Since childhood, we all hear phrases such as “willpower”, “weak-willed person” or “gather will into a fist”. Each of us approximately represents what exactly the interlocutor has in mind when he says these words. However, only an expert in the field of psychology or philosophy can usually give an exact 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 the volitional act and the function of the will.
Interpretation of concepts in philosophy and psychology
Since ancient times, philosophers and psychologists have been worried about issues of will and freedom of choice. They were examined from numerous angles and interpreted in completely different ways. For example, research on the will in psychology was conducted by Schopenhauer. 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 person had to get rid of the bonds of 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 often it is presented in a distorted version. For example, psychologists in the Soviet Union, giving a definition of the function of the will and the concept itself, argued that it can be understood as the suppression of public goals and interests over individual ones. It is noteworthy that with this interpretation, individual values ​​formed by strong-willed nature, became only a combination of accepted value orientations of society as a whole. A similar approach has grown several generations of citizens, whose will was completely and unconditionally subordinated to public and state interests.
It is noteworthy that until now, philosophers have debates about free will. Some authors adhere to the ideas of determinism. Their meaning in a few words can be expressed in the absence of free will in principle. That is, a person cannot independently choose one or another path based on his own convictions and moral principles. Another group of philosophers promotes the theory of indeterminism. Representatives of this trend cite the evidence base of the ideas of free will. They argue that each person is free from birth and in such a context, the will only contributes to the development and movement forward.
In psychology, there are certain characteristics through which determine the will:
- personality traits - determination, perseverance, self-control and so on;
- ability to regulate mental and behavioral reactions;
- volitional actions that have a number of clear signs - overcoming moral and other types of obstacles, awareness and the like.
Of course, all of the above does not give an exact definition of the structure of will and function. However, on the whole, the mechanism of its action in certain conditions becomes clear. In the following sections of the article, we will examine in more detail the will, its main features and functions.
Definition
In the modern scientific world, the concept of will is considered one of the most complex and multifaceted. Indeed, considering it, one has to take into account that the will can act as an independent process, an indispensable aspect of certain actions, as well as the ability of a person to subordinate and control his actions and emotions.
If we refer to the terminology of psychology, we can say that the will is the ability of the individual to regulate his behavior by overcoming a number of difficulties and obstacles. This process proceeds consciously and has a number of functions and signs. Will in this case appears as a certain property of the human psyche. Indeed, in order to achieve his goal, a person must not only overcome a number of obstacles, but also apply all his emotional and physical strength for this. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine human activity without a volitional aspect.
Volitional act
The signs of will and function can only be revealed through an understanding of the volitional act. This process is extremely complex, it includes several successive stages, which can be represented as follows:
- need performing a motivational function;
- awareness of the need;
- internal definition of motives for action;
- selection of options for the implementation of needs;
- first steps towards the goal;
- control over the implementation of a well-thought-out plan.
It is noteworthy that each stage is accompanied by a strain of will. She is involved in all of the above processes. Psychologists believe that each time a person checks his action against a picture in his head that is accepted as an ideal. The real plan is adjusted and re-launched.
Experts also call all points on our list “volitional actions” and believe that it is in them that the personality is revealed most fully and also enters a new stage of development.
Signs
Before talking about the functions of the will, it is necessary to consider its features. There are several of them:
- concentration of effort for volitional act;
- a detailed action plan;
- attention to one's own efforts;
- lack of positive emotions in the process of their actions;
- mobilization of all body forces;
- maximum concentration on the goal and the path to it.
These signs reveal the psychological basis of the will. After all, such actions are aimed primarily at overcoming their own fears and weaknesses. In the process of implementing volitional actions, a person is set up to fight with himself, which is considered characteristic only of a highly developed personality.
Signs of volitional action
We have already said that the will is the main aspect of all human activity. She quietly penetrates into all spheres of life and sometimes subjugates them to herself. This process has three main features that explain that will and volitional processes and functions of the will are closely related concepts:
- Providing the goal of any human activity, as well as streamlining of life. Strong-willed actions can change the world around a person, subordinating it to certain goals.
- The ability to control oneself with the help of will gives a person freedom. Indeed, in this case, external circumstances cannot have a decisive influence and the person turns into an active subject, having the ability to make conscious decisions.
- Conscious overcoming barriers to the goal activates all volitional processes. Indeed, when faced with difficulties, only the person himself can decide whether he should continue to move forward or it is time to stop. Will gives him a push to make a decision.
It is worth noting that the mental function described by us is manifested in various properties of the human person. It is worth telling about them in more detail.
Manifestation of will
Each person has certain qualities. Many of them are a clear reflection of the will:
- Perseverance . It can be interpreted as the ability to collect all the forces and concentrate on the task.
- Exposure Submission and restraint of the mind, emotions and actions for the sake of a single purpose.
- Decisiveness . The desire for the most rapid decision-making and implementation of the action plan.
- Obligatory . Performing all actions on time and in full.
Of course, these are far from all personality traits. In reality, there are much more of them, but already from this short list it becomes clear that the will literally permeates all the activities of man, his thoughts and dreams. Without it, a person would not be able to realize any of the ideas that arose. This completely discloses the will and volitional processes.
