Social behavior of the individual and its regulation article on the topic

The term “will” is used by psychologists, psychiatrists, physiologists and philosophers. Ozhegov’s dictionary gives the following definition: will is a person’s ability to achieve the goals set for him.

An act of will is a very complex process that includes needs, motivation of behavior, understanding of needs, conflict of motives, choice of methods of achievement, launching and monitoring the achievement of results.

We propose to understand the definition of will in psychology, the volitional properties of a person and determine how significant free will is.

Meaning of the term "will"

In addition to emotionality and sensuality, human activity is regulated by his will. It helps manage behavior even when difficulties arise. Volitional regulation helps to combat difficulties that arise while achieving a goal. In other cases, no special effort is required from the person. Complex actions performed are not volitional if a person does not force himself to carry them out.

Will is a person’s ability to take conscious actions in the direction of an established goal, overcoming in the process all emerging internal obstacles. Traditional psychology considers will to be the source of human activity, which allows behavior not to be dependent on various reasons. Modern psychology notes the objective determination of volitional actions to laws.

An act of will is characterized by the following features:

1. the need for effort;
2. existence of a behavior plan;
3. increased concentration and lack of joy from the result;
4. the focus of actions on overcoming oneself.

Today, psychology does not have a clear theory about the will. A large number of scientists are trying to create a doctrine of will, but so far they have not come to a consensus. Since the beginning of the last century, there has been a debate between supporters of active and reactive models of behavior. Adherents of the active model determine that a person is always able to consciously choose a form of behavior. Proponents of the reactive concept consider human actions to be a response to external and internal stimuli.

Will in psychology

Faith in one's own strength, self-discipline, determination, courage, patience - it turns out that the will has so many names. But depending on the prevailing circumstances and situation, it takes on a different appearance.

Will is one of the most complex phenomena in modern psychology. This is a kind of internal force that can control your decisions, actions, and, as a result, the results of your actions.

It is thanks to the strong-willed character that a person is able not only to set goals that seem 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 otherwise referred to as spiritual freedom. It is this freedom of decision and action that is characteristic of deeply religious individuals. As an example, it’s worth remembering how monks live. They easily give up material wealth and live “not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
2. Will, called natural, manifests itself in the freedom of choice, thinking, views, judgments, and human behavior.
3. And the last type is forced will, characterized by an imposed decision. In this case, you are forced to make your choice as necessary due to certain prevailing circumstances.

In psychology, the development of will in a person is attributed, first of all, to the main characteristics that distinguish it from the behavior of other living beings. It is generally accepted that this conscious quality (that is, it is common for a person to control the manifestation of will in his behavior) arose along with the advent of society, social labor.

Will is associated with emotional and cognitive processes in the human psyche.

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

If a person’s life conditions have been unfavorable since childhood, there is little chance that cherished volitional qualities will be developed in her. But determination, perseverance, discipline, courage, etc. can always be developed.

To do this, the main thing is to overcome both external and internal obstacles while engaging in various activities. But it would not be superfluous to indicate a list of those factors that inhibit volitional development:

• spoiled baby;
• suppression of any decisions of the child through strict parental will.

Properties of will in psychology:

1. Volitional properties are manifested in the ability not only to correctly set, but also to achieve goals. In other words, if you are a purposeful person, this indicates that your personality is endowed with developed strong-willed qualities.
2. Determination. The next property of will is the ability to quickly and thoughtfully choose your goal, while not forgetting about the ways to achieve it.
3. Persistence. Properly defined motivation can not only help you achieve what you want, but also strengthen your will, and in psychology, persistent people are characterized as those who are able to correctly assess the situation, finding in it something that will help them achieve their goal.
4. Excerpt. It is in this property that the inhibitory function discussed earlier is clearly expressed.
5. Independence. If it is not alien to you to set a goal on your own initiative and carry out the decision made, this volitional property has been developed in you.

Source: https://womanadvice.ru/volya-v-psihologii

Structure of volitional action

Volitional actions begin with the concept of goals and their motives. Then the desire to achieve the goal appears.

However, not all aspirations are conscious. Based on the degree of awareness, desire and attraction can be distinguished. The attraction is usually quite painful to bear. A person is overcome by a feeling of uncertainty or melancholy. Over time, the attraction either disappears or transforms into a clear desire.

However, even the presence of a clear desire does not mean that a person will begin to act. This is explained by the lack of active action in the desire. Before turning into a goal, desire is driven through a person’s value system, becoming emotionally colored. Anything that helps achieve a goal is considered positive, and anything that hinders it is considered negative.

