What is will and how does a strong-willed person differ from a weak-willed person? I became interested in this question when my younger sister began to often skip school lessons and stopped attending the rhythmic gymnastics sports section. She explained this by not wanting to waste time.
For her, relaxation and doing nothing on social networks were more attractive and useful than studying and sports. Today I will tell you what volitional personality traits are, why they are needed and how to develop them. It's never too late to train your will, but it's best to start doing it in childhood.
Basic Concepts
This is a set of properties that facilitate the performance of specific tasks. This includes characteristics such as determination, strategy, perseverance, and discipline. They are relatively stable and independent of the situation. With the help of such a set, an individual can consciously regulate his behavior and take power over himself. They are often seen as a personal characteristic of freedom from circumstances, fear or laziness, which so often prevent one from achieving what he wants. I have already briefly outlined the positive aspects. But there are also negative qualities that indicate weakness: shyness and timidity, lack of initiative.
#3 - Willpower
Willpower is the basis of self-discipline, a high level of superiority over one’s weaknesses, and self-control. Without willpower, it is difficult to lose weight, quit smoking, make progress in sports, studies and other matters. This quality is difficult to develop without motivation.
In childhood, it is enough for a child to promise to buy a toy, and he begins to study subjects intensively, do homework, raise his hands more actively in class, and bring straight A’s from school. In adults, willpower is weaker, but by finding a suitable incentive, you can train it.
Types of volitional qualities
The “foundation” is willpower - a special state that can be called a kind of mental habit. It is not always congenital. In most cases, people have to train it: by realizing their desires and aspirations.
To give a more precise definition, it is the ability of an individual to mobilize his body and psyche in such a way as to realize a specific goal. If he does not deviate from the task, does not stop acting halfway to success and does not give up after the first failure, then we can assume that he has no problems with this character trait.
The set of features characterizing this concept includes:
- Independence. This is the ability to work without outside help, as well as the ability to listen critically to advice, analyzing it from the point of view of one’s own beliefs and views. Such a person can organize his own activities. She does not wait for prompts, and also actively defends her own opinion.
- Initiative is the skill to search and find non-standard solutions and ways to implement them.
This also includes willpower - the skill of maintaining the level of effort. In other words, a person maintains strength for a long time. After all, anyone can concentrate for a day, but persistently moving forward for many months is a more difficult problem.
Is it possible to develop such character traits?
Negative character traits - how to find and correct negative qualities
Strong-willed character traits can and should be developed. One has only to remember that some characteristics of the will have opposite symptoms, for example, impulsiveness instead of decisiveness, in fact, indecision, as well as stubbornness, similar to perseverance. If you fail to control the progress of the development of volitional qualities in a timely manner, you may encounter pathology - a lack of determination, when the individual comes to the conclusion that the goal has been set, the path has been outlined, but the methods for successfully overcoming it have suddenly faded, and enthusiasm has faded. A person who does not have the proper willpower gives up without starting to act. But this is not critical, the main thing is to take the initiative and act according to plan.
Classification
Volitional qualities are divided into two categories: extraordinary and moral. The first group is the basis for improving the second. I'll tell you about each of them.
Primary
The list of all points, both positive and negative, is quite wide. Therefore, I will outline the most important features that manifest themselves as unidirectional actions of consciousness.
Energy
A person with such a well-developed property is able to quickly make decisions and act, while applying maximum physical and spiritual strength. Such a person is always in a positive mood, does not stop in the face of difficulties, which do not slow him down, but, on the contrary, activate him even more.
There is not a moment when an energetic individual does not strive for a new goal, does not make plans, or does not carry others along with him. This is a unique ability with one simple effort of thought to transform your internal resources into energy, while inspiring those around you to further deeds. By the way, this concept should not be confused with general energy, inherent in a specific temperament or depending on the characteristics of genetics.
Patience
Many people are familiar with the situation when fatigue, headaches and other painful conditions occur during work. A person with poorly developed willpower is easily exposed to these circumstances and puts off his affairs for later. A patient individual, thanks to volitional efforts, will maintain the intensity of activity despite internal obstacles until he gets the desired result.
Psychologist Daria Milai
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But the concept can also be characterized in terms of the opposite of the first feature. If energy is the ability to quickly make decisions, then patience is the skill of going long and hard towards a goal, waiting and remaining calm even if there are no visible fruits of its functioning yet. But this should not be confused with passivity.
Self-control
The ability not to be led by your own feelings and emotions. After all, lack of control leads to rash, impulsive actions, and they, in turn, can nullify all previous efforts.
A person knows how to maintain a cool head under any circumstances, even if everything does not go as planned. That is, the emotional background does not deviate in any direction: aggressive, panicky or apathetic. This volitional quality also includes the ability to refrain from actions that one really wants to do, but this seems irrational and erroneous.
