Moral and volitional qualities: examples and their characteristics. What kind of person can be called a strong personality?

Willpower is a common concept that a person encounters more than once in his life. It is developed both unconsciously, through “trial and error,” and consciously. Knowing what a person’s basic volitional qualities consist of, you can develop a strong character, a willingness to overcome life’s obstacles and take responsibility for your actions without fear.

Willpower is the way to achieve your goal

Definition

In the formation of moral and volitional qualities, not only moral attitudes and the desire for success are taken into account, but also the characteristics of the nervous system, which are innate, such as weakness - strength, inertia - mobility.

Example: in people with a weak nervous system, fears are more pronounced, so it is more difficult for them to show courage than for strong ones. That is, a person is not strong, courageous and decisive not because he does not want to, but because he has few inclinations for this.

The good news is that developing moral and volitional qualities is possible for every person.

Types of properties

Will is a broad set of qualities. If you list them, you will get a picture like this. Types of volitional qualities:

Self-control

Willingness to watch what and how you do. Subordinate your activities to one specific goal. That is, work in accordance with achieving results. This is a characteristic of a mature personality.

Partially this quality overlaps with something else. So-called discipline

Willingness to act as the situation requires. Discipline is especially important when you need to achieve a specific goal. Because an undisciplined person will make excuses and be constantly distracted. Classic example. Need to do coursework. A disciplined student with developed moral and volitional qualities sits down and does his job. Doesn't get distracted and doesn't procrastinate. Weak-willed and frivolous - he sits down to work at the last moment, checks social networks, email, plays (so-called procrastination). Lack of discipline and self-control also has a detrimental effect on work aspects. That is, such people cannot realize themselves as specialists in their professional activities unless they break themselves.

Organization

Ability to independently plan your own activities. Here again the example of course work suggests itself. A reasonable student understands that he needs to do his own thing, since his studies and future results depend on it. Therefore, first he sits down to work, then leaves time for rest and entertainment. As for the weak-willed, unorganized person, he does everything at the last moment. Does not know how to correctly distribute forces and resources, the main of which is time.

An important volitional quality is persistence. That is, the willingness to act again and again to achieve a certain result

For example, a young man organizes a business. Takes out a loan, starts production or provides services. Burns out and loses money. In this case, there are two options. Throw up your hands and spit, calling yourself a loser. Or take up the matter again, with enthusiasm, based on the mistakes that were made. A strong-willed person knows how to get up after falling. This is the main difference. In a negative way, persistence develops into stubbornness. This is already a negative quality. It is accompanied by improper distribution of volitional efforts to the detriment of normal activity and achievement of results.

What else relates to the strong-willed qualities of a person?

Energy. It can be called efficiency. This is the willingness to mobilize the resources of one’s own body and objective factors in order to achieve the goal. It is important that energy is combined with persistence.

Courage. As a rule, an innate personality quality determined by the psychotype. At the same time, it is necessary for the development of some other points. Courage can be defined as the ability and ability to face fear. This is not part of the will, but a prerequisite for its formation and development. It's also about being willing to take risks. It is important that courage is combined with other qualities. Because the risk must be justified. Businessmen and entrepreneurs especially need courage and determination.

Determination. An important personality trait. Characterized by a willingness to make and implement one’s own, informed decisions. As can be understood from the name of quality. At the same time, it is important that this is not an empty desire to act. This means a balanced, “planned” action, so to speak, a sober calculation. Only in this case will there be any sense in the decision made.

Excerpt. Willingness to endure some unpleasant moments and obstacles that appear on the way to achieving the goal. We can talk about endurance if a person is ready to act in accordance with the decision made and clearly sees his goal. Doesn't give up when difficulties arise.

Independence. What personality traits are commonly called strong-willed? When they talk about them, they primarily mean independence. That is, the willingness to think for oneself and make decisions without pressure from others. Based on sober calculation, reason and reasonable risk. This is an important point.

Initiative. Willingness to act without outside influence. You can call it activity. A weak-willed person usually doesn’t want anything and is not ready to do anything. However, daydreaming is a form of escapism, an escape from reality. Moreover, such a personality quality never comes alone. We are talking about a set of negative personality traits.

Determination. The ability to plan and move towards a clearly defined, set goal. An indispensable quality of a strong-willed personality. At the same time, it is important that the goals are feasible, achievable and not too global. If we talk about intermediate stages.

Responsibility. Willingness to reap the benefits of your activities.

The characteristics of strong-willed qualities allow us to talk about a person who can be called a mature personality, ready for activity. Of course, the degree of development of these properties will be different for each individual member of society.

Individual approach

Desire alone is not enough to achieve a goal, no matter what inclinations a person has. In any case, endurance, patience, sensitivity and skill will come in handy.

