Will: functions, concept, main features

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, the structure of a volitional act and the functions of the will.

Interpretation of the concept in philosophy and psychology

Since ancient times, philosophers and psychologists have been concerned with questions of will and freedom of choice. They were viewed from numerous angles and interpreted in completely different ways. For example, Schopenhauer conducted research on will in psychology. He revealed the rational nature of the will, but attributed 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 moral principles. 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.

Qualities

There are strong-willed qualities that allow a person to achieve what he wants. Among the most important, the following should be highlighted:

Willpower, that is, the degree of effort that a person can exert to achieve a goal.
Persistence. Represents a long-term mobilization of internal reserves to complete a task.
Excerpt. Allows you to slow down feelings and desires that can prevent you from performing the actions necessary to achieve results.
Energy.

These qualities are considered basic; the psychology of will considers them basic for not very complex volitional decisions. Over time, a person develops in himself the secondary qualities necessary for making a serious choice. This is determination, courage, self-control, self-confidence. They relate not only to willpower, but also to a person’s character. There is also a third type of volitional qualities: discipline, responsibility, duty, discipline and determination.

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. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine human activity without the volitional aspect.

Meaning

If a person has willpower, his activities are filled with meaning. The individual turns into a conscious person who acts based on set goals, and not on the basis of instincts.

on this strength . It is simply impossible to achieve success without volitional effort, since the body will constantly switch to primitive needs or turn on the function of self-preservation (conserving resources) in the face of problems and obstacles.

Also, in the absence of willpower, a person will lose his moral contour, because it is the will that allows you to build your activities based on the moral norms accepted in society.

If there is a will, everything is achievable , because a person can subordinate himself to a goal.

Volitional act

It is possible to reveal the signs of will and function only through understanding the 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.

Properties

Properties of will:

has a stable connection with the concept of “need”;
forms and requires the formation of a detailed intellectual plan that guarantees movement towards the goal;
conscious mediation;
involvement in a volitional act of other mental processes (attention, memory, intellectual activity, etc.).

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.

Psychological structure

Any act of will has a certain structure, which depends on its complexity .

Thus, simple actions are a process in which a person makes a decision and then takes certain actions to implement it.

Complex actions are more diverse. There are also 2 stages here: preparatory and implementation .

The preparatory stage includes setting a goal, identifying motives (and their struggle, when a person is wondering whether he really needs this goal) and opportunities to achieve results.

The implementation stage involves the presence of special activities, for example, the development of an action plan and their implementation.

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 opportunity 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.

Theories: briefly

Historically, the concept was considered through a philosophical, aesthetic and natural science approach .

But the view of will changed and transformed constantly.

Science identifies several key psychological theories:

Ancient representations. The philosophers of ancient Greece believed that the root of conscious action was hidden in the mind. Aristotle linked will and logical conclusions together, considering the former to be a consequence of the latter. In the Middle Ages , will was not isolated as a separate issue requiring consideration. Theological scientists of the Middle Ages denied the presence of an active principle in humans, since they saw people as dependent on divine power.
Renaissance. They began to consider a person as an individual, attributing to him a creative streak and the right to make mistakes. At the same time, freedom of will began to be considered the main dignity of the individual. A. Camus, K. Jasper and M. Heidegger examine the issue of freedom, attributing to it absolute will, not limited by external and social conditions.
A person in this theory is not connected with society, including the moral element and responsibility.
Natural scientific interpretation. In the works of I.P. Pavlova's will was an “instinct of freedom” and a reaction to the restriction of natural human activity. In its strength, this instinct can compete with the instinct of hunger. Pavlov viewed it as a reflex phenomenon.
Will as consciousness . Volitional activity is considered as active, leaving a person the right to regulate this activity and forms of behavior. The theory was supported by the works of N.A. Brownstein and P.K. Anokhina.
Other views. Sigmund Freud and E. Fromma considered this phenomenon as transformed human biological energy. K. Lorenz sees aggression in this energy. K.G. Jung and A. Adler notice the relationship between will and social factors.

Manifestation of will

Each personality has certain qualities. Many of them are a clear reflection of the will:

Persistence. 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.
Commitment. 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.

Willpower - what is it?

“There is strength, there is will, but there is no willpower” (from an anecdote).

Willpower is the level of targeted self-control: the higher it is (level), the more active a person is.

When we make a decision and begin to act according to it, despite obstacles and difficulties, we can say that at that moment our will is strong. But if you can’t take yourself by the moral collar, show effort and force yourself to do something, then there is no willpower or self-control here.

It is important to understand that people can exercise their will in different ways depending on the situation. For example, a person who has dealt with his anger may not be able to quit smoking, although he wants to. And those who cannot manage their emotions get up every single day at 6 am for an hour-long run.

This is due to the concept of motivation, which means interest in something. The higher the motivation, the stronger the will and the more active the person’s activity.

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 gives the individual the opportunity 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.

I want, I can, I create

Will is a mental feature, a phenomenon thanks to which a person overcomes the difficulties encountered on his life path, implementing planned actions. When a person faces problems, he may abandon his line. The alternative is to put in more effort to make the barrier a thing of the past. Psychologists consider overcoming a barrier the commission of some exceptional action that does not fit into the original framework: the goals that a person initially defined for himself did not include such methods. A special action is accompanied by a change in the motivation for its commission. The person consciously uses additional motivation, the construction of which largely involves the creative essence, the ability to imagine, and predict the development of a situation. The creation of a new motive in many cases is due to the ability to imagine what consequences the action will have.