Courage
The conscious thought process of overcoming legitimate concerns and fears. If during an activity an individual faces a risk to his health, social status, reputation or even life, then he is able to maintain the stability of the organization of his mental functions and not reduce the quality of his work. That is, it is the ability to resist fear and go towards the goal, taking into account possible dangers.
System
Above I indicated simple manifestations of will. But there are also more complex ones, which are a collection of unidirectional expressions. Systematicity involves several additional psychological spheres: emotional and intellectual, and the properties are called secondary. For example, courage is a synthesis of endurance, courage and energy.
This category of volitional personality traits is quite diverse, and its development will be difficult if the primary aspects are at a low level. But it is possible to overcome the barrier. During my consultation, I will tell you in detail what to do to increase your productivity, personal growth and achieve success in life. For now, let us outline the main features inherent in this group.
Determination
This is a conscious and active direction towards achieving a specific result. Such a person clearly sees the final goal and goes towards it, despite internal obstacles in the form of fatigue or bad mood, and his efforts are always justified.
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I will highlight 2 types: strategic and tactical. They relate to tasks of various scales. The first defines aspirations in a fairly long term: it will take months, or even years, to realize them. This variety is manifested in the specific principles of the individual, his ideals.
The second type, as it is also called, operational, consists in the ability to correctly tune in to short-term goals. Therefore, if for strategy discipline, consistency and adherence to principles come to the fore, then for tactics the ability to quickly gather strength and break through minor failures and setbacks in order to get the desired result is of great importance.
Perseverance
This feature is associated with determination, since without it a person will not be able to make his way to success. But still there is a difference between them. If a purposeful individual knows what he wants and goes towards a specific task, then a persistent individual does not always have such an understanding. Often he wastes his efforts and resources because he does not have a clear idea of what he needs to get in the end.
But on the other hand, this quality allows you to remain steadfast for a long time. No obstacles will stop you from achieving your goal, even if you have to work on it for many years.
Integrity
In his actions, a principled person takes his own views as a basis. She knows how to defend her opinion if it is appropriate and objective. Such an individual remains true to his words and beliefs. The characteristic is expressed in disciplined behavior, as well as in faithful and honest actions. The opposite is considered unprincipled, when activity occurs at the behest of others, since the individual does not have his own point of view or is afraid to express it.
Initiative
This is a deviation from templates and the ability to offer non-standard solutions that help get better results. The personality demonstrates independence, as well as mental and volitional activity, and is able to begin to act in a timely manner, achieving both general and individual aspirations.
An initiative individual is an energetic, resourceful person who freely expresses his opinion and is ready to take responsibility for his actions. This feature does not appear under the influence of outside instructions. This is a conscious desire for work and transformation. Initiative is not limited to areas involving risk. It takes place in social activities (activists helping to improve the lives of the population), creativity (innovation, creative ideas).
Determination
The ability to make thoughtful decisions and the ability to implement them in a consistent manner. This quality is characterized by efficiency. When a problem arises or a task is set, a person will immediately begin to think about further actions and implement them. If difficulties arise, he will not be confused and will not hope that everything will be resolved by itself - this is the lot of people with a weak will. Only they are characterized by self-doubt or doubt about a successful outcome.
A determined individual will not hesitate. But this concept should not be confused with impulsiveness, where actions are committed under the influence of emotions. No, such a person is guided exclusively by logic and quickly moves from thought to action.
Strategic
An individual with this property always sees the final goal and consistently moves towards it. He checks every step against the desired result. He knows how to set priorities and not only draws up a detailed activity plan, but can also change it in time in accordance with changing conditions or problems.
Self-sufficiency
For many, coping with their own inertia or lack of independence is a rather serious task. After all, only a self-sufficient person can take conscious actions to achieve what he wants.
But if an individual from an early age is accustomed to the fact that the reason for his actions is from the outside (because his parents said so or it is written so in the rules), then later it will be difficult for him to achieve his goal. The road to the result is built from many steps. And if you wait for the approval of each of them, you can spend much more time than planned. And this is provided that it does not “burn out” halfway.
However, self-sufficiency is not only the ability to make decisions, but also not to be influenced by others. This is the ability to critically evaluate the suggestions of others, but work on the basis of one's own beliefs, making changes from the recommendations received only in accordance with common sense.
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How to develop willpower?
Do you want to quit smoking and lose weight at the same time, and all together this is called - to develop willpower? You'll have to resort to a mild form of masochism.
Decide on your motivation
Quitting smoking and losing weight are not a big push. There are other goals behind these actions. That is, you want to lose weight to look like a model, wear size 42, wear tight-fitting outfits, get rid of cellulite, and improve your personal life.