In addition, even one person can manifest volitional qualities differently: somewhere better, somewhere worse. Thus, will in psychology is a balance between a person and the world around him, a conscious attempt to regulate one’s activities and behavior in order to overcome all obstacles.

Therefore, there is no single concept of “will” for all people. Otherwise, it would be predictable that one will always cope, and the other will always fail. And this is the trick: anyone can cope if they find their balance and manage to get together to get a result.

What kind of person can be called a strong personality? This is determined by two factors: the concept of strength and moral qualities, such as integrity, discipline, organization and the like. And these are the moral and volitional qualities of a person.

In ordinary life, a person’s volitional behavior can be determined by several strong qualities that are combined with moral principles. For example, it could be heroism in a dead end situation, or it could be heroism as self-sacrifice. Therefore, it is important to consider the will in the complex of manifested qualities and circumstances in which a person finds himself.

How do they show themselves?

How to love yourself - what does this mean in psychology, acceptance of your personality

The formation of willpower is subject to each individual. To become a strong-willed person, you need to gain physical, intellectual and moral development. The combination of several characteristics of a person is his strong-willed character.

It all starts with determination. It turned out that setting a goal is not enough, you need to achieve it. Then initiative and enthusiasm awaken in a person, which give rise to the beginning of independent actions on the path to the goal. However, on the path to becoming a strong-willed personality, an individual encounters other people’s opinions and experiences, which can seriously harm his views and plans. If he does not overcome them, then willpower will have to be trained again.

On the other hand, a person gains determination, courage to act, and is again filled with enthusiasm, which opens up hidden resources with energy. Looking back, the individual feels that he is on the right path, so it would not be superfluous to consolidate the result by persistently overcoming large and small difficulties. True, it’s worth doing this with a clear mind, in an organized manner, tracing the path you’ve taken and still charting the next one.

Very soon the individual will learn to adapt to the situation so as not to harm himself and others, not to sacrifice his worldview, but also not to offend other people’s expectations. Discipline helps him in this, which a person would not have mastered without self-control. Thus, overcoming the stages on the way to the goal, a person ultimately takes responsibility for the actions he has committed and continues, but does not resist this at all, having trained powerful willpower.

Classification

To understand what kind of person can be called a strong personality, let’s highlight the main character qualities by which it can be identified. And let’s immediately make a reservation that it is not possible for one person to have all the characteristics well developed. Although each one can be trained individually, and at any stage of development.

Moral and volitional qualities are divided into:

Commitment to the goal (tenacity, perseverance, initiative).
The ability to control oneself (discipline, endurance, seriousness of intentions).
Courage (principle, courage and selflessness).

Let us consider moral and volitional character traits and their characteristics in more detail.

Strong-willed character traits

Olga Alimova

Strong-willed character traits

The most objective and irrefutable data about character is provided not by his passport data, not by his external appearance , not by his involuntary actions, but by his conscious behavior. It is by the choice of possible actions that a person chooses in a given situation that his character . character is quite multifaceted. This can be seen already in the process of activity: one does everything quickly, the other slowly and thoroughly, thinks carefully, acting for sure, and the third immediately gets to work without thinking, and only after a certain period of time, without deciding problem at a glance, looks around and coordinates its actions taking into account the circumstances. These features identified in human behavior are called traits , or aspects, of character . Any trait is some stable stereotype of behavior.

However, character traits cannot be taken out of the typical situations in which they appear; in some situations, even a polite person can be rude. Therefore, any character trait is a stable form of behavior in connection with specific situations typical for a given type of behavior.

According to Yu. M. Orlov, along with situations in which a certain human trait , its essential characteristic is the likelihood that this type of behavior will take place in a given situation. about a trait as a stable characteristic of a person if the probability of its manifestation in a certain situation is quite high. However, probability means that this trait does not always appear, otherwise it would simply be a matter of mechanical behavior. This understanding of character traits is very similar to the manifestation of a person’s habit: under certain conditions, to act in a certain way. A character trait includes a certain way of thinking and understanding. When committing a characteristic act, volitional mechanisms are included and feelings are involved. By conditioning a person’s behavior, a character trait in behavior is formed. The formation of character traits cannot be separated from the formation of behavioral motives. Motives of behavior, realized in action, consolidated in it, are fixed in character . Each effective motive that acquires stability, according to S. L. Rubinstein, is potentially a future character trait in its origin and development; in motives, character traits appear for the first time in the form of tendencies, action then leads them to stable properties. The path to the formation of character traits therefore lies through the formation of appropriate motives of behavior and the organization of actions aimed at consolidating them.

