful actions and deeds.

Among the most popular directions in the study of the problem of will, the so-called heteronomous and autonomous (or voluntaristic) theories of will stand out.

Heteronomic theories reduce volitional actions to complex mental processes of a captive 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 such a phenomenon, in which, having felt hunger, he will purposefully look 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" that is conscious 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.

Heteronomic theories have advantages and disadvantages. Their merit is the inclusion of the factor of determinism in the explanation of the will. Thus, they oppose their point of view on the emergence of volitional processes to the point of view of spiritualistic theories, which believe that the 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, has no content of its own and is updated only when necessary. Heteronomic theories of will do not explain the phenomena of arbitrariness of actions, the phenomenon of inner freedom, the mechanisms of formation of volitional action from involuntary.

An intermediate place between heteronomous and autonomous theories of will is occupied by the affective theory of will by W. Wundt. Wundt sharply objected to attempts to derive the impulse to volitional action from intellectual processes. He explains the will with the concept of affect. The most essential for the emergence of the volitional process is the activity of external action, which is directly connected with internal experiences. In the simplest volitional act, Wundt singles out two moments: affect and the action associated with it. External actions are aimed at achieving the final result, while internal actions are aimed at changing other mental processes, including emotional ones.

Theories of autonomous will explain this psychic phenomenon on the basis of the laws inherent in 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 the will as a superhuman, world force:

Will as a world force embodied in man was the subject of research by E. Hartmann, A. Schopenhauer, G.I. Chelpanov. Schopenhauer believed that the essence of everything is the will of the world. She is a completely irrational, blind, unconscious, aimless and, moreover, never ceasing or weakening impulse. It is universal and is the basis for everything that exists: it generates everything (through the process of objectification) and governs everything. Only by creating the world and looking into it, as in a mirror, does she get the opportunity to realize herself, first of all, in the fact that she is the will to live. The will that exists in every person is simply the objectification of the world will. This means that the doctrine of the world will is the original, and the doctrine of the human will is secondary, derivative. Schopenhauer presents different ways deliverance from the will of the world. General is the position that all methods are realized through spiritual activity (cognitive, aesthetic, moral). It turns out that knowledge, aesthetic contemplation is able to get rid of "serving" the world will. great attention he devotes to moral ways.

The same approximate understanding of the will as an active force that ensures the actions of a person was characteristic of G.I. Chelpanov. He believed that the soul has its own power to make choices and induce action. In the act of will, he singled out aspiration, desire and effort; later he began to associate the will with the struggle of motives.

2) theories that consider will as the initial moment of action motivation:

Will as the initial moment of action motivation is the subject of research by various authors (T. Hobbes, T. Ribot, K. Levin). Common to all concepts is the position that the will has the ability to induce actions. T. Ribot added that it can not only encourage action, but also inhibit some undesirable actions. Kurt Lewin's identification of the incentive function of the will with a quasi-need as a mechanism for inducing intentional action led Western psychology to identify 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. In understanding the will, Levin invested mainly a dynamic aspect. This is an internal tension caused by some unfinished action. The implementation of volitional behavior is to relieve tension through certain actions - movements in the psychological environment (locomotion and communication).

3) theories that understand the will as the ability to overcome obstacles:

Will as the ability to overcome obstacles was studied in the works of Yu. Kuhl, H. Hekhauzen, D.N. Uznadze, N. Akha, L.S. Vygotsky. In this case, 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 will is primarily associated with volitional regulation.

Yu. Kul connects volitional regulation with the presence of difficulties in the implementation of intentions. He distinguishes between intention and desire (motivation). Active intentional regulation is activated at the moment of the appearance of an obstacle or competing tendencies in the path of desire.

H. Hekhauzen identifies four stages of action motivation, which include different mechanisms - motivational and volitional. Motivation before making a decision correlates with the first stage, volitional effort with the second, the implementation of the action with the third, and assessment of the results of behavior with the fourth. Motivation determines the choice of action, and will - its strengthening and initiation.