A clear desire helps to understand the purpose of action and build a specific plan. Big goals create a much more powerful drive.

However, not all desires are realized immediately. A person may have desires that contradict each other. In this case, it is difficult to carry out actions to achieve them. A condition in which a clash of inconsistent desires occurs is called a struggle of motives. During this process, all the subtleties are assessed and the right direction of action is chosen. In this case, a person needs to show determination, while feeling all the responsibility of choice.

Volitional action includes planning and subsequent implementation of the plan using volitional effort.

The strength of willpower is characterized by:

1. worldview of the individual;
2. moral stability;
3. the level of self-government of the individual and similar characteristics.

All of the above factors together characterize the degree of development of a person’s will.

Volitional regulation of behavior

Volitional regulation is manifested by the preparedness of the individual and the concentration of actions in the right direction.

Will is expressed by strength, perseverance, endurance, energy and other factors. All of them are primary and determine most behavioral acts.

Secondary factors include determination, courage, self-control and self-confidence. These qualities also determine a person’s character.

Tertiary factors are responsibility, discipline, adherence to principles, commitment, efficiency, initiative, organization, diligence, and the like.

Tertiary qualities appear in a person by adolescence. At this age, there is already experience in making volitional decisions, which can be either simple or complex. The former are characterized by an almost automatic transition from motives to actions. In a complex decision, before performing an action, its likely consequences are analyzed and planned.

The development of will is interconnected with:

1. changing involuntary behavior to voluntary;
2. the ability to control one's behavior;
3. the emergence of volitional manifestations of personality;
4. conscious setting of tasks that require a long time of execution and strong willpower.

The formation of volitional characteristics represents the gradual emergence of primary, secondary, and then tertiary factors.

Volitional regulation can appear at the stage of setting a goal, determining the means to achieve it, implementing the plan and monitoring its implementation. Volitional regulation starts at the moment the actions begin. In this case, a person can refuse immediate impulses, giving preference to the chosen goals. Sometimes a person, instead of the traditional solution to a problem, can choose a much more difficult path. Thanks to volitional regulation, control of completed actions occurs. A person motivates himself even when he has almost no strength to do so. It is most difficult to achieve a goal if problems with volitional control appear throughout the entire path to achieving it.

Often the will is activated when a struggle arises between incompatible motives, when it is necessary to perform several completely different actions at the same time. In this case, thinking and consciousness are included in the process of volitional regulation. A person seeks incentives to determine a more important goal. At this stage, there is a correlation between actions and a person’s spiritual values, the significance of which is greater than at the beginning of the path.

Volitional behavior

The emergence of new motives in the child’s motivational sphere means the development of this sphere. In addition, in order for these motives to become effective and be able to determine the student’s behavior in a learning situation, they must prevail over the strong directly acting situational motives that exist in these students and prevent them from learning. That is, not only the development of the motivational sphere should occur due to the enrichment of it with new motives, but there should also be a change in the existing hierarchy of motives in it, as a result of which new significant motives will become dominant, in accordance with which the child’s behavior will be built, since the dominant motives determine the direction person's personality. This has been shown in a number of psychological studies (L.I. Bozhovich, 1972).

The nature of the personality’s orientation, the point of view of L.I. Bozhovich (1972), depends on the content and structure of the dominant motives in the motivational sphere. S.L. Rubinstein (1946), speaking about the orientation of a person’s personality, connects this phenomenon with his dominant needs, interests, and ideals. But since needs, interests, and ideals, from the point of view of L.I. Bozhovich, can act as motives for human behavior, then, apparently, we are talking about the same phenomenon. Dominant motives can only become those motives that have the greatest value for the individual, that is, motives associated with satisfying the most personally significant needs.

If educational motivation follows from the dominant needs and motives in the child’s motivational sphere or is semantically connected with them, then in this case we can already talk about volitional behavior. This means that the subject can carry out even unattractive actions for himself (that is, in the absence of immediate motivation), if he understands their importance and significance for himself. The understanding of importance and significance can be interpreted following V.A. Ivannikov (1991, 1998) as establishing a semantic connection between a directly unattractive action (goal) and the dominant motives in a person’s motivational hierarchy. “And the richer the motivational-semantic sphere of a person, the easier it is to attach a given action to it, and the greater the number of motives an action can potentially respond to, the easier and more willingly it is carried out” (V.A. Ivannikov, 1998, p. 93). It should be emphasized that from the context of the work of V.A. Ivannikov is clear that we are not talking about any motives in the motivational sphere of a person (among which there are quite a few situational ones), but about steadily dominant ones, and the semantic connection is established arbitrarily. Based on the foregoing, I propose to consider volitional behavior as voluntary behavior determined by the consistently dominant most personally significant needs and motives in the motivational sphere of a person.

