Will: concept, volitional actions, their structure. Volitional regulation of behavior.

One of the most important personality qualities is the ability to consciously regulate behavior, that is, will. It is this that gives us the opportunity to move towards our intended goal, overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It also forces us to restrain violent, unbridled impulses and drive wild primitive instincts deep into the subconscious. Will is what makes a person the master of his destiny, and at the same time, will is one of the most complex mental phenomena that has gone through a long path of evolution.

What is will

This human quality has attracted the attention of philosophers and psychologists for hundreds of years; they have been arguing about it, trying to prove the independence of the human will from higher powers and find ways to help control volitional processes. But so far the volitional sphere has been studied much less than the cognitive and emotional.

Any human activity - both external and internal - has two types: involuntary and voluntary.

An involuntary, spontaneous, impulsive type of activity is controlled primarily by reflexes - the mental reactions of our body to external influences or internal changes. This type of activity includes, for example, involuntary attention when a person turns around at the sound of a slamming door or a flash of light. Involuntary or impulsive behavior also includes abruptly withdrawing a hand from a hot frying pan or the crying of an offended child.
The second type, or the highest level of activity, which in this case is called activity, is voluntary. This means that performing actions requires volitional efforts, that is, conscious tension to overcome external obstacles or internal resistance: weakness, doubt, indecision, cowardice, laziness, etc. Sometimes these efforts can be insignificant and even invisible to the person himself. For example, in order to lie down on the sofa to rest, serious volitional efforts are not required. What if to do this you need to break away from an interesting activity, interrupt communication on the Internet, because it’s late and time to sleep? Then, apparently, some effort will be required. And in other cases, you have to overcome serious internal resistance, making a difficult decision in a situation of difficult choice.

Voluntary or volitional behavior, like the will itself, is not an innate ability of a person. Until the age of 5-6 years, involuntary activity predominates in a child, but gradually his ability to consciously regulate his behavior develops, and will becomes an important part of life.

Will

the ability to choose the goal of an activity and the internal efforts necessary for its implementation. V. is a specific act that cannot be reduced to consciousness and activity as such. Not every conscious action, even those associated with overcoming obstacles on the way to a goal, is volitional: the main thing in a volitional act is awareness of the value characteristics of the goal of the action, its compliance with the principles and norms of the individual. The subject V. is characterized not by the experience of “I want”, but by the experience of “need”, “I must”. Carrying out a volitional action, a person resists the power of actual needs and impulsive desires.

In its structure, volitional behavior is divided into decision-making and its implementation. When the goal of a volitional action and an actual need do not coincide, decision-making is often accompanied by what is called in the psychological literature a struggle of motives (the act of choice). The decision made is implemented in different psychological conditions, ranging from those in which it is enough to make a decision, and the action after that is carried out as if by itself (for example, the actions of a person who saw a drowning child), and ending with those in which the implementation of volitional behavior is opposed by some kind of or a strong need, which creates the need for special efforts to overcome it and achieve the intended goal (manifestation of the “strength” of V.).

Various interpretations of V. in the history of philosophy and psychology are associated primarily with the opposition between Determinism and Indeterminism: the first considers V. as determined from the outside (by physical, psychological, social causes, or by divine Predestination - in supranaturalistic determinism), the second - as an autonomous and self-positing force ( see Free will). In the teachings of Voluntarism, V. appears as the original and primary basis of the world process and, in particular, human activity. The difference in philosophical approaches to the problem of V. is reflected in the psychological theories of V., which can be divided into two groups: “autogenetic” theories of V., which consider it as something specific, not reducible to any other processes (W. Wundt, N. Akh, I. Lindvorsky - Germany, etc.), and “heterogenetic” theories that define behavior as something secondary, a product of some other mental factors and phenomena - a function of thinking or representation (intellectualistic theories of behavior - many representatives of the school I. F. Herbart, K. Ehrenfels - Austria, E. Muyman - Germany, etc.), feelings (G. Ebbinghaus - Germany, E. Bleuler - Switzerland), a complex of sensations (Associationism), etc.

Soviet psychology, relying on dialectical and historical materialism, considers biology in the aspect of its socio-historical conditioning. The main direction of the study of V. in Soviet psychology is the study of the phylo- and ontogenesis of voluntary (originating from V.) actions and higher mental functions (voluntary perception, memorization, etc.). The voluntary nature of action, as was shown by the Soviet scientist L. S. Vygotsky, is the result of the mediation of the relationship between man and the environment by tools and sign systems. In the process of development of the child’s psyche, the initial involuntary processes of perception, memory, etc. acquire an arbitrary character and become self-regulating. At the same time, the ability to maintain the goal of action also develops. An important role in the study of V. was played by the work of the Soviet psychologist D. N. Uznadze and his school of attitude theory (See Attitude).