D.N. Uznadze correlates the formation of the will with activities aimed at creating values ​​independent of actual human needs. Needs are met through impulsive behavior. Another type of behavior is not associated with the impulse of actual need and is called volitional. Volitional behavior differs, according to Uznadze, from impulsive behavior in that it has a period preceding the decision-making act. Behavior becomes volitional only through a motive that modifies behavior in such a way that the latter becomes acceptable to the subject.

Overcoming obstacles, according to N. Ahu, is possible with the actualization of volitional processes. Motivation and will are not the same. Motivation determines the general determination of the action, and the will strengthens the determination. In the act of will, two sides are distinguished: phenomenological and dynamic. Phenomenological includes such moments as 1) feeling of tension (figurative moment), 2) determining the purpose of the action and its relationship with the means (objective), 3) performing an internal action (actual), 4) experiencing difficulties, making an effort (moment of state) . The dynamic side of a volitional act is the realization, the 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 a lot, counting for 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 make a child often do something on the basis of“ one, two, three ”, then he himself gets used to doing exactly the same as, for example, we do, 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 are imperceptible to 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 is changed in them, can strengthen / weaken the impulse to action. In his opinion, the trend that is found when performing meaningless assignments is interesting. It consists in the fact that by creating a new situation, making changes in the psychological field, come to its comprehension.

With the motivational approach, the will was studied as an independent mental phenomenon, but the shortcomings of this direction are that the explanation of the mechanisms of the emergence of the will did not have a specific source: they proceeded either from teleological interpretations, or from natural sciences, or from cause-and-effect interpretations.

Free Choice Approach consists in the correlation of volitional processes with the problem of making a choice, with a situation in which any person often finds himself. I. Kant was interested in the issue of compatibility, on the one hand, the determinism of behavior, and on the other, freedom of choice. The causality of the material world was compared by him with the determinism of behavior, and morality assumed freedom of choice. The will becomes free when it is subdued moral law.

In addition to the philosophical point of view, there are a number of psychological interpretations of the 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 the action in the presence of two or more ideas. In such a situation, the main feat of the will is to direct consciousness to an attractive object. Choice as one of the functions of the will is also considered by S.L. Rubinstein.

Regulatory Approach correlates the will not with certain contents, but with the function to exercise 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 a regulative volitional function. The will is deprived of the ability to generate mental or other actions, but it regulates them, showing up in attention. According to K. Levin, the will can really exercise control over affects and actions. This fact was proved by many experiments conducted in his school.

Studies of the regulation of mental processes, carried out within the framework of the problem of will, gave rise to a completely independent direction in psychology, dealing with the problem of self-regulation of the individual. Despite the close connection with the will and volitional processes, the subject of research in this area of ​​psychological knowledge is the techniques and methods 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 a person.

Volitional regulation is understood as the intentionally exercised control of the urge to act, consciously taken out of necessity and carried out by a person according to his own decision. If it is necessary to inhibit a desirable, but socially unapproved action, they mean not the regulation of the impulse to action, but the regulation of the action of abstinence.

Among the levels of mental regulation are the following:

Involuntary regulation (prepsychic involuntary reactions; figurative (sensory) and perceptual regulation);

Arbitrary regulation (speech-thinking level of regulation);

Volitional regulation (the highest level of voluntary regulation of activity, which ensures overcoming difficulties in achieving the goal).

The function of volitional regulation is to increase the effectiveness of the corresponding activity, and volitional action appears as a conscious, purposeful action of a person to overcome external and internal obstacles through volitional effort.

At the 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 by determination, courage, self-control, 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 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, referred to 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.

Volitional qualities are a dynamic category, i.e. capable of change, development throughout life. Volitional qualities are often directed not so much to mastering circumstances and overcoming them, but to overcoming oneself. This is especially true for people of an impulsive type, unbalanced and emotionally excitable, when they have to act contrary to their natural or character data.

The mechanisms of volitional regulation are: mechanisms for filling the deficit of motivation, making an effort of will and intentionally changing the meaning of actions.