In fact, volitional behavior is an expression at the behavioral level of the orientation of the individual.
Deliberately coarsening the formulation of the definition of volitional behavior, we can imagine it as voluntary behavior aimed at satisfying the most personally significant desires (sustainably dominant in a person’s motivational hierarchy). It should be noted that since desires can be different in content, volitional behavior can be both moral and immoral. But for me it is important to note that in order to carry out voluntary behavior
in a situation of performing an unattractive action, it is necessary for the child to have strong (comparable in strength to immediate), steadily dominant needs and motives, which can be conditionally designated as “personal interest”, which mediates the performance with its motivational influence. unattractive action. This psychological phenomenon is confirmed in the research of physiologists. A.A. Ukhtomsky describes the psychological state of intense need as the emergence of a focus of “dominant” in the cerebral cortex, that is, such a dominant focus of excitation that, as it were, “pulls” onto itself and accumulates nervous excitation that arises in other nervous A.A. Ukhtomsky is consistent with the ideas of I.M. Sechenov and I.P. Pavlova about the holistic nature of the body’s activity. These scientists showed at the physiological level that “the entire organism as a whole is involved in solving any problem facing the organism at a given moment in time. All side effects coming from outside turn out to be subordinate to this task. The excitations they cause are mobilized for its implementation. The dominant present in the cortex creates a certain vector of behavior.

Volitional personality traits

There are quite a lot of strong-willed properties. Below are the main ones.

Decisiveness is shown at the moment when an effort should be made to choose a goal.

Independence is manifested in a person’s ability to set goals and achieve them, despite difficulties. An independent person can take advantage of the advice of others.

Suggestibility is the opposite of independence. It is a characteristic feature of all weak-willed people who are unable to independently decide what to do correctly in a given situation. The suggestible person expects others to make decisions for her.

Negativism represents a negative quality of will. At the same time, a person does actions that contradict the advice of others. This is usually typical of teenagers seeking to prove independence and self-sufficiency.

Persistence represents the ability to overcome obstacles. This quality is possessed by people who can show their will over a long period of time. This leads to completing complex tasks and obtaining the desired result.

Persistence helps a person achieve his chosen goal. At the same time, there is an understanding of how important each completed step is in obtaining the final result.

Stubbornness is opposed to tenacity. Such a person is trying to achieve a goal that is not that important at the current moment in time.

Self-control is expressed in the calmness of the individual and his ability to regulate his behavior even in an extremely difficult situation, while mobilizing all resources.

A person is not born with the qualities listed above. They are formed gradually. In children, their development occurs in the process of play, thanks to the example and education of adults who try to make them courageous, persistent, resilient, dexterous and strong people, capable of coping with difficulties and consciously regulating their actions.

Role playing is very important in this process. It is they who stimulate the child to make efforts to perform his role well and obtain better results than others.

At school, the will is formed by learning. Thanks to her, children do not only as they want, but also as they should. Memorizing information requires persistence and perseverance.

Self-education plays an important role in the development of volitional qualities. It is this that allows you to learn how to manage your behavior, show effort and gather resources to defeat negative traits and bad habits.

What you need to know about will

Lack of will is the highest barrier that prevents a person from changing. The problem is that it needs to be used on a daily basis, not every now and then to create a good habit or break a bad one. All our serious goals and plans collapse precisely because of our inability to control our will.

The concept of delayed gratification is closely related to will. In simple terms, it is the ability to focus on a long-term goal so as not to notice instant gratification that can interfere with plans. A week of intense training at the gym won't matter if we have a wild weekend of eating nothing but pizza and drinking.

Will is a limited resource. If we try to change, for example, stop acting impulsively, then by the evening we may experience depression and frustration. This threatens to return to an old habit. However, two points should be taken into account. First: the will can be trained - and thus we will be able to exercise it much longer during the day. Second: willpower can be wasted if you do not do what you need.

Since will is a limited resource, you need to plan your day in such a way as not to waste it. For example, avoiding places that may trigger a bad habit.

A high level of willpower almost always means high self-esteem (after all, we have something to be proud of), the ability to resist temptations in the form of alcohol, cigarettes and overeating, and improved mental and physical health.