The most general character are located along the axes: strength - weakness; hardness - softness; integrity - inconsistency; breadth - narrowness. The integrity or inconsistency of character is determined by the degree of combination of leading and secondary character traits . If the leading and secondary ones are in harmony, if there are no contradictions in aspirations and interests, then such a character is called integral , but if they sharply contrast, then it is contradictory.

At the same time, the unity and versatility of character does not exclude the fact that in different situations the same person exhibits different and even opposite properties. A person can be at the same time very gentle and very demanding, soft, compliant and at the same time firm to the point of inflexibility. And the unity of his character can not only be preserved, despite this, but it is precisely in this that it can be manifested.

From the entire set of relationships of a person to the surrounding reality, it is necessary to highlight the character-forming forms of relationships - the decisive, primary and general vital significance of those objects to which a person belongs. These relationships simultaneously serve as the basis for the classification of the most important character traits . character is manifested in a system of relationships:

In relation to other people (in this case, one can distinguish such character traits as sociability - isolation, truthfulness - deceit, tactfulness - rudeness, etc.)

In relation to business (responsibility - dishonesty, hard work - laziness, etc.)

In relation to oneself (modesty - narcissism, self-criticism - self-confidence, etc.)

In relation to property (generosity - greed, frugality - wastefulness, neatness - sloppiness, etc.). It should be noted that this classification is somewhat conventional and there is a close relationship and interpenetration of these aspects of the relationship.

Despite the fact that these relationships are the most important from the point of view of character , they do not simultaneously and immediately become character traits . There is a certain sequence in the transition of these relationships into character , and in this sense it is impossible to put, for example, the attitude towards other people and the attitude towards property, since their very content plays a different role in the real existence of a person. A person’s attitude towards society and people plays a decisive role in the formation of character The character of a person cannot be revealed and understood outside the team, without taking into account his attachments in the form of camaraderie, friendship, love, etc.

A person’s relationships with other people are decisive in relation to activity, generating increased activity, tension, rationalization or, on the contrary, complacency and lack of initiative. The attitude towards other people and towards activity, in turn, determines the person’s attitude towards his own personality, towards himself. A correct, evaluative attitude towards another person is the main condition for self-esteem.

The attitude towards other people is not only an important part of character , but also forms the basis for the formation of the individual’s consciousness, necessarily including the attitude towards oneself as an actor, which depends primarily on the very form of activity. When an activity changes, not only the subject, methods and operations of this activity change, but at the same time a restructuring of the attitude towards oneself as an actor occurs.

Will as a complex mental process that causes human activity and awakens him to act in a directed manner. Will is a person’s ability to overcome obstacles and achieve a goal. Specifically, she appears in such character traits as determination, determination, perseverance, and courage. These character traits can contribute to the achievement of both socially useful and antisocial goals. To do this, it is important to determine what the motive of a person’s volitional behavior . A brave act, the motive of which is to enslave another person, to seize someone else's goods, and a brave act, the motive of which is to help a common cause, have, of course, completely different psychological qualities. Based on their volitional activity, characters are divided into strong and weak. People of strong character have stable goals, are proactive, boldly make decisions and implement them, have great endurance, are courageous and courageous. People in whom these qualities are weakly expressed or some of them are absent are classified as weak-willed . They tend to passively demonstrate their business and personal qualities. Often such people, having the best intentions, do not achieve significant results in work or study. Many of them sincerely worry about their inability to act independently, persistently and decisively.

Volitional personality traits:

1. Independence – subordination of behavior to one’s own views and beliefs

2. Purposefulness - a person’s subordination of his behavior to a sustainable life goal

3. Decisiveness – the ability to make informed and sustainable decisions in a timely manner and implement them without delay

4. Persistence – the ability to see a goal through to the end, overcoming difficulties

5. Self-control – the ability to control one’s behavior

6. Courage is a person’s readiness to achieve a goal, despite the danger to life and personal well-being

7. Discipline is the conscious subordination of one’s behavior to social rules

Volitional qualities can be cultivated in a person. I.P. Pavlov emphasized that man is the only system capable of regulating itself within wide limits, that is, it can improve itself. Weak-willed people, with thoughtful pedagogical work with them, can become actively active. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of a person, for example his temperament. Thus, it is easier for a choleric person to develop activity and determination than for a melancholic person. A person himself must train his will from a young age, develop qualities such as self-control, activity, and courage.

Independence

This refers to a person’s ability and desire to act without anyone’s help. This is one of the main criteria for the fullness of an individual. It is manifested in independent decision-making, self-control, implementation of the intended plan and, finally, bearing responsibility for one’s actions.

The role of parents in the formation of moral and volitional qualities in the child comes first. Independence can be noticed in a person even in preschool age.

At first, children use this quality to realize their goals, and then for self-affirmation. When a child grows up to high school, he uses independence mainly to experience and know himself, to test his capabilities.

