Will is... The concept of what it is expressed in, volitional characteristics and manifestation of willpower

Today we propose to understand the topic: “Will and volitional qualities of the individual.” The purpose of our work is to consider the problem of volitional and strong-willed personality traits. The relevance of this topic lies in the fact that in connection with the general revival of interest in humanitarian, in particular, human problems of psychology, in recent years more and more attention has been paid to will. Even in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this problem was one of the central problems of psychological research.

At the beginning of the 20th century, due to the general crisis in psychology, research on will faded into the background. This problem turned out to be the most difficult of those that had to be posed and solved on a new methodological basis. But it cannot be completely ignored or not noticed, because the will belongs to those psychological phenomena (next to the imagination), the essential role of which does not require special proof.

Strength of will

Willpower is one of the most important character traits of a person, thanks to which he is able to achieve colossal results in his life.
By developing our willpower, we develop our personality, and it is depending on our current level of development that we occupy the appropriate position in society. Ask yourself, dear readers, before you continue reading this article - how much does your life depend on your willpower? Personally, I can tell you with complete confidence that your every action, your every decision, your every thought - they all depend on how well or how poorly developed your willpower is. First of all, your effectiveness depends on it, on your willpower. You simply cannot achieve any significant success in your life if you do not have at least a tiny bit of willpower. You won’t even be able to read this article to the end if your willpower turns out to be completely undeveloped, but I’m just going to tell you in it about how this very inner strength of yours, on which so much depends in your life, can be developed. So be patient and focus your attention on my words, and most importantly, read this article to the end, because willpower, friends, is really important, very important. What is willpower? Willpower is a powerful, inexhaustible energy within a person, which he, as a person, consciously activates and directs to achieve the desired result. For example, you have a desire or perhaps a need to do something, and you begin to act in accordance with this desire-need in order to achieve the result you need. And how persistent and disciplined you will be on the path to achieving your goal, how many internal resources you will use to achieve it, this is willpower. That is, it is a force that is expressed in a person’s activation of the maximum amount of energy and concentration of the maximum amount of resources that he possesses in order to achieve the result he needs. Thus, using willpower, a person consciously controls his internal energy, he awakens it and directs it in a certain direction, and he also uses all his internal resources, forcing his body to work in the way he needs. I need, for example, to strain my brains in order to solve some problem - I, with the help of my willpower, give my brains a command to work on this or that task and control the work of my brain from beginning to end until the desired goal is achieved me the result. You see, what willpower is about is your conscious desire to activate your internal energy and resources for something for which you think they need to be activated, that’s what it is. I explained to you my understanding of such a phenomenon as willpower, friends, below we will discuss how, based on this understanding, this very power can be developed and used.

Let's assume that you want something, then you take certain actions and - you get it! Or, at the very least, you make every effort to get what you want. There should be no “buts”, no “ifs”, no “maybes” and “I’ll try”. If you know exactly what you really need and why you need it, then you strive with all your might to get it, using all your internal resources and using all your internal energy to achieve your goal. You see, doubts have no place here; doubts prevent willpower from manifesting itself. You probably believe that in order to develop willpower, you need to subject yourself to strict discipline, thereby taking complete control of yourself. In general, strict self-discipline can really develop willpower, and I will even say that you must be disciplined in order for you to have strength. But you can develop willpower in another way, and more effective in terms of long-term results. And this method is friends, not faith, although it is often referred to when they talk about the superpowers of a believer, whom faith helps to survive any adversity and cope with many difficulties. Faith is necessary for those people who, firstly, are morally weak, and secondly, are not knowledgeable in certain issues and who do not want to study something and delve into something, it’s easier for them and they want something. then to believe or not to believe. But a thinking person, a student, a person looking for answers to his questions, does not need faith in principle, because faith, for all its merits, is blind, and faith can always be shaken. So the method I’m talking about is not irrational, while faith is still an irrational phenomenon.