It is more difficult for a person to quit smoking due to the physical and psychological dependence on nicotine, so the motivation must be stronger than it. An excellent incentive here is fear for one’s own health and life. It appears with cough, weakness, tachycardia from nicotine. You can reinforce your motivation with the idea of saving money on cigarettes every month.
Read more: Motivation and the brain - how to motivate yourself 100 times more
Examples
To develop willpower in general and in particular to stop overeating, you can find a picture with an ideal figure. Watch daily, limit yourself in food, do cardio and move towards the final result. The stronger the desire to lose weight, the stricter the diet and exercise. Do not stop at the achieved result, overcome your weaknesses, work on yourself.
To quit smoking, look at pictures of healthy and diseased lungs every day and count the money you save. Do a multi-kilometer run. Compare how you feel in the old days and after smoking. When you realize that you have ruined your health by smoking, but it can still be restored, willpower will overcome the habit.
Do you want to learn a foreign language, but still lack the willpower? Make it a habit to study a lesson and complete an assignment every day. Didn't sit still? Missed a lecture due to lack of willpower? Do double the amount of work. Over time, you will understand that it is easier to develop willpower.
There is another great way to develop quality. It involves giving up sweets. The training lasts 30 days. If within a month your willpower has failed you and you have eaten a small chocolate bar, you need to punish yourself: Look at the label of the chocolate bar for the calorie content per 100 g. Calculate how much you consumed. On average, while jogging a distance of 1 km, 25 kcal are burned. Divide the calories eaten with chocolate by 25. Get the number in kilometers. How many kilometers will you have to run? Don't put off jogging until tomorrow! Chocolate in the morning, run in the evening.
Thus, by educating yourself and controlling every action, willpower is developed.
Read more: Developing willpower
Briefly about human volitional qualities and their development
Will arises and improves throughout life. Of course, characteristics are laid down in childhood, but further progress depends on how the baby reacts to obstacles and overcomes them.
At an early age, a child acts according to survival instincts. His behavior is based on the needs for food, safety, sleep and other primary needs. But after four years, children can already make independent decisions, since education appears along with the instinctive component. By the way, it is during this period that moral properties begin to form.
When they try to cope with obstacles and achieve even small goals, the likelihood that they will show this in the future increases significantly.
What is will
Self-control (willpower) is a person’s ability to respond correctly to any internal conflict. All people are subject to various momentary weaknesses, often not entirely useful and correct. Only those who have sufficiently developed discipline are able to fight these urges and bring their ideas to life.
An example is the desire to have a snack in the middle of the night or buy a fatty pie instead of a healthy snack. We understand that this is wrong, but we are often unable to overcome ourselves. As a result, harm is done to the body, and we are tormented by remorse.
Controlling our own impulses is how we differ significantly from animals. If you don’t train it, then there is a chance to harm not only yourself, but also those around you. It is the importance and methods of training willpower that will be discussed in this article. You will find a lot of useful tips and understand why it is so important to say “no” to yourself in time.
A method for studying one's volitional qualities
You can find out the degree of development of your willpower using a test created by N.E. Istanbulova. The participant has the opportunity to evaluate any trait: self-sufficiency, perseverance, initiative. Here you will find questions that require an answer in the affirmative or negative, or with varying levels of certainty: “maybe,” “probably not,” and so on. For each feature there are about 20 question points.
How to develop persistence?
To develop quality, you need to constantly force yourself to perform the same actions until the result is achieved. If the goal of developing persistence is mastering a foreign language, force yourself to learn 30 new words every day and repeat thirty from yesterday. Learn new ones, repeat old ones - until foreign words bounce off your teeth.
Another good way to develop general perseverance is achieved through grueling sports. The sport can be any, but in general terms let’s consider running.
Set a goal: a 10 km marathon. Try to reach the end point in 1 day. Through sweat, weakness, fatigue, run 10 km without stopping. Increase your mileage every day and reach the finish line. If you learn to persistently get things done from start to finish in a short time, luck will always be on your side. She loves persistent people!
Improvement
The first stages are formed in childhood. And the education provided by parents plays a huge role in this matter. If they pamper their child, do everything he asks, and try to indulge him in every possible way, then, most likely, he will grow up capricious, in a negative sense, stubborn with passive inclinations. This entails a certain danger, since upon entering adulthood, the individual will expect similar parental behavior from others.
But if mom and dad initially set serious demands on the baby (not to be confused with despotic ones), then from an early age the child will learn to achieve the goals set. And one of the effective ways to do this is to send him to a circle. But it is he who should choose it, since imposing hobbies is fraught with negative consequences in the future. It is important not to completely control the interests of children, but to promote their development.