What is a volitional decision?

Volitional decision

- in Wikimedia, a method of
decision-
, when, for certain reasons, a certain powerful person (most often a dictator), body (Board, arbitration, parliament, etc.) or group of people (virtual government, etc.) must decide.

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Initiative

This is one of the types of independence, expressed in the implementation of such actions that will be the beginning of something new or will serve as a means of changing the existing way of life.

If you develop this quality, it turns into enterprise. This is social courage, overcoming the fear of responsibility. This is also a volitional characteristic of a person’s behavior and is motivation. Developed initiative makes a person energetic, searching and creative. It develops leadership and entrepreneurial qualities.

Patience

In a general sense, this is a long-term counteraction to undesirable factors (usually physiological (fatigue, hunger, pain, fatigue)) that prevent one from achieving a goal within the allotted period of time. This quality begins to manifest itself when a person experiences internal discomfort, an obstacle to completing a task, and begins to experience it.

If we are talking about mental or physical work, then there is a feeling of fatigue, which in turn is associated with a state of fatigue. Patience can be demonstrated by overcoming fatigue. In this case, to continue to work effectively, a person needs to apply additional resources.

The time during which he can do this is an indicator of his endurance, it characterizes his patience. This is a general volitional characteristic that does not depend on the type of difficulty overcome. If we talk about strengthening physical qualities and moral-volitional qualities, then will also depends on the mental parameters of a person.

Development of the volitional sphere in preschool age

In early childhood, behavior is characterized by impulsiveness and situational behavior. These characteristics remain pronounced in the preschool period, but the child gradually develops resources that will later help him manage his actions.

Without the manifestation of will, actions aimed at achieving a long-term result are impossible, which in themselves are not exciting for the child.

For example, what interest does a child have in collecting toys if this task needs to be done for the sake of watching a cartoon? None. But the toys need to be collected in order for parents to be allowed to see the desired screen.

Therefore, the preschooler, although without any effort, throws the toys into the appropriate basket. Undoubtedly, this is an effort of will.

This example illustrates how adults encourage a child to show will. But to an even greater extent, the formation of a child’s volitional sphere depends on his personal activity. After all, what is meant by “manifestation of will”? Set (see, wish) a certain goal and make efforts to achieve it. And such persistence occurs when a person himself sets a goal, implements actions, and persistently repeats them in order to achieve a result.

At the age of three, strong-willed shoots are already confidently making their way with the words “I myself!” When a child persistently demands independence to pour a ladle of soup into his plate, this is not a whim at all. The child is aware of the goal, understands the way to achieve it and wants to achieve this goal on his own. The simplest act of will from a psychological point of view, but so important and difficult to perform for a child.

Every year the preschooler advances in volitional development, directing efforts to achieve various goals. The chains of actions through which the presented tasks are completed become longer.

Older preschoolers set goals that are important not only to themselves, but also to those around them. At 6-7 years old, many children are ready to wash the dishes to please their mother; make a craft for your grandmother’s birthday, etc. These are no longer one-act actions, but actions that require volitional regulation of actions. Volitional development and moral education of preschoolers are closely intertwined.

Perseverance

The desire to achieve. In this period of time, achieve what you want, despite all the difficulties and despite unsuccessful attempts. This is the desire to achieve a goal at any cost. An example of a moral-volitional quality: an athlete who is not given a difficult element. If he doesn’t give up after the first to tenth unsuccessful attempt, then he is showing perseverance.

This quality also has a negative manifestation - stubbornness. This is a manifestation of persistence against common sense. Often a person exhibits this quality because the decision belongs to him, and refusal to achieve a goal undermines his authority. Speaking about children is a form of protest caused by the desire to show independence and initiative. Sometimes this is rude treatment by adults, ignoring their needs, or, conversely, indulging all children's whims.

This is also a consequence of the desire to assert oneself, although rationally it is a waste of resources. Stubbornness is based on a person’s conviction that a goal is achievable, contrary to other people’s opinions.

It must be taken into account that the opinion on the advisability of working in a certain direction is also subjective. In fact, it also shows the stubbornness that this is impossible “just because.”

Stubbornness is confused with a negative manifestation of perseverance, when it is a negative manifestation of persistence. These concepts are not identical.

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.

Perseverance

The systematic and long-term emergence of will on a person’s path to achieving a goal, despite difficulties and obstacles. To a greater extent, this quality reflects the purposefulness of the individual and represents focus.

Persistence is realized through the constant manifestation of perseverance and patience, which leads to confusion of these two volitional qualities. Intelligence tests actually reveal perseverance, while persistence depends on:

human motivation (to a much greater extent than persistence);
the degree of confidence in the ability to achieve a distant goal;
the presence of strong-willed attitudes to overcome difficulties;
nervous system (as opposed to the same persistence).