Functions of the will
Science has distinguished them for a long time. Initially, psychologists talked about the presence of two functions of the will, but now their number has increased to three. This is considered the most accurate definition of the functional role of this mental aspect. Today we can highlight:
- incentive function;
- brake;
- stabilizing.
In the following sections of the article, we will consider in detail the basic functions of the will.
Incentive
Many scientists consider it her main function of will. It provides human activity, moreover, voluntary and conscious. It is noteworthy that this function is often confused with reactivity. However, between them there are serious differences that are noticeable even to beginners in psychology. Reactivity triggers an action in response to a given situation. For example, a walking person almost always turns to shout, and a teaser will definitely cause resentment and negativity. In contrast to this process, the stimulating function is expressed in the action caused by certain conditions within the personality. An example is the situation where the need for any information forces a person to shout 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 described reactivity.
It is noteworthy that the activity caused by the prompting 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 should be borne in mind that an incentive function often provokes a person to activity, which is not mandatory. Nobody expects it from a person and does not condemn him for failure to perform any actions. But, despite this, the action plan is built and implemented.
The stimulating function promotes the mobilization of all forces even when the need for activity does not exist right now. For example, it can be difficult for a graduate of the school to study hard every day for a year, but thoughts about the final exam and admission to the coveted university make him mobilize and start studying.
Brake function
Functions of the will in psychology have been studied for a long time, so experts say that inhibitory and stimulating functions act in unity and work for the same goal in human life. Any person is able to suspend actions that are contrary to its principles, moral principles and the worldview formed as a result of education. It is noteworthy that the inhibitory function can even stop the development of unwanted ideas. Without it, not a single person would be able to regulate their behavior in society.
Especially important is the habit of controlling oneself precisely in the team. She is brought up in personality since infancy. First, the parents, and then the teachers in the kindergarten teach the baby to slow down in various negative manifestations. Even Anton Semenovich Makarenko in his works more than once emphasized how important it is to cultivate self-regulation in a growing personality. Moreover, control should become a habit and be as natural as possible. For example, one of the manifestations of inhibitory function is considered banal politeness. It is at the same time a definite framework that regulates the relationship between a person and society.
We have already said that a person cannot exist without motivation for action. They can be divided into lower and higher. The former form our need for the simplest and most necessary things: food, drink, clothing, and the like. But the higher ones give us the opportunity to experience a wide range of emotions and feelings associated with moral experiences. Will allows the individual to restrain his lower needs for the sake of higher. Thanks to it, a person can bring to the logical conclusion the work begun despite all the temptations and difficulties.
Incentive and inhibitory functions in their unity work to achieve the goal, despite all the problems encountered along the way.
Stabilizing
The determination of the will functions is impossible without a description of the stabilizing function. She fulfills her very significant role in the development and formation of personality. Thanks to it, the necessary degree of activity is maintained in a collision with obstacles. At that moment when a person is aware of a number of problems that he will have to overcome in order to achieve his goal, and is already ready to retreat, it is the stabilizing function that prevents activity from decreasing and motivates the person to continue the struggle.
Definition of the function of will: arbitrary and volitional regulation
Talking about the will and its functions, it is impossible not to mention arbitrary and volitional regulation. This is not the easiest topic, because so far in psychology there is no unity between experts regarding terminology. It is noteworthy that most psychologists put an equal sign between voluntary and volitional regulation, but apply these definitions in various situations.
In the broad sense of the word, arbitrary 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 this arbitrarily. That is, he consciously ruins himself daily, but he lacks volitional efforts to radically change the situation. However, in other life situations, it is precisely arbitrary regulation of behavior that becomes the very mechanism that starts the process of dominance of higher motives and needs over lower ones. It depends on the level of development of the personality itself and the conditions in which certain actions should take place.
When psychologists mention volitional regulation, then most often this is understood as action in a critical or difficult situation for a particular person, requiring a concentration of physical and, first of all, moral forces. Any volitional action includes a struggle of motives and is accompanied by a continuous movement towards a consciously set goal. The process of volitional regulation can be considered in the simplest example. Many people are active in sports and do morning jogging. What motivates them to perform these actions almost daily? Let's find out:
- First of all, the need for the need for physical activity is determined, which is converted into a specific and clear goal.
- Every morning there is a struggle of motives, because often you want to sleep much more than going out into the fresh air in the very early hours, when all the households are still sweetly asleep.
- At this stage, volitional regulation comes into effect, forcing the person to get out of bed and go for a run.
- In parallel, this process weakens motivation, which inclines a person to abandon their intentions regarding morning running.
- Before returning home, the person clearly regulates his actions so as not to be tempted by entering the store, for example, or by running 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 personality traits become more noticeable. Consciousness, determination, determination and self-control of a person increase. Some psychologists call this mechanism the genetic function of the will. However, not all scientists agree with this term, therefore it is used very rarely in scientific papers.
Summing up, I want to say that the will is not yet fully understood mental process. But its significance is difficult to argue, because it is thanks to it that humanity still lives and develops.