The problem of V.'s upbringing is of great importance for pedagogy, and therefore various methods are being developed that aim to train the ability to maintain the efforts necessary to achieve the goal. V. is closely related to a person’s Character and plays a significant role in the process of its formation and restructuring. According to a common point of view, character is the same basis of volitional processes as intellect is the basis of thought processes, and temperament is the basis of emotional processes.

N. G. Alekseev, Sh. N. Chkhartishvili.

V. and emotions. Like other types of mental activity, mental activity is a reflex process in its physiological basis and type of execution. The evolutionary prerequisite for volitional behavior is the so-called freedom reflex in animals - an innate reaction for which an adequate stimulus is the forcible restriction of movements. “If it weren’t for it (the freedom reflex. - Ed.),” wrote I. P. Pavlov, “every slightest obstacle that an animal would encounter on its way would completely interrupt the course of its life” (Poln. sobr. soch., volume 3, book 1, 1951, p. 343). According to the Soviet scientist V.P. Protopopov and other researchers, it is the nature of the obstacle that determines in higher animals the selection of actions from which an adaptive skill is formed. Thus, behavior, as an activity determined by the need to overcome an obstacle encountered, has a certain independence in relation to the motive that primarily initiated the behavior. Selective inhibition of the coping reaction (“animal hypnosis”), as well as the specific effect of certain medicinal substances on this reaction, suggest the presence of a special brain apparatus that implements the freedom reflex in Pavlov’s understanding. In the mechanisms of human volitional effort, the system of speech signals plays an important role (L. S. Vygotsky, A. N. Leontiev, A. R. Luria). A competing need often becomes an obstacle to a person's purposeful behavior. Then the dominance of one of the motives will be determined not only by its relative strength, but also by the emergence of activity, in relation to which the subdominant motive is an obstacle, an “internal hindrance.” A similar situation occurs in cases where it is customary to talk about the volitional suppression of emotions (See Emotions), or more precisely, the needs that determined these emotions. Being closely connected with the actions, consciousness and emotions of a person, V. represents an independent form of his mental life. While emotions ensure the mobilization of energy resources and the transition to those forms of response that are oriented towards a wide range of presumably significant signals (emotional dominants), V. prevents excessive generalization of emotional arousal and helps maintain the initially chosen direction. In turn, volitional behavior can be a source of positive emotions before the final goal is achieved, due to the satisfaction of the very need to overcome obstacles. That is why the most productive for human activity is the combination of strong emotion with an optimal level of emotional stress.

P. V. Simonov.

Lit.: Basov M. Ya., Will as a subject of functional psychology, P., 1922; Rubinstein S.L., Fundamentals of General Psychology, 2nd ed., M., 1946, ch. 14; Wekker L.M., On the formulation of the problem of will, “Questions of Psychology”, 1957, No. 2; Kornilov K.N., Will and its education, M., 1957; Zaporozhets A.V., Development of voluntary movements, M., 1960; Selivanov V.I., The problem of will in Soviet psychology, “Questions of Psychology”, 1964, No. 1; Leontiev A.N., Problems of mental development, 2nd ed., M., 1965; Chkhartishvili Sh. N., The problem of will in psychology, “Questions of Psychology”, 1967, No. 4; Lindworsky J., Der Wille, seine Erscheinung und seine Beherrschung, 3 Aufl., Lpz., 1923; Blondel Ch., Les evolutions, in the book: Traité de psychologie, par G. Dumas, v. 2, P., 1924; Lewin K., Vorsatz, Wille und Bedürfnis, B., 1926.