Let's say a boy or girl really likes to draw. This means that such an aspect as passion is already present. But the second factor – patience and discipline – must be created. Therefore, it is worth giving your child drawing tasks, praising the results and providing a reward for achievements.
But you can engage in development as an adult, although this will be much more difficult if the habit of self-discipline is absent. Let's consider one of the methods step by step:
- Select a tool. This implies the area where efforts will be applied: profession, interests and hobbies. The best option is to choose the area where experience is at zero. Then progress will be visible much more clearly.
- Setting goals. At first they should be small. So, for example, a man who comes to the gym for the first time is unlikely to lift a barbell weighing 100 kg. It's the same in programming, writing or painting. If you immediately set global goals for yourself, you can quickly “burn out” without getting the desired result.
- From simple to complex. As soon as you begin to confidently perform the simplest actions, then increase the complexity. Otherwise, there is a risk of remaining at the same level.
- Write it down. Record successes and analyze failures. This will provide additional motivation and prevent further mistakes.
How to develop determination?
To restore or develop sense of purpose, you need to constantly set goals, move towards them and analyze the result.
Start small. For example, if you want to go cycling, set a goal: buy a bike. At the time of setting the task, do not stress that it is expensive and there is not enough time to drive it. Buy a piggy bank or open a refillable bank account. Set aside 5–10% of your income every month. In six months, look into the cache. Find out how much money you managed to raise. Go online and see what kind of bike you can buy with your saved money.
This way, you can find a job with a reasonable salary or move up the career ladder. If there is no prospect of a promotion at your existing job, you need to set a goal: the position of head of a department within a year. Describe possible ways to implement the plan and take action. Write a good resume. Send it to the email inboxes of potential employers every day after work. Submit advertisements in free and paid newspapers, accept invitations for interviews. Within a year, you will meet with an employer who will agree to hire a person without management experience.
Read more: Developing a sense of purpose
Tip #8: Motivate yourself
When you set a goal to do something, figure out how you will reward yourself for it. For every achievement, please yourself with pleasant things. For example, you can make a wish-list, set yourself a goal opposite each item, the completion of which will mean that you can go shopping. Thoughts of reward will motivate you. Willpower must not only be controlled by self-restraint, but also encouraged. The greater the result achieved, the greater the reward.
Tip No. 9. Play sports
Exercise, even in moderation, will help you develop willpower. The author of the famous marshmallow test (marshmallow experiment), Walter Michel, in his book “Developing Willpower,” advises not to start with a full workout in the gym using all the simulators: morning exercises and jogging will be enough. When you get used to the appearance of sports in your life, you can increase the load and go to the gym. Sports will help you overcome laziness, since daily training requires persistence, adherence to a daily routine, exercise techniques and physical activity. An active lifestyle will add additional strength to your body to accomplish your plans.
Tip #2: Monitor your sleep
Insufficient sleep has a profound effect on the efficient functioning of the prefrontal cortex. Lack of sleep is a form of stress on the body that affects how your body and brain deplete your available energy resources. Therefore, your productivity depends on whether you get enough sleep or not. Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Daniel Kripke conducted a study on how long it takes a person to regain the energy spent during the day. The study found that people who sleep 6.5–7.5 hours a day are much more productive, feel happier and live longer.
How to deal with temptations on the way to achieving your goals
To know how to develop will and self-discipline, you need to understand your temptations. The desire to eat a pie when you set a goal to lose weight or sleep until lunch when you decide to go in for sports early in the morning promises you pleasure.
It just so happened in the course of evolution that the promise of reward and satisfaction is often more attractive to us than the reward itself. The cunning brain has learned to produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, which in ancient times made us run after the mammoth.
Without dopamine, which motivates us to action, we would not have progressed far in our development. However, he is capable of playing a cruel joke on us.
Often we rush after temptations that actually do not give us pleasure, and sometimes even, on the contrary, cause harm. You will probably remember cases when you achieved something, and then you were disappointed. Remember all those dresses you bought but never wore. Remember how much pleasure the cake gave you and are these feelings worth worrying about being full again after six?
The fact is that the job of dopamine is to make us chase happiness, not to cause it. It does not give us a feeling of satisfaction, but only excites us, gives us a surge of energy for action and causes a feeling of anxiety.
Dopamine is the favorite hormone of salespeople, who often use it to get us to buy something we don’t really need. It also causes many addictions, such as video games. How to fight it?
Take care of yourself. Compare the sensations you experience when you are carried away by temptation and the promise of reward with those that arise when you succumb to it. Most likely, the promise of reward will not disappear and will encourage you to eat more and spend more.
But when you realize that your feelings are far from what dopamine promised you, and, perhaps, that you even feel dissatisfaction, fatigue and disappointment, it will be easier for you to cope with temptation next time.