And it begins with moral and volitional education in childhood.

The concept of “Will” and “Volitional qualities”

Aristotle had already introduced the concept of will into the system of categories of the science of the soul to explain how human behavior is realized in accordance with knowledge, which in itself is devoid of causal power. Aristotle considered the will as a factor next to the impulse, capable of changing the course of behavior: initiating it, stopping it, changing its direction and subject.

The purpose of our work is to consider the following questions necessary for a full disclosure of the topic:

First, the concept of will;

Secondly, identifying the volitional qualities inherent in each individual.

Thirdly, it will be necessary to analyze the ways of development of the volitional qualities of the individual.

Fourthly, it is necessary to describe the influence of a person’s volitional qualities on the productivity of professional activity.

Not a single more or less complex life problem can be solved without the participation of the will. No one on Earth has ever achieved outstanding success without possessing outstanding willpower. Man differs from all other living beings primarily in that, in addition to consciousness and intellect, he also has will, without which abilities would remain an empty phrase.

Concept of will

Will is the organization of a person’s consciousness and self-regulation of his actions and behavior, aimed at overcoming difficulties in achieving goals. Will is a special form of human action, a special type of organization of behavior, determined by its own purpose.

Will arose in the professional activity of a person who mastered the laws of nature and thereby gained the opportunity to change it in accordance with his needs.

Self-control

This is a composite volitional characteristic that includes several concepts: courage, endurance, determination. It is associated with self-regulation and self-control in emotional terms, as well as self-restraint in emotional response.

It is also defined as a person’s ability not to get lost in difficult or unexpected situations, as well as the ability to manage one’s actions, while being judicious and restraining negative emotions. Simply put, self-control is power over yourself. And this is one of the main characteristics of a strong-willed person.

Excerpt

The ability to suppress rash, impulsive and emotional reactions, as well as strong desires and drives, aggression, which can incite conflict. Such actions of a strong-willed person include:

physical attack (start a fight);
passive-aggressive attack (the person slams the door when leaving);
verbal attack (insult, altercation, barbs);
indirect verbal (anger and dissatisfaction are expressed to third people, behind the offender’s back).

Self-control is also defined as composure and self-control in conflict. Although the first may be associated with a person’s insensitivity and emotional inexcitability. Another manifestation of endurance is stoicism, the ability to endure unpleasant influences or even suffering for a long time, life’s adversities for a long time.

This quality can be found when inappropriate or harmful desires are suppressed. Self-control is the inhibitory component of will (moral stability). It is also a suppression of spontaneity and inhibition of reaction and action. However, endurance is not patience or insensitivity. The first is related to performing an action and maintaining activity. The second is with the psychological structure of the individual.

Intemperance is the opposite of restraint. It may be caused by a corresponding psychological illness or bad character.

Formation of volitional action

Any activity consists of several mandatory links. In everyday life, no one thinks about this, although even the shortest action includes all links. If we break it down into its components, the structure of volitional action in preschool childhood looks like this:

appearance and retention of the target;
planning how to achieve it;
search for means of achievement;
performing the actual actions;
checking the result.

Almost every step in this chain is carried out using volitional efforts. Moreover, difficulties for a young person can arise at any stage. For example, a child stated that he would build a garage for his cars. I put several cubes in a row, and suddenly I found a lost plane in a heap of toys. Having grabbed the plane, the preschooler is already planning around the room, completely abandoning his recent goal. If, having “hung out”, the child returns to his blocks and continues to build a garage (though not for cars, but for an airplane), then he has managed to keep his goal.

In early preschool age, children more often lose their goal than keep it. In order for goal setting to become more stable, adults must remind the child and return him to the original plan (“You also wanted to draw the sun…”, “You were going to put all the dolls to bed, but so far only one is sleeping…”). Children 3-4 years old need such prompts.

At 5-6 years old, performing volitional actions is a different problem. Children are already much better at maintaining the goal, but they crumple the immediate execution. As a rule, they responsibly carry out part of what was planned, then a loss of interest sets in, and they only complete it as best they can.

Many mothers are familiar with the situation of a five-year-old daughter eager to wash the dishes, but her enthusiasm is only enough for the first few plates. And then the little girl quickly puts the cups under the running water and declares that she has already done it.

It is interesting that in middle preschool age the outcome of a child’s actions is strongly influenced by success. Children can easily give up if something doesn’t work out for them.

Preschoolers aged 6-7 years demonstrate a different attitude. Since they are already aware of social and moral norms and distinguish desirable behavior from undesirable behavior, they try to continue working when faced with obstacles and failures.