Meanings in other dictionaries

will - spelling will, -and Lopatin's Spelling Dictionary
will - WILL arbitrariness of action given to a person; freedom, space in actions; absence of bondage, rape, coercion. Creative activity of the mind, Khomyakov. To each his own will. Your own will, your own share. The king’s own will (self-will) is greater. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
will - [determination] noun, g., used. very often 1. Will is the ability of a person to consciously manage his actions and overcome difficulties to achieve his goals. Strength of will. | Willpower. | A person with a strong will. Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary
will - Obsesslav. The same root as commanded, but with a change of o/e. Formed using suf. -j- from *volъ - also. (cf. arbitrariness). Shansky Etymological Dictionary
Will - And, female. New Derivatives: Volka; Volyusha; Voluka. Origin: (Use of the popular noun will as a personal name.) Dictionary of personal names
will - Will, will, will, will, will, will, will, will, will, will, will, will, will, will Zaliznyak’s Grammar Dictionary
WILL - WILL - the ability to choose activities and the internal efforts necessary for its implementation. A specific act, irreducible to consciousness and activity as such. Large encyclopedic dictionary
will - I will I., Ukrainian. Volya, other Russian, Old Slav. will θέλημα, γνώμη (Klots., Supr.), Bulgarian. will, Serbohorv. vȍљa, Slovenian. Volja, Czech. vůle, slvts. vol'a, Polish wola, Old Polish wolá, wine. n. wolą (see Elk, Jagić-Festschrift 336), v.-luzh., n.-luzh. wola. Etymological Dictionary of Max Vasmer
will - V'OLYA ***** of a person who is free, not in custody, not in prison (thieves jargon). Letter to comrades released. | Liberation of peasants from serfdom (region). This happened after the will. Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
WILL - WILL - English. will; German Wille. A person’s desire and ability to act in the direction of a consciously set goal, overcoming internal and external obstacles. Sociological Dictionary
Volya - Slavuta Toponymic Dictionary
will - Persistence, perseverance in activity, in overcoming obstacles encountered. Great, proud, huge, iron, hardened, stone, strong, mighty, monolithic, persistent, unshakable, invincible, unshakable, unyielding, unbending... Dictionary of Russian language epithets
will - WILL Conscious self-regulation of behavior and activity, ensuring overcoming obstacles and difficulties on the way to the goal. Volitional behavior includes decision-making, often accompanied by a struggle of motives, and its implementation. - The will to win. Dictionary of sports terms
will - Desire, demand; freedom, liberty, freedom, freedom Free will Last will cf. !! desire, freedom, see >> desire, freedom, see also -> release, give free rein, give full freedom, iron will, give to smb. Abramov's dictionary of synonyms
will - WILL -i; and. 1. A person’s ability to consciously manage his actions and overcome difficulties to achieve his goals. Strength of will. Willpower. Iron, weak c. Smb. has no will. 2. why. Kuznetsov's Explanatory Dictionary
will - WILL - LACK OF WILL Strong will - complete lack of will. To show will is to show lack of will. ○ - Try to write this down... for the newspaper. Now the question of the German will and our lack of will is in fashion. N. Leskov. Iron will. Dictionary of antonyms of the Russian language
will - noun, number of synonyms... Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language
will - • Boundless (Balmont). • Buinaya (Polonsky, Drozhzhin). • Free (Balmont, Bashkin, Blok, Korinfsky, etc.). • All-seeing (Fet). • Proud (Nekrasov, Khomyakov). • Wild (Gorodetsky, Khomyakov). • Iron (Goncharov, Turgenev, Fed.-Davydov, Khomyakov). Dictionary of literary epithets
will - will I f. 1. One of the basic mental abilities of a person, which consists in consciously regulating one’s behavior, in managing one’s actions. Explanatory Dictionary by Efremova
will - 1. WILL1, and, f. 1. The ability to fulfill one’s desires and goals. Strength of will. Education of will. 2. why. A conscious desire to accomplish something. V. to victory. People of good will (striving for good, for peace; high). Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
will - Willy-nilly (colloquial) - despite reluctance, compulsion; forced, whether you want it or not. ► It started to rain heavily, and willy-nilly you have to stay at home. A free bird (colloquial) is a person who does not depend on anyone in his actions. Volkova's Phraseological Dictionary
Will - Conscious and purposeful control by a person of his activities. Medical encyclopedia
will - a Common Slavic word of the same basis as command, but with a change in vowels from o to e. Krylov's Etymological Dictionary
WILL - WILL - a phenomenon of self-regulation by the subject of his behavior and activities, providing vector orientation of immanent states of consciousness towards an objectified exterior goal and concentration of efforts on achieving the latter. The latest philosophical dictionary
will - Will/I. Morphemic-spelling dictionary
will - WILL and, w. vole f. kart. All bribes. Sl. 18. <playing square dance> [Advisor:] There is freedom in the kers. [Son:] Passe. (and everyone passes.) [Adviser:] They and they. [Forewoman:] What kind of nonsense are they and them? Fonvizin Brigadier. Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian language
will - • iron ~ • strong ~ • real ~ • unshakable ~ • unbending ~ • indestructible ~ • strong ~ • steel ~ Dictionary of Russian Idioms
will - Old Russian - will (freedom). Old Slavonic - will. Common Slavic – volja. The word “will” is Slavic in origin; it became entrenched in the vocabulary of the Russian language in the 11th century. “Will” is “desire,” “freedom,” “command,” as well as “the ability to achieve an intended goal.” Derivatives: strong-willed, free. Etymological Dictionary of Semenov
Will - The ability to engage in purposeful and conscious activity, often contrary to immediate impulses (desires, aspirations) not determined by the goal. Explanatory dictionary of psychiatric terms
WILL - WILL (lat. voluntas) - a specific ability or strength. In the history of European philosophy, the concept of will had two main meanings: 1) the ability of the mind [REASON] for self-determination (including the New Philosophical Encyclopedia
WILL - (English volition, will) - a person’s ability to act in the direction of a consciously set goal, while overcoming internal obstacles (i.e., one’s immediate desires and aspirations). In traditional psychology... Large psychological dictionary
Will - A person’s ability to act towards achieving a consciously set goal, while overcoming external and internal obstacles. Pedagogical terminological dictionary