Will in human life is an involuntary format of activity. It must be initiated, efforts must be made to stabilize it, and certain aspirations must be inhibited. Will is possible only if a person is ready to work with motives and aspirations, motivation. It requires the individual to organize a system of activity so that it allows him to achieve what he wants. With a detailed study of the situation, one can see selective volitional functionality. We are talking about everyday conflicts of motives between which a person must choose.

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 kindergarten teachers, teach the child to inhibit himself 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.

Physiological basis

The foundations of volitional behavior at the physiological level begin with the frontal part of the cerebral cortex , where the zone responsible for movements is located.

It is connected with other parts of the cortex, including the analyzers.

Thanks to this connection, a stimulus arising in one of the sections of the cortex easily reaches the motor area and provokes the same process in it. But management is impossible without editing .

Therefore, the reticular formation (a formation stretching along the cerebral cortex) is very important, since it acts as a filtering element (separates important impulses approaching the cortex from impulses that are not critical).

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.

Diagnostics

Methods for analyzing the volitional sphere can be divided into two basic groups:

extensive;
experimental.

Extensive methods involve finding the experimental subject in natural conditions and studying the picture using the assessment method, the method of self-assessment and generalization of characteristics, testing, conversation, interview, etc.

Experimental methods involve laboratory conditions and a pre-prepared experimental plan.

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 lacks the willpower to radically change the situation. However, in other 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. The process of volitional 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 the genetic function of will. However, not all scientists agree with this term, so it is used extremely rarely in scientific works.

To summarize, I would like to say that will is not yet a fully understood mental process. But it is difficult to argue about its significance, because it is thanks to it that humanity still lives and develops.

Research methodology

The development of will occurs gradually. If at the initial stages of personality development a child performs involuntary actions, then gradually he comes to understand the need for volitional regulation of behavior.

To analyze the degree of development of will in an individual, special techniques :

Characteristics of volitional effort. The subject holds a dumbbell weighing 1 kg in his outstretched hand, describing the sensations on the proposed scale (tired, very tired, etc.)
Rosenbat method. Maximum possible hand tension followed by an increase in load.
Tapping test. Analysis of muscle force potential by controlled and uncontrolled pen hitting a square.
Leg balance.
Stability of volitional effort. Proofreading the text to look for typos and further analysis of the results.
Breath holding (analysis based on the duration of the exercise and the behavior of the experimental subject) according to the method of S.V. Korzha.
Special questionnaires.

Development of the situation

Willpower in a person’s life is not only a mental function that has selective implications. Suppose a person finds himself in a situation where he has several options for the development of events, each of which entails certain consequences. Having determined which option is most preferable in the current circumstances, the person activates the initiating volitional functionality. It consists of applying a series of efforts to implement a certain scenario. Since all the alternative motives that had to be encountered at the stage of implementing the selective volitional function have not yet weakened, efforts have to be made to eliminate all those motives in favor of which a decision was not made.

A person with a strong will implements what is planned, strictly adhering to the plan drawn up initially. He determines for himself specific actions, routes and sequences, strictly observing them in life, not allowing deviation in favor of momentary desires. In psychology, this is called a stabilizing volitional function, thanks to which you can adhere to a certain level of activity, despite the problems and difficulties that arise. Often, a person, engaged in a certain action, imagines various situations that may follow, forms plans, the implementation of which will be beneficial. This is called voluntary regulation of mental processes and actions occurring within a person’s personality and in the outside world. If it is possible to determine an additional motive, to formulate why the action that was chosen at the selective stage is needed, if it is possible to formulate for oneself a truly important result that a person is ready to strive for, while changing the motivation and supplementing it with new points formed based on the imagination, talk about changing the role of the implemented action in human life due to volitional effort.

Developing: is it necessary?

In a sense, for a person, will is a quality that can be trained, just like muscle strength, except that different exercises are needed for this. If you conduct classes correctly, you can master the control of your antisocial reactions and actions in order to be able to more effectively achieve your goals. The better you can hone your will, the easier it will be to cope with the weaknesses inherent in any individual, as well as habits that negatively affect life. The will becomes stronger if a person gives himself appropriate stress, but only in a limited format. The reasons why people are interested in willpower training vary from case to case. Some people just want to learn to take control of their lives, others want to improve their self-image as a valuable person. Willpower training helps you become more resistant to stress factors and leave harmful habits in the past. Research has been conducted to explore the importance of the human will and its training. They allow us to speak with confidence about the existence of effective strategies for strengthening this mental personality trait.

The easiest way to start training is to work out your daily routine and clearly regulate periods of sleep and food intake. You need to choose a diet with four or five meals a day and determine the time frame. This will keep your body in good shape. It is important to exclude any harmful foods from your diet. At the same time, they set frames for sleep. The classic option is to sleep from 11 pm to seven in the morning. Compliance with such a framework allows you to introduce a clear temporary organization into your life. The earlier a person gets up, the easier it is for her to start working on important things, avoiding the temptation to put them off until later. Another aspect of such training is that a person must do what needs to be done, without giving up on a task simply because he does not want to work on it. By doing such things, you can develop strong-willed qualities and make your personality stronger.