There are many children who are truly stimulated by overcoming difficulties. They show persistence and perseverance in order to achieve the result that they imagined as the desired goal. For example, when starting to make a New Year's toy, some children endure several unsuccessful attempts and continue working. The desire to see a handmade toy on the New Year’s tree is so strong that it holds the child’s attention and enthusiasm.

Let's summarize. The performance of volitional actions by a preschooler depends on several conditions:

Difficulty of the task.
Execution duration.
The success or failure of direct actions.
Having support from an adult.

Adult support is important both at the stage of goal retention and to help in exercising control. It is difficult for preschoolers to exercise self-control and compare the result with the plan. And the result is exactly what attracts a preschooler. An adult can give advice, point out a mistake and, most importantly, praise, if not the work itself, then the child’s efforts.

Determination

The ability of an individual to quickly make a decision in an important situation. At the same time, we are not talking about haste, when the speed of reaction can lead to the adoption and implementation of a rash decision, which will lead to an undesirable result. Determination is determined by two factors at once: the significance of the situation and the time of decision-making.

This is not making a rash decision without hesitation or delay, since here we are talking about frivolity. And this is not making a quick decision when a person has all the information and is confident in the correctness of the action. Decisiveness takes place when it comes to a person’s uncertainty in a given situation and the likelihood of success of his actions. That is, there is some doubt that must be overcome.

There are two points here that are often found in the definition of the concept, but are essentially erroneous:

timeliness. This has the right to life if there is a clear time limit for making a decision. In other cases, it is about the speed of decision-making, and not about the “right moment” for it;
the most correct solution. It is a characteristic of the adequacy of understanding the situation and information, as well as the thought process. Right and wrong decisions can be made at any speed. Determination is associated with the time to make a decision when there is a choice, although it can also be manifested in a situation where there is no alternative, and the person knows exactly what he needs to do (for example, throw a free ball).

Decisiveness refers to the time of understanding the readiness and execution of the desired action. This time varies for different people, but it is stable.

Sometimes determination is called courage. And although these concepts correlate with each other, they are not identical. In some situations they actually appear together, but are still two separate and independent qualities.

Decisiveness is characterized by a minimum of time in a difficult situation to make a decision, such as “ready or not ready,” when it is already known what needs to be done. The time to make a decision in an important situation is a characteristic of a person. A person will be more decisive in one situation than in another, while a courageous person is not always decisive. And this difference comes precisely from sports. In a situation where there is no danger, there is no courage. Those who are indecisive can show courage, and those who are determined can show fear.

How does weakness of the emotional-volitional sphere manifest itself?

Weakness manifests itself in several ways. As a rule, all moral and volitional aspects suffer. For example, the symptoms of normal (if I may say so), non-pathological lack of will will be as follows:

Impaired decision making. Unwillingness to decide on your own. Usually such people try with all their might to shift the decision to someone else - to their parents, to their spouse, to their boss. After all, there is also a more global aspect.
Diffidence. The psychologist's patient cannot decide to engage in activities. Confident of his own failure. Why this is so has already been said above. Most often we are talking about negative experiences. Possible personality trait.
Failure to do what is intended. The main problem is the unwillingness to set realistic small goals and plan your activities. For this reason, it is precisely not possible to implement our plans. This is not so much a lack of will as an inability to properly manage one’s own effort and impulse.
Unwillingness to take responsibility. Many people have a banal fear of responsibility. It should not be confused with a reluctance to take responsibility for something that does not belong to a person. These are two different things. For example, you can be responsible for your own work, but you cannot be responsible for the actions of another person: husband, wife, friend, stranger. In this case, the person suffering from lack of will is not ready to be responsible for his own actions and their results.

You can cope with these pathological moments if you want.

Courage

Synonyms for the concept: courage, dedication, integrity. This is fearlessness, courage and valor - a person’s ability to suppress the body’s instinctive defensive reactions that arise in extreme situations and manage their behavior effectively.

Three forms can be distinguished separately:

Courage. A situation where a person knows about the danger, but still completes the task.
Bravery. A person experiences emotional arousal from a sense of danger.
Courage. When fear is replaced by a sense of duty, and a person strives to achieve a socially significant goal.

These are different states and goals for a person and society, and they do not relate to a person’s personal characteristics.

Courage

Courage is aimed at realizing humane goals and restoring justice. And if these aspects are absent, then we are no longer talking about courage, but about bravado, rebellion, adventurism and the like.

Cowardice is the opposite in meaning to courage. It is characterized by a person’s condition when he is unable to perform an action that meets moral requirements or is unable to resist the temptation to act immorally. This is a manifestation of cowardice.

As a rule, this occurs due to fear - a biological reaction of a person when assessing a situation as dangerous for important categories (life, prestige), and in essence is a natural desire to escape from danger.