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Volitional actions, their types and structure

Will is related to the needs of the individual. In fact, it is needs that prompt a person to make efforts to satisfy them, that is, to perform volitional actions. In this case, the concept of “action” also includes refusal to commit an act, since it sometimes requires even more significant volitional efforts than its commission.

Types of volitional actions

All volitional actions are divided:

to simple ones;
complex.

Simple volitional actions presuppose the purposeful activity of a person who clearly understands both his goal and the way to achieve it. The main difference between a simple volitional action is the absence of doubts, thoughts, the absence of conflicting desires and struggle of motives. From the point of view of volitional efforts, performing such an action may be completely difficult, but there is still no hesitation or indecision in it. For example, when a person, without hesitation, rushes into the water to save a drowning child.

In a complex volitional action, we see a certain conflict between a person and himself, the resolution of which also requires effort. The main reason for this internal conflict is the clash between the understanding of the need to achieve a goal and the reluctance to make efforts to achieve this.

One of the most difficult psychological situations arises - a situation of struggle of motives, when some desires push an individual to achieve a goal, while others prevent this. For example, a person is not satisfied with his job: they pay little, they ask a lot, the boss is nagging. That is, it is logical to change the field of activity, but a person does not dare to do this, since he needs to make an effort and look for a new job, part with an unloved but familiar activity, etc.

And complex volitional actions arise in the situation of choosing ways to achieve a goal. For example, when there is an easy, but not very honest path, and a completely honest, but much more difficult one.

Structure of volitional action

Complex volitional actions have their own structure and consist of several stages:

Acceptance of the goal and awareness of the need to achieve it. A person simultaneously has many different desires and needs. It is unrealistic to satisfy them all, so the choice of one, the most important desire at the moment, is the acceptance of the goal. And even at the first stage, a struggle of motives may arise, not only associated with the problem of choice, but also with assessing the significance of the goal. In this case, we often ask ourselves the question: “Do I really need this?”
Reflection on the possibility of achieving a goal and awareness of various ways and means. At this stage, an assessment of one’s own resources and capabilities occurs, as well as an analysis of the compliance of the chosen means with beliefs and values.
Making the final choice in a situation of conflict of motives. This is a key stage of complex volitional action, requiring maximum tension. At this stage, a person’s willpower clearly manifests itself, because the easy path is not always moral. And at this stage it is not too late to abandon the action altogether.
Decision-making. Having made the final choice, a person experiences relief and tension subsides. The feeling of liberation from the heavy burden of making a difficult decision gives the individual the opportunity to start planning to achieve the goal.
Execution of the decision. The last stage of volitional action also often requires quite significant efforts. It happens that a person, faced with difficulties, begins to regret the decision he has made. And in this case, too, only the will that supports activity saves.

The peculiarity of volitional actions is that they have a double result. Firstly, actually achieving the goal, success. Secondly, a person’s awareness of his strengths and capabilities, and learning lessons for the future. Successful volitional actions, especially those requiring serious effort, increase a person’s self-esteem and give him strength for future achievements.

Functions of the will

Manifesting itself in all spheres of human life, the will performs 3 main functions: motivating, stabilizing and inhibitory or restraining.