Depleted willpower makes a person impulsive. This means that if you feel that your will is at zero, you need to do everything possible to remove temptations out of sight.

If you are convinced of the exceptional importance of developing the will, let's see exactly how this can be done. Remember that you have a long journey ahead, perhaps life-long.

1

Develop moral qualities

Researcher Kurt Gray, a doctorate in psychology at Harvard, explains this effect as a self-fulfilling prophecy: “People around them consider highly moral people to be more strong-willed and disciplined, able to endure discomfort without losing their heads.”

The researcher is confident that Gandhi or Mother Teresa were most likely not born strong-willed people, but became such by trying to help others. He introduces the concept of “moral transformation” because he suggests that moral actions can transform people from being lazy and procrastinating to strong-willed.

2

Don't waste your will

If you try really hard, you can completely exhaust your will by noon, which will have a catastrophic effect on the rest of the day and those important decisions that you will never be able to make.

For example, you set a goal to change your character, as Franklin did: allocate one or two weeks to one quality. It's a long marathon, so there's a lot to plan for.

Make not very important decisions in advance, which usually “suck” your energy. Create a menu for the coming months and stick to it. Buy the same shirts, trousers and shoes so as not to waste mental resources constantly thinking about what to wear and wear. Here and now you need to make only those decisions that concern your character. Take care of the rest in advance.

The same tips apply to other areas of life: losing weight, getting rid of bad habits, achieving the Advanced level in learning English and much more. Make all the non-important decisions in advance and focus only on the most important ones. Don't waste your will.

3

Have a self-reflection session

For this you will need a diary. Write down all the actions that you perform unconsciously (they have become habitual), but which you want to get rid of. For example:

• While working, I am constantly distracted by news sites.
• While reading, I like to be distracted by my phone.
• During a conversation, I focus on what I want to say, and not on the words of the interlocutor.

If you make a list of at least ten points, this can already be called a good self-reflection session. Now choose your two most destructive habits.

Write down what sequential actions these unwanted habits consist of. Actions should also be understood as thoughts and emotions associated with them. For example, if you tend not to listen when you're talking to someone, notice what thoughts or beliefs pop into your head. Probably, they are the ones that prevent you from concentrating on productive dialogue. Examine the nature of these thoughts.

Think about how you can stop this behavior. Remember that you can be conscious in every action you take. It's about habit, the main thing is to recognize the sequence of steps.

Over the next month, take full control of these two habits.

4

Stop for three seconds

Our life is a kilometer-long chain of habits. Some of them help, others hinder.

Throughout the day, stop in the middle of any activity (unless you're driving, of course) and think about what stage of which habit you are currently in. If we are talking about consuming bad food, then even pleasant thoughts about Coca-Cola are already part of the habit. Think for three seconds: what will this thought lead to? Of course, to the hype: “without cola I will be an unhappy person, but with cola I will be the happiest person on the planet.” Then go and buy it. Remember further: after you drank this soda, how do you feel? And in half an hour? It can be revealed that in fact you were deceiving yourself, becoming a victim of advertising and habit.

Try to be aware of yourself for three seconds as often as possible throughout the day. Using this method, you can get rid of the irresistible desire to criticize, get angry and be offended. Once “three seconds” becomes a habit, you will no longer exhaust your willpower with this exercise (it will begin to be performed automatically) and you will be able to change, motivate yourself to work, or stop unwanted actions much faster and more effectively.

We wish you good luck!

Did you like the article? Join our communities on social networks or our Telegram channel and don’t miss the release of new useful materials: TelegramVKontakteFacebook

We also recommend reading:

• Storytelling
• Formation of useful habits
• Volitional personality traits
• Mental processes: types and brief description
• Halperin's theory of mental action
• 21 magical days: how easy it is to develop a habit in three weeks
• How to gain self-confidence
• Strategy for overcoming bad habits
• What is the implementation of intentions
• Spheres of personality
• Overcoming Negative Behavior

Key words:1Psychoregulation, 4Psychoregulation

Techniques and methods of self-education of will

Self-education is especially important during adolescence and adolescence. After all, it is very important for teenagers to show their independence and autonomy. However, they do not always know the correct methods of training will. Some people torture themselves, believing that this will help them become more strong-willed.