Mechanisms for compensating for drive deficits consist in reinforcing weak but socially more significant motivation through the evaluation of events and actions, as well as ideas about what benefits can bring goal achieved. Strengthening motivation is associated with emotional revaluation of value based on the action of cognitive mechanisms. Special attention The role of intellectual functions in replenishing the deficit of motivation was given by cognitive psychologists. The mediation of behavior by an internal intellectual plan, which performs the function of conscious regulation of behavior, is associated with cognitive mechanisms. The strengthening of motivational tendencies occurs due to the mental construction of the future situation. The anticipation of the positive and negative consequences of an activity evokes emotions associated with the achievement of a consciously set goal. These motives act as an additional motivation to the deficit motive.

The need to make an effort of will is determined by the degree of difficulty of the situation. Volitional effort is a way by which difficulties are overcome in the process of performing a purposeful action; it provides the opportunity for the successful flow of 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, four forms of self-stimulation are distinguished: 1) a direct form in the form of self-orders, self-encouragement and self-hypnosis, 2) an indirect form in the form of creating images, ideas associated with achievement, 3) an abstract form in the form of building a system of reasoning, rationalizations and conclusions, 4) combined form as a combination of elements of the three previous forms.

A deliberate change in the meaning of actions is possible due to the fact that the need is not rigidly connected with the motive, and the motive is not unambiguously connected with the goals of the action. The meaning of activity, according to A.N. Leontiev, are in relation to the motive to the goal. The formation and development of motivation for action is possible not only due to the replenishment of the deficit of motivation (by connecting additional emotional experiences), but also due to a change in the meaning of activity.

A change in the meaning of activity usually occurs:

1) by reassessing the significance of the motive;

2) through a change in the role, position of a person (instead of a subordinate, become a leader, instead of a taker, a giver, instead of a desperate one, a desperate one);

3) with the help of reformulation and realization of meaning in the field of fantasy, imagination.

Volitional regulation in its most developed forms means the connection of an insignificant or insignificant, but obligatory action, to the semantic sphere of the personality. Volitional action means the transformation of a pragmatic action into an act due to its attachment to moral motives and values.

The problem of volitional regulation of the personality is closely connected with the question of the 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.

Purposefulness is understood as the ability of a person to subordinate his actions to the set goals. It manifests itself in the ability to be tolerant, i. resistant to possible obstacles, stresses, unexpected turns events while targeting a specific target.

Perseverance - the ability to mobilize to overcome difficulties, the ability to be strong, as well as reasonable and creative in difficult life situations.

Decisiveness - the ability to make and implement timely, reasonable and firm decisions.

Initiative - the ability to make independent decisions and implement them in activities, spontaneous expression of a person's motives, desires and motives.

Volitional regulation is necessary in order to keep in the field of consciousness the object that a person is thinking about for a long time, 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. The development of these cognitive processes from the lowest to the highest means the acquisition by a person of volitional control over them.

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 learning something, and actions related to learning acquire a volitional character.

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 inclusion of the will in the management of activity is the situation associated with the struggle of incompatible motives, each of which requires at the same time to perform various activities. 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.

With volitional regulation of behavior generated by actual needs, a special relationship develops between these needs and human consciousness.

Knowledge of the mechanisms of volitional regulation and ways of developing the will is necessary for every person striving for a systematic and successful self-development and achievement of life goals.

4 Development of the will

The development of volitional regulation of human behavior is carried out in several directions. On the one hand, this is the transformation of involuntary mental processes into arbitrary ones, on the other hand, the acquisition by a person of control over his behavior, on the third, the development of volitional qualities of the personality. All these processes begin ontogenetically from the moment of life when the child masters speech and learns to use it as effective tool mental and behavioral self-regulation.

The development of the will in a person is connected with:

a) with the transformation of involuntary mental processes into

arbitrary;

b) with the acquisition by a person of 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 more and more distant goals that require significant volitional efforts for 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 more 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 the formation of volitional qualities of a personality, the development of will can be represented as a movement from primary to secondary and further 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 a sufficiently long time. For example, a schoolchild as early as adolescence may set himself the task of developing in himself such abilities, for the formation of which he does not have expressed natural inclinations. At the same time, he may set himself the goal of engaging in a complex and prestigious activity in the future, for the successful implementation of which this kind of ability is necessary. 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 spheres. Inclusion in the regulation of activity of higher motives and values, raising their status in the general hierarchy of incentives that control activity, the ability to single out and evaluate the moral side of the actions performed - all this important points in the education of will in children. The motivation of an act, which includes volitional regulation, becomes conscious, and the act itself becomes arbitrary. Such an action is always performed on the basis of an arbitrarily constructed hierarchy of motives, where the highest level is occupied by a highly moral impulse, which gives moral satisfaction to a person in case of success of the activity. good example such activities can be above-standard activities associated with the highest moral values, performed on a voluntary basis and aimed at the benefit of people.