To understand what the meaning of this method is, let’s turn our attention to what motivates us in general, what makes us be active people. What makes us want something, strive for something, what makes us active people? Our instincts, friends, it is thanks to them that we live and do at least something in our lives, for the sake, first of all, of itself, for the sake of life. You and I have three basic instincts, this is the instinct of self-preservation, which prompts us to seek food and protection, this is the sexual instinct, or the instinct of reproduction, which prompts us to look for a partner for procreation, and this is the instinct of dominance or the instinct of power, which we need for self-affirmation, leadership, to fight for the best piece and for the best place, to achieve success in life. All these instincts are different forms of one single instinct - the instinct of life. Everything that makes us live and strive for something is connected with the instinct of life, which makes us satisfy our natural needs. It is precisely to focus on these same needs in the first place, as well as to satisfy our spiritual needs, in the second place, that we need willpower, which, as you probably already guessed, is also a product of our life instinct. As long as a person has energy, he will live, but the universe needs us to live, and will is energy. Do you understand what this connection is? We must live, humanity must live, the universe must live and develop, for some purpose unknown to us, and we, as part of this universe, as its constituent parts, regardless of our desires, must do everything to survive. It is possible that we, people, are simply an intermediate link in evolution, which should contribute to the manifestation of something new and more perfect, maybe self-reproducing robots or something similar, some kind of crown of nature’s creation should perhaps appear with our help. Well, that's true, by the way. So, if we want to develop willpower in ourselves, we must realize the meaning of our existence, and having realized this, become as active as possible in order to realize ourselves to the maximum and live life with meaning.

Understand, friends, a person is given various qualities so that with their help he helps the universe develop and improve, while developing and improving himself. Poor, sick, stupid, lazy, passive, weak, whining and complaining about everything and everyone, this world does not need us. That's why weaklings get nothing from life, because they don't try to take anything from it and don't try to give anything to it. And in general, if you look at our life this way, you can see that the universe does not need a degenerate person. And not every person can demonstrate their inner strength, because not every person can use it competently. What kind of willpower can there be if a person doesn’t even understand why he lives, why he needs to study, why work, why create, why do anything for himself and others. Do you want to develop your willpower? Then, friends, learn to see meaning in everything you do in your life, in everything you want. Sometimes this is difficult to do on your own, without carefully examining every aspect of your life, but if you conduct a thorough introspection, if you think about the meaning of your own life, then you will figure out what exactly and why you want to get from it and what you can give to it. . And when you decide on your goals, your mission, if you want, the word mission sounds more powerful, you will be able to awaken your inner strength to fulfill this mission.

As I said above, we should start by satisfying our natural, animal needs, in order, firstly, to maintain our physical body in a viable state, and secondly, to somehow sort out procreation, because nature will not leave us behind , until we either continue our race, or until we deceive her in this matter, and thirdly, to occupy the highest possible position in society, since a high position in society, to which the instinct of power pushes us, gives great opportunities to a person . It is difficult to change the world if you are a nobody and have no name, and it is much easier to accomplish something grandiose if you have power. This is something grandiose, this is the very mission that is above all those natural, animal needs that our instincts call on us all to satisfy. We humans, unlike animals, can strive for much more than just satisfying our animal needs, we can put forward the most unusual ideas, we can set grandiose goals for ourselves and then make incredible efforts to achieve them. It is this feature of ours, this gift, that we all, if possible, need to use in order to live a bright, rich and very interesting life.

To awaken our willpower, we need to understand what we want from life, why we want it and how we are going to achieve it. You must explain to yourself why you get out of bed in the morning, why you go somewhere and do something, why you set goals for yourself and achieve them, why you even need to maintain life in your body. Your willpower can make you a superman, it can help you develop self-discipline and other strengths, but to develop willpower itself, you need to increase your level of awareness. You need to stop, calm down and think about your life. Often people don’t even understand what they are doing and why, they just do it the way everyone else does it, because it’s the way it should be, it seems like it should be, because everyone else does it. And it’s difficult for them to break out of this whole routine in which they are mired, it’s difficult to look beyond the wheel in which they spin like squirrels. But in order to tap into your hidden reserves, to force your body to be more than just a piece of flabby meat, you need to understand why you need to put effort into doing something and achieving something. Our brain and our body as a whole are a machine that will work only if it has fuel, which for us, in addition to instincts, is some idea that we consciously choose for ourselves as a guide in life or which we invent for ourselves. Well, a person cannot live just like that, just to live, to exist, yes, maybe, but not to live. People are not plants, they breathe air, eat food and drink water, not only in order to live, but also in order to live for something. But to maintain life in the body, we also need will, right? After all, the same food itself will not go into our mouths; it must be obtained and consumed. So you need to start small - with high-quality satisfaction of your natural needs, and then, having understood the enormity of this idea called life, you should begin to set grandiose goals for yourself and accomplish great things. And you, rest assured, will have the necessary internal reserves for this.