To cultivate the will, the following rules should be observed:

• Show willpower in extreme situations and in everyday life.
• Set exclusively achievable goals. You should not try to complete tasks that are obviously impossible.
• Be sure to achieve a given goal without postponing tasks until later.
• Don't try to complete very difficult tasks right away. It is worth starting with simple tasks, gradually increasing their complexity. If something goes wrong, you should show persistence and perseverance.
• You shouldn’t immediately quit what you started if something doesn’t work out. You should be patient, analyze the situation and correct your mistakes by choosing the most appropriate methods to achieve your goal.
• If you find yourself in an extreme situation, do not lose your composure. All forces must be mobilized and a way out of it must be found. It is important to carry out the decision no matter the difficulties.
• Before starting active actions, you should carefully think through everything, take into account the possibility of difficulties arising and options for solving them. You should also consider the possible consequences of the actions taken.

Essence and concept

Will is a mental activity that is available only to humans. It manifests itself when an individual has set a goal for himself, but some difficulties or obstacles have appeared on the way to achieving it. In order not to stand still, to continue moving forward, he must apply volitional efforts.

In psychology, will is the side of consciousness that is needed to begin an activity and maintain it for a long time.

Historical sketch

The psychology of will began to develop in the era of Antiquity. Then the first researchers identified it as a special force that prompted a person to take action. Intensive development of this concept began only in the 18th century. Since this era, motivational approaches have been distinguished, and the concept of free and dependent will appears.

Scientists who made a huge contribution to the study of will from the psychological side are Wundt, Vygotsky, Rubinstein, Descartes, Ribot.

Classification:

1. Spiritual or free. Developed among believers. They independently decide to limit themselves from worldly goods and lead an ascetic lifestyle.
2. Natural. Inherent in any individual, but developed to varying degrees. Helps to overcome various difficulties on the way to the intended goal, gives motivation for action.
3. Forced. It occurs when a person acts depending on the imposed opinions of other people.

The last type of will is control, which is often used by leaders, teachers, and educators.

Theories, forms and levels

Volitional actions have a complex structure and consist of several points:

1. Acceptance of the goal, awareness of the possibilities for achieving it. A person thinks about whether he needs to spend time on what he has planned or whether it is better to use his energy on other things.
2. Assessing one’s own capabilities and resources to achieve the required result.
3. The final choice of method to achieve the plan. This is the most difficult stage at which the volitional qualities of an individual are most manifested.
4. Decision-making.
5. The last stage is the implementation of the plan.

Characteristic features:

1. The ability to set goals and achieve them with any effort. People who constantly achieve their goals have well-developed volitional qualities.
2. Determination.
3. Persistence. Depends on motivation.
4. Independence, self-discipline.
5. Endurance, patience.

These signs are characteristic of people who have developed strong-willed qualities.

Violations

Types of violation of will:

1. Hypobulia - in this state, volitional activity decreases. This disorder is typical for lazy, slow people who find it difficult to decide to do something outside their comfort zone.
2. Abulia - lack of will, weakening of will, indecision. The individual is afraid to make decisions on his own, does not take the initiative in a group of other people, and tries to be in the background.
3. Hyperbulia is an unhealthy activity. It appears in people with manic tendencies. They take on many things at once and never finish anything.

If violations of the will are detected, the person needs to be provided with appropriate psychological assistance.

Research methods

There are several methods for studying volitional qualities:

1. Extensive. This is observation of human actions in natural conditions.
2. Experimental. An experiment is organized in which the tester causes the phenomena of interest independently, without waiting for them.

Experimental techniques can be classified as either natural or forced.

Development methods

Strong-willed qualities can and should be developed. This can be done in several ways:

1. Do exercises every day, force yourself to exercise. This method helps develop fundamental good habits.
2. Do important things as early as possible, do not leave them for tomorrow.
3. Create a clear schedule. Set aside time for active activities, rest, eating, and self-development.
4. Don't stop when difficulties arise.

To make doing things enjoyable, you need to set motivation for yourself in advance and reward yourself at the end of the journey.

Will in psychology is a force that helps to achieve a goal with any effort, regardless of the difficulties and obstacles encountered along the way. Volitional qualities develop in different ways. One person can keep himself from bad habits, but another cannot. If desired, volitional qualities can be developed to the required level. For this, different techniques are used.

Source: https://mystroimmir.ru/psihologiya/volya.html

Free will and personal responsibility

A person cannot refuse the social conditions surrounding him. However, this does not limit the choice of his position in relation to them. It depends on a person’s limitations whether he will achieve his goal or give up under the pressure of conditions. A person is able, if necessary, to renounce his desires.

It must be remembered that even a free person is not able to avoid responsibility. Some people do not want to make a choice, so they attribute all problems to an imperfect society, insufficiently good upbringing, dysfunctional parents and similar factors.