Improving the volitional regulation of behavior in children is associated with their general intellectual development, with the advent of motivational and personal reflection. Therefore, to educate the will of the child in isolation from his general psychological development almost impossible. Otherwise, instead of will and perseverance as undoubtedly positive and valuable personal qualities their antipodes may arise and become fixed: stubbornness and rigidity.

Games play a special role in the development of will in children in all of the above areas, and each type gaming 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 arbitrary regulation of actions. Role-playing games lead to the consolidation of the necessary volitional personality traits in the child. Collective games with rules, in addition to this task, solve another one: strengthening the self-regulation of actions. The teaching that appears in last years preschool childhood and turning into a leading activity at school, makes the greatest contribution to the development of arbitrary self-regulation of cognitive processes.

Bibliography

1. Rubinshtein S.L. Fundamentals of General Psychology: In 2 volumes - M, 1989. - T. II. - S. 187.

2. Nikolaenko V.M. Psychology and pedagogy: tutorial. – 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.

Will- conscious regulation by a person of his behavior (activity and communication), associated with overcoming internal and external obstacles. This is the ability of a person, which manifests itself in self-determination and self-regulation of his behavior and mental phenomena.

The main features of an act of will:

a) the application of efforts 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 lack of direct pleasure received in the process and as a result of its execution;

d) often the efforts of the will are directed not only to victory over circumstances, but to overcoming oneself.

At present, 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 the will is connected with the struggle between the reactive and active concepts of human behavior that has been going on since the beginning of the 20th century. For the first conception, the concept of will is practically not needed, because its supporters represent all human behavior as a person's reactions to external and internal stimuli. Supporters of the active concept of human behavior, which has recently become the leading one, understand human behavior as initially active, and the person himself is endowed with the ability to consciously choose forms of behavior.

Volitional regulation of behavior. Volitional regulation of behavior is characterized by the state of optimal mobilization of the individual, the required mode of activity, and the concentration of this activity in the required direction.

The main psychological function of the will is to increase motivation and improve the regulation of actions on this basis. In this, volitional actions differ from impulsive ones, i.e. actions performed involuntarily and insufficiently controlled by consciousness.

At the level of personality, the manifestation of will finds its expression in such properties as strength of will(the degree of necessary willpower to achieve the goal), persistence(the ability of a person to mobilize their capabilities for a long overcoming of difficulties), excerpt(the ability to slow down actions, feelings, thoughts that interfere with the implementation of the decision), energy and others. These are the primary (basic) volitional personal qualities that determine the majority of behavioral acts.

There are also secondary, developing in ontogenesis later than the primary, volitional qualities: determination(the ability to make and implement quick, informed and firm decisions), courage(the ability to overcome fear and take justified risks in order to achieve the goal, despite the dangers to personal well-being), composure(the ability to control the sensual side of one's psyche and subordinate one's behavior to the solution of consciously set tasks), self confidence. These qualities should be considered not only as volitional, but also as characterological.

The tertiary ones include volitional qualities that are closely related to moral ones: responsibility(a quality that characterizes a person in terms of fulfilling her moral requirements), discipline(conscious submission of one's behavior to generally accepted norms, established order), adherence to principles(fidelity to a certain idea in beliefs and consistent implementation of this idea in behavior), obligation(the ability to voluntarily assume duties and fulfill them). This group also includes the qualities of the will associated with the attitude of a person to work: efficiency, initiative(the ability to work creatively, taking actions on one’s own initiative), organization(reasonable planning and ordering of their work), diligence(diligence, fulfillment of assignments and their duties on time), etc. The tertiary qualities of the will are usually formed only by adolescence, i.e. the moment when there is already experience of volitional actions.