You can immediately become infected with some great idea in order to start living for the sake of something more meaningful than just taking care of your body. True, without this very care of your body you will not survive, so you will still have to make efforts to provide yourself with the amount of resources necessary to maintain life. Keep in mind that it is one thing when our instincts force us to exercise willpower so that we can survive in a difficult situation or make our life more comfortable, but it is quite another when we consciously decide to do something that is not easy to do , which will require us to mobilize all our personal qualities, and despite any obstacles to achieve our goal. A person can act contrary to all his instincts, being absolutely sure that what he is doing is really necessary for him. Very often in this case, they remember faith, the power of which is truly enormous, but faith, as mentioned above, can be shaken, faith is something that can always be questioned, while awareness cannot be shaken, because awareness awakens and enlightens, and then the person no longer doubts or hesitates, he simply sees everything and understands everything, and based on this understanding he makes a decision about what and why he should do. The grander your goal in life, friends, the more energy will awaken in you to help you achieve this goal. But an important condition for awakening this energy will be your full understanding of why you need to achieve some goal, what is the point of it? I assure you, our desires can coincide with our capabilities, because our capabilities will definitely match our desires if we understand why we want something.

You can do a lot; your body has reserves that you don’t even know about. But if you don’t want anything in this life, if you don’t need anything other than to eat, drink and copulate, you will live your whole life in a very limited world and will not even know what you were capable of as an individual. You will not be able to realize yourself, you will not be able to get “everything” from life if you know nothing about it. It is common for a normal person to ask himself, and at the same time others, questions such as “why” and “what for”. And you know that children very often ask adults these questions, but adults, those who don’t care about children, wean them off asking these questions. But these questions help us reveal our hidden abilities. We want to know why we live, why we learn something, why we work and why we should do what we don’t want to do, why we should deny ourselves something, and why we should achieve something, something to strive for? Aren't these natural questions for a normal, thinking person? But you and I are in no hurry to give answers to these questions. Do you know why? Yes, because most of what you and I do is called serving the interests of others. Most people themselves, with their own eyes, can see that what they are doing is not at all what they need, not what they want to do. Many of us live for the sake of other people's goals and other people's interests, and even if people do not realize this, then on a subconscious level they feel it all, and therefore they do not have any willpower, so they are passive. Which of us wants to voluntarily, with enthusiasm, serve someone, try for someone else, squeeze all the juice out of ourselves for the sake of other people's interests? I’m sure no one, because it’s contrary to our nature.

It’s true, friends, our life is such that you want it or not, but sometimes you have to do what you don’t want to do, you have to endure it, for the sake of a better future, for the sake of new opportunities in the future. Some experts, for example, the same psychologists, advise specifically doing what a person does not want to do, so that in this way a person can develop the habit of overcoming laziness, fear, hostility and aversion to something or someone. That is, they offer people to develop willpower through strength, through I can’t. This advice, of course, is good, effective, but not fundamental, since not every person can decide to do things that he does not want to do, especially in cases where no one is forcing him to do anything. Therefore, a person will not be able to develop the habit of doing something through force, because he will not be able, or if he is not able, to start doing something unpleasant for him. I have already written and will write it again, I will repeat it again, because, as you know, repetition is the mother of teaching, that a person can train himself, like a dog, for example, or he can teach and enlighten himself. In one case, he will learn some commands, some algorithm of behavior, and in the other, he will come to the realization of what he needs to do and why. The first is simpler, but less effective, the second is more complex, but much more effective and profitable. Therefore, if for some reason you don’t want to do something, then maybe, instead of forcing yourself to do this unpleasant thing for you, you should think carefully about the necessity and meaning of this thing that you don’t want to do. want to do, and thanks to understanding the need for this thing for you, want to do it, want to do something that you don’t want to do yet? In my opinion, this is much more effective in overcoming various difficulties in life. And perhaps for some it will be easier than training yourself like a dog, forcing yourself to do something through force, through I can’t.