Among healthy people, no one is fearless. Willpower does not lie in the absence of fear, but in the decision to control one’s behavior without succumbing to fear and the desire to avoid danger.

If a person is not aware of the danger, then there is no question of courage. Because such a person does not overcome anything. Courage is about taking risks even when there is fear, and managing your behavior regardless of it. The less the influence of fear on a person, the higher his level of courage.

So courage is restraining one’s defense mechanisms and continuing to implement one’s intentions soberly and efficiently, in situations that are dangerous to one’s health and prestige. True courage is intelligent.

All volitional properties are extensive, strong and stable.

By measuring the time and number of attempts to overcome difficulties, we can reveal that one person quite clearly demonstrates certain volitional qualities only in one specific type of activity, for example, in learning, and another in the same way - in a wide range of activities (study, work, social activities, sports). Thus, the degree of volitional ownership is determined by the number of activities in which it is clearly manifested.

The strength of volitional qualities characterizes the degree of arousal of volitional effort aimed at overcoming obstacles. The experiments conducted indicate a person’s high ability to intentionally increase excitation or volitional inhibition. This is clearly seen in experiments on ergographs (a device that records the duration and strength of the index finger when lifting a certain weight). When instructed to “Work as hard as possible,” subjects get the same results, and when instructed to “Work as hard as possible,” the results are usually one and a half times higher than in the first experiment.

This article is posted for educational purposes only and does not constitute scientific material or professional medical advice.

Integrity

This is the quality of a person who consciously follows some chosen principles (beliefs, views), which are the norm of behavior for him.

Integrity is based on confidence in one’s own rightness and the fairness of the accepted order. There is a set of laws before which everyone is equal. And there are people who are ready to circumvent laws and regulations. They may offer more favorable conditions in exchange for some benefit for themselves. The ability to resist temptation and adhere to generally accepted order is a manifestation of integrity and moral stability.

And this manifestation becomes a volitional act when adherence to principles threatens a person’s life, health and well-being, while a deviation from beliefs for the sake of profit will indicate a person’s unprincipledness.

Consciously controlled behavior

Nerve impulses in the human brain are ahead of the flow of events from the outside. The basis for this type of functioning of the nervous system is the individual’s past experience, which allows him to anticipate impacts on the nervous system and anticipate their possible consequences. A complex of connections and associations is formed in the brain, developed as a result of repeated repetitions.

In the process of thinking about different situations, different ways to achieve a goal are compared and the most acceptable one is selected. A system of associations formed by experience can restore, from the slightest irritant, the entire chain of thoughts and actions from the first impulse to the realization of the desired goal.

People have the ability to accumulate information and use it as a basis for further actions and are able to generalize information received from outside. All conscious and purposeful behavior of each individual is based on these properties of the human mind.

Discipline

This is the desire and conscious desire to follow order. The concept includes restraint (restraining impulses that come at the wrong time).

It has a moral and intellectual component, as it includes generally accepted norms of behavior and rationality applicable in situations of choice. The behavior of a disciplined person is ordered and in conjunction with all other systems.

This is the ability and desire to manage one’s behavior in such a way as to accomplish assigned tasks. It is based on the ability to control one’s desires and subordinate one’s behavior to the requirements of necessity. Once formed, it turns into self-discipline.

Too strict discipline can lead to passive thinking and an inability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Initially, discipline is achieved by motivation either to avoid punishment or for one’s own benefit (the carrot and stick method).

Representation in philosophy

The topic of will has been repeatedly raised in various philosophical movements. Socrates also reflected on this trait, comparing it to an arrow that breaks from the bowstring only if the target is correctly chosen. Plato considered volitional qualities to be inextricably linked with correct reasoning and prudent aspirations. Other ancient Greek philosophers presented will as the antithesis of desire or assigned it the role of a restraining factor - internal censorship.

Scholastic ideas about will came down to defining it as a rational desire, stimulated from the outside by physical, psychological and social reasons, a divine definition.

In the theory of voluntarism, will was presented as the original force underlying all world processes. The most controversial aspect among philosophers of all times was freedom of will, i.e. the possibility of a person’s free choice, regardless of external circumstances.

Great importance is attached to this concept in the natural philosophy of Schopenhauer, which recognized the function of the will as complete reliability and objectivity and considered it the main and true spiritual essence of man. Schopenhauer's word denotes not only conscious desire, but also unconscious instincts, continuously operating forces that encourage an individual to live.

Diligence

The desire to complete a task efficiently and conscientiously is the main component of diligence (or diligence, diligence). There is a desire to do the job, to demonstrate oneself, an honest attitude to work - moral and motivational components. There is also a volitional aspect: a person has to overcome difficulties, focus on work and make volitional efforts to complete it.

If a person exhibits these qualities not only for personal purposes, but also for the public good, then his actions are assessed from a moral point of view and become morally volitional. In this way, it becomes possible to satisfy the need for social recognition.

Moral and volitional qualities are general characteristics of volitional behavior, and here it is difficult to separate the moral and volitional components. Because these are not just interrelated characteristics, but flowing from one another.

Every person is constantly faced with tasks that require effort. To obtain high results and strong-willed ones - including. Just as you shouldn’t give in to panic and become a victim of your fears, you shouldn’t be filled with unnecessary optimism, which distorts the picture of reality.

For many areas of life, the development of moral and volitional qualities is of decisive importance. Demonstration of some does not guarantee the presence of others and does not entail their appearance. It also happens that some volitional qualities are even mutually exclusive, as in the case of patience and perseverance.

Causes of insufficient development of emotional-volitional qualities

The reasons for the meager development of moral and volitional qualities in 90% of cases are social. Since the personality as a whole is formed only under the influence of society and its institutions. From family to other small and large groups. There are also less common factors. They relate to possible pathologies, in particular mental and personality disorders. Let's try to understand the issue in more detail.

Overprotectiveness

As practice shows, if a person is constantly taken care of, this reduces the speed and quality of will development. It's worth remembering the definition. We are talking, firstly, about the ability to think independently. Secondly, take action. Thirdly, in your own interests. All three points are distorted when overprotective. Instead of independent thinking, they instill subordination, conformism of the “do as everyone else” type. The same applies to the second point. What about your own needs - everything should be in the interests of “correctness”. You can't run - it's bad manners. You can't fight - it's bad manners. You need to do everything as society and parents demand.

If this continues, the will is suppressed, only submission remains. This style of parenting leads to lack of will, spinelessness and easy controllability. Such people have difficulty making decisions and practically cannot implement them, since they have not had such experience before. We have to learn again. It turns out that not everyone can do this, and usually there is no desire for this.

Lack of care and attention from parents

The formation of lack of will can be associated not only with overprotection. The same thing happens in the opposite case, although not always. We are talking about a parenting style in which the parent does not perceive his child. Gives him complete freedom of action and at the same time does not pay a minute of real attention. Physically he can be nearby, but emotionally he can be infinitely far away and separated by an invisible wall. Lack of attention is taking its toll.

A person can remain childish in an attempt to earn at least a drop of attention from the entire environment. This is how narcissistic personalities are born. At the same time, they are still weak from a strong-willed point of view. They are poorly oriented in life situations and cannot make independent decisions beyond their own need for love. In the worst case - parasitic love.

Imperative parenting style

It works in much the same way. There is overprotection, only in an even more complex expression. If liberal education is based on reasonable restrictions, a person thinks for himself. The imperative is always based on coercion, violence - physical or mental. Often - on a combination of one and the other. This is even worse, because a person grows up downtrodden, afraid of everything and everyone, and does not trust people at all. Volitional qualities do not develop or develop in the opposite, narrowly oriented direction, which has nothing to do with the implementation of one’s plans or search for a place in life.

Therefore, imperative education is a great evil from the point of view of personality formation.

Frequent failures in life

They are encountered in later years. In adolescence and so on. They are not capable of completely suppressing and breaking the will, but they can undermine self-confidence. Accordingly, the person will stop planning and acting normally. The main obstacle will be the fear of failure. This issue can and should be worked out under the supervision of a psychologist or psychotherapist.

Features of the psychotype

In some cases, it is the psychotype that is the root of all troubles. Some people are like that same Oblomov, who has thoughts, plans and a whole cloud of desires, but does not have the ability to get out of bed and do what he has planned. This kind of “half-will” is not considered a full-fledged quality. This is more of a variant of escapism or empty fantasy. It can be transformed into real actions. If I had the desire and some free time. The issue is best worked out under the supervision of specialists.

The psychotype cannot be corrected. It's for life. But it is quite possible to cope with individual, most unsightly qualities and smooth them out.

Disorders of higher nervous activity

Mainly associated with pathological processes of a psychiatric nature. For example, lack of will (so-called abulia) accompanies schizophrenia. This is part of the so-called negative symptoms, when the patient ceases to be himself. In this case, oddly enough, the will suffers most often. Apathy sets in when you also don’t want anything. The condition is unnatural and not conditioned by society. It is the result of an imbalance in the normal balance of neurotransmitters in the brain.

Neurological diseases

Slightly less common. Among them are epilepsy and other syndromes. Including congenital ones. They do not always influence moral and volitional qualities, although this is possible.

Will is a quality that can be developed. But this will require effort. It is paradoxical that in order to develop quality, you need to demonstrate it. This is a workout in itself. Next, we will present some instructions and exercises to develop the ability to make decisions and implement them.