Volitional actions can be divided into simple and complex. In a simple volitional act, the impulse to action (motive) passes into the action itself almost automatically. In a complex volitional act, an action is preceded by taking into account its consequences, awareness of motives, decision-making, the emergence of an intention to carry it out, drawing up a plan for its implementation, etc.

The development of the will in a person is connected with:

a) with the transformation of involuntary mental processes into arbitrary ones;

b) with the acquisition by a person of 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 more and more distant goals that require significant volitional efforts for a long time.

The formation of volitional qualities of a personality can be viewed as a movement from primary to secondary and further to tertiary qualities.

Free will and personal responsibility. Consideration of the psychological interpretation of personality involves the interpretation of the phenomenon of its spiritual freedom. Personal freedom in psychological terms is, first of all, free will. It is determined in relation to two quantities: to the vital drives and the social conditions of human life. Inclinations (biological impulses) are transformed in him under the influence of his self-awareness, the spiritual and moral coordinates of his personality. Moreover, man is the only Living being, which at any moment can say "no" to its inclinations, and which should not always say "yes" to them (M. Scheler).

Man is not free from social conditions. But he is free to take a stand in relation to them, since these conditions do not completely condition him. It depends on him - within his limits - whether he will surrender, whether he will give in to the conditions (V. Frankl). In this regard, freedom is when a person himself must decide whether to choose good or yield to evil (F.M. Dostoevsky).

However, freedom is only one side of a holistic phenomenon, the positive aspect of which is to be responsible. Individual freedom can turn into simple arbitrariness if it is not experienced from the point of view of responsibility (V. Frankl). A person is doomed to freedom and, at the same time, cannot escape responsibility. It is another matter that for many people, peace is more expensive than a free choice between good and evil, and therefore they readily "write off" their sins (ignorant deeds, meanness, betrayal) on "objective conditions" - the imperfection of society, bad educators, dysfunctional families, in which they grew up, etc. The Marxist thesis about the fundamental dependence of good and evil in a person on external (social) conditions has always been a pretext for avoiding personal responsibility.

Control questions

1. What are the concepts and main signs of will?

2. Show the importance of will in the organization of activities and communication.

3. What is the volitional regulation of behavior?

4. What are the primary, secondary and tertiary volitional qualities of a person?

5. Do you consider yourself a strong-willed person?

6. Try using the questionnaire to determine the degree of development of your willpower. When answering the questions, mark in the table with a "+" sign one of the three answers chosen by you: "yes", "don't know (sometimes)", "no":

1. Are you able to complete the work you started that is not interesting to you, regardless of the fact that time and circumstances allow you to break away and then return to it again?

2. Do you overcome internal resistance without much effort when you need to do something unpleasant for you (for example, go on duty on a day off)?

3. When you find yourself in a conflict situation - at work (study) or at home - are you able to pull yourself together enough to look at the situation soberly with maximum objectivity?

4. If you are on a diet, can you overcome culinary temptations?

5. Will you find the strength to get up earlier than usual in the morning, as planned in the evening?

6. Will you stay at the scene to testify?

7. Do you respond quickly to emails?

8. If you are afraid of an upcoming flight on an airplane or a visit to the dentist's office, can you easily overcome this feeling and not change your mind at the last moment?

9. Will you take a very unpleasant drug that your doctor strongly recommends to you?

10. Will you rashly keep this word, even if its implementation will bring you a lot of trouble, in other words - are you a man of your word?

11. Do you hesitate to go on a business trip (business trip) to an unfamiliar city?

12. Do you strictly adhere to the daily routine: the time of waking up, eating, studying, cleaning and other things?

13. Do you disapprove of library debtors?

14. The most interesting TV show will not make you put off urgent work. Is it so?

15. Will you be able to interrupt the quarrel and shut up, no matter how offensive the words "of the opposite side" seem to you?

Answer options

Answer number

Total

I don't know sometimes

Key to the questionnaire

Summarize the answers received according to the point system: "yes" - 2 points; "no" - 0 points; "I don't know" - 1 point.