The incentive function is manifested in the activation of human activity. Will encourages a person to overcome obstacles, including internal conflicts, weaknesses, indecision, and go towards a goal, achieving success. Willful efforts require serious exertion of all forces, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. Making a decision is often much more difficult.
The stabilizing function is the maintenance of human activity. Even after making a decision and starting to move towards the goal, you can stop halfway, turn back, afraid of the difficulties and the sacrifices required. Will helps to maintain a high level of activity, despite fatigue, fear, pain and plain laziness.
The deterrent function is no less important than the incentive function. In some cases, restraining yourself from doing something is much more difficult than forcing yourself to do something.

Along with the main three functions, I think we can highlight one more – educational. Will plays an important role in the development of personality and in the formation of character, qualities such as self-esteem, high self-esteem, and determination.

Will in psychology

With the emergence in con. 19th century psychology as an independent experiment. scientific problems of V. became one of its important areas. The study of V. has long been a department. field of human psychology; now it is included in the field of psychology of motivation and self-regulation. Psychology considers V. in the context of such problems as conflict between immediate. motives and consciousness. decisions and assessments (struggle of motives), the transition from a decision made to the beginning of its implementation (initiation of action), strengthening of insufficient motivation for actions assessed as necessary (mobilization), overcoming obstacles in the course of action (perseverance), deterrence directly. impulses and urges (self-control).

W. James formulated ch. V. problem as a transition from intention to its implementation, from thought to action. In the 1st third of the 20th century. the most significant contribution to experimental-psychological. V.'s research was contributed by N. Akh, K. Levin and L. S. Vygotsky. N. Akh introduced the idea of a target determining tendency that can control the course of the psyche. processes along with natural associative tendencies and even contradict them. Action based on the act of V. is able to overcome means. obstacles, as a result of which the effectiveness of the adopted intention is even enhanced, in which N. Akh saw the essential feature of the act. V. Levin bridged the gap between volitional and motivational processes, experimentally showing that consciously accepted intentions influence our actions in the same way as the needs of our body.

L. S. Vygotsky saw in the arbitrariness of Ch. characteristics of the specifically human psyche: psychological. human development consists of the gradual mastery of one’s behavior and the transformation of involuntary mental. functions into voluntary ones (see Higher mental functions). The mechanism of this mastery is social interaction: having mastered the ways in which an adult controls his behavior, the child himself begins to use them to influence the adult’s behavior, and then turns them on himself, forming mechanisms for voluntary control of his own. behavior. At the same time, both the control of another person and the voluntary control of one’s behavior are indirect in nature: complements are connected to the situation. sign stimuli-means that change the structure of forces influencing behavior. Thus, Vygotsky first posed the problem of V. as a psychological one. technology conscious combinations by man of various will motivate strengths and incentives.

New approaches to the problem of V. appeared in the 1980s. in Russia and Germany. V. A. Ivannikov substantiated the understanding of V. as a type of regulation of action based on giving the goal of action a complement. meaning that stimulates or inhibits the implementation of this action (for example, having made a promise or oath to do something, a person connects the motive of self-respect to the motivation of this action - after all, by not fulfilling the promise, he will lose himself in the eyes of others and his own). German scientist Yu. Kul introduced the distinction between motivational and volitional aspects of action regulation, which was developed in the so-called. “Rubicon model” by H. Heckhausen, J. Kuhl and P. Gollwitzer, which identifies two states of consciousness: motivational, which precedes the decision to choose an action, and volitional, which begins after the decision is made and is associated with control over the implementation of actions for its implementation.

In the end 20th century V.'s problem in psychology has finally dissolved in the problem of motivational and semantic regulation and has lost its independence. status. Its place was taken by studies of subjective causation and self-determination, which began in the 1950s. studies of locus of control - characteristics of the extent to which a person perceives himself or external circumstances as the reason for his actions (American psychologist J. Rotter). This led to a distinction between internal motivation, perceived as an impulse emanating from the subject himself, and external motivation, perceived as the influence of external forces (American psychologist E. Deci). An internally motivated person more successfully resolves internal and external conflicts, moves from idea to action, overcomes obstacles, controls his impulses, while a person who perceives himself as a victim of circumstances and a toy in the hands of chance deprives himself of access to managing his own property. behavior. A decisive role in the development of the ability to master one’s behavior is played by the characteristics of upbringing, in particular emotional participation and self-support. the child’s initiatives, as well as a clear designation of the boundaries of his freedom and independence.