Of course, there is meaning and necessity, at least for us, not in all the things that we have to do, especially for someone else, but this meaning, in the form of benefit, can be found, if you look hard enough, in any business . Even the most unpleasant and most difficult problems can be very useful for a person, because they contribute to his development, they make him stronger. Solving your own, or even other people’s, problems means training your mind. It's so useful. Love your problem, and you will be much more pleased to solve it, you will want to solve it, it will not scare you. I repeat once again, there is meaning and benefit in everything, even in what you fiercely hate and what you are very afraid of. You just need to find this meaning and this benefit, then you need to realize this benefit and, thanks to this awareness, awaken willpower in yourself, which will help you do something, overcome some difficulties, and also achieve the goals you have set for yourself. You and I, friends, are designed in such a way that if we don’t use something, then it either dies or is inactive. If you don’t strain your muscles, then they will atrophy, if you don’t strain your brain, then you are guaranteed insanity. And with willpower things are the same. If you are passive and you don’t need anything, if you don’t realize the meaning of your desires and don’t understand the meaning of your own life, if you don’t set any grandiose goals for yourself, then why would this force within you awaken, why should it awaken?

Life, friends, is a struggle, well, not only a struggle, of course, but still, first of all, a struggle. And in order to fight - for life, for our ideas, for our values, we must understand why we need this. Our instincts sometimes force us to make quite great efforts in the struggle for life, but if we talk about a higher level, located beyond our animal instincts, then our desires, conscious desires, allow us to set great goals for ourselves and with the help of the awakened within we have the willpower to achieve them. Our possibilities are truly limitless, but in order for these possibilities to turn from words into concrete actions and thus be realized by us, we must begin to consciously approach our life, thinking deeply about both each specific moment in it and about it itself as a whole.

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

What is the will?

Hello! My name is Lampobot, I am a computer program that helps you make Word Maps. I can count perfectly, but I still don’t understand very well how your world works. Help me figure it out!

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I began to understand the world of emotions a little better.

Question: bony

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Neutral Positive Negative I don’t know

Associations to the word “will”

Synonyms for the word "will"

Synonyms for the word "Will"

Sentences containing "will"

• The fakir, through an effort of will
  , directed the power of his body to the plant, trying to influence its hidden vitality.

Quotes from Russian classics with the word “will”

• Father, mother, all relatives, subordinate to serfdom, accustomed to their position and having experienced, perhaps through their own [bitter] experience, [all] the inconveniences of independent manifestations of their personality - everyone tries, out of a desire for the good of the boy, to instill in him from an early age [ unquestioning obedience to someone else's order,] renunciation of one's own mind and will
  .

The meaning of the word "will"

WILL, -i, f.

1. One of the properties of the human psyche, expressed in the ability to achieve the goals set for oneself, the fulfillment of aspirations.
Strength of will.
Education of will. Overcome smth. by force of will. (Small Academic Dictionary, MAS)

Aphorisms of Russian writers with the word “will”

and human labor creates wondrous wonders!

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Additionally

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The meaning of the word "will"

WILL, -i, f.

1. One of the properties of the human psyche, expressed in the ability to achieve the goals set for oneself, the fulfillment of aspirations.
Strength of will. Education of will. Overcome smth. by force of will.

Sentences containing "will"

Fakir by force of will

directed the power of his body to the plant, trying to influence its hidden vitality.

Strength of will

makes it possible not only to implement large-scale projects, radically change lifestyle or achieve the highest goals, but also to respond to the challenges and temptations that we all face every day.

It was good to sit here, listen to the sound of the sea and let loose

own thoughts.

What to remember about willpower?

In this article we looked at what will is in psychology, and such concepts as willpower and free will. In general, I think that with will everything is more or less clear, with its freedom the question is philosophically controversial, but what can be generalized about willpower?

• Willpower is the ability to resist short-term gratification for long-term goals or objectives.
• Willpower is correlated with positive life outcomes, such as good grades, higher self-esteem, lower rates of substance abuse, greater financial security, and improved physical and mental health.
• When willpower fails, exposure to an emotionally charged stimulus overwhelms a person's rational, cognitive system, leading to impulsive actions.
• A person's capacity for self-control appears to be constant. Children with better self-control as preschoolers tend to have better self-control as adults.
• People with low self-control show different brain patterns when presented with tempting stimuli.
• Willpower can be compared to a muscle that gets tired from overuse.
• Research shows that constantly resisting temptation depletes your ability to resist future temptations.
• Depletion of willpower has a physical basis. People whose willpower has been depleted have reduced activity in an area of ​​the brain associated with cognition and have lower blood glucose levels than people whose willpower has not been reduced.
• The effects of willpower depletion can be mitigated by positive moods, beliefs and attitudes.
• Willpower depletion affects a range of behaviors, including food consumption, substance use and abuse