0 - 12 points. With willpower, things are not going well for you. You just do what is easier and more interesting, even if it might hurt you in some way. You often treat your duties carelessly, which can cause various troubles for you. Your position is expressed by the well-known dictum "what do I need most of all? .." Any request, any duty you perceive almost as physical pain. The point here is not only a weak will, but also selfishness. Try to look at yourself taking into account such an assessment, maybe this will help you change your attitude towards others and “remake” something in your character. If you succeed, you will only benefit from this.

13 - 21 points. Your willpower is average. If you encounter an obstacle, you take action to overcome it. But if you see a workaround, you will immediately use it. Don't overdo it, but keep your word. You will try to do unpleasant work, although you will grumble. You will not take on extra responsibilities of your own free will. This sometimes negatively affects the attitude of leaders towards you, and it does not characterize you from the best side in the eyes of the people around you. If you want to achieve more in life, train your will.

22 - 30 points. Your will power is fine. You can rely on - you will not let you down. You are not afraid of new assignments, or long trips, or those things that scare others. But sometimes your firm and uncompromising position on unprincipled issues annoys others. Willpower is very good, but you also need to have such qualities as flexibility, condescension, kindness.

LITERATURE

    Vygotsky L.S. Sobr. op. In 6 vols. T. 3. - M., 1983. - S. 454 - 465.

    Vysotsky A.I. Volitional activity of schoolchildren and methods of its study. - Chelyabinsk, 1979. - S. 67.

    Gomezo M.V., Domashenko I.A. Atlas of psychology. - S. 194, 204 - 213.

    Kotyplo V.K. The development of volitional behavior in preschoolers. - Kyiv, 1971. - S. 11 - 51.

    Nemov R.S. Psychology. Book. 1. - S. 357 - 366.

    General psychology. - M., 1986. - S. 385 - 400.

    Psychological dictionary. - S. 53, 54.

    Psychology. Dictionary. - S. 62, 63.

    Rubinshtein S.L. Fundamentals of General Psychology. T. 2. - S. 182 - 211.

    Compilation of tests for the selection of candidates for employment (Methodology of the USA). - S. 20 - 22.

    Experimental studies of volitional activity. - Ryazan, 1986. - S. 3 - 23.

Scientists have always been interested in the problem of human will. No branch of psychology, with the exception of behaviorism, denied the existence of free will. The concept of will is also popular in philosophy.

But what is will? Let's talk about this in more detail.

What is the will of man?

Will is, first of all, power over oneself, control over one's actions, conscious regulation of one's behavior. It is also an inner force that is able to control behavior.

Will is a conscious regulation of human behavior and activity. It is aimed at ensuring that he can achieve certain goals and overcome life's difficulties. Will enables the individual to set goals, and then achieve the goals.

What is willpower?

Most people think that they have good willpower, but this is far from the case. Let's say you decide to go in for sports, set a goal for yourself to run in the morning. To do this, you have to wake up 20 minutes earlier. Morning has come, the alarm clock rang and it's time to get out of bed for a run, but in my head there are intrusive thoughts: “I didn’t get enough sleep, it’s cold outside, I’ll start with tomorrow". And you sleep on. And so every morning.

Willpower is, first of all, power over oneself, self-control, awareness. An Arabic proverb says: "The best ruler is the one who knows how to command himself." Also, willpower can be described as a challenge for oneself. It is through willpower that you can achieve your goals.

Development of willpower

If you suddenly realize that you have weak willpower, then you should not be upset, willpower can be developed. Imagine that willpower is a muscle. The more you pump it, the stronger it will become.

You need to start small. Let's say you set yourself the goal of learning English language. Ask yourself the question: “What do I need to do in order to start learning English?”. Look for English courses, tutorials, books, dictionaries. Once you find the right training program for you, you will know exactly what to do. To get started, set aside 20 minutes a day for study: this is not much at all, each person should have enough self-control to do this.

If, for example, you have a bunch of important unfinished business at the end of the day, then start doing the most difficult things in the morning. In this case, you can also use the twenty-minute rule. After you solve the most difficult problems, the rest of the problems will seem simple, and their solution will not make it difficult for you.

Practice meditation to develop mindfulness. Meditation also helps to relax and calm down. There are various techniques on the Internet, choose the one that you like best. And always remember: your life is in your hands, only you can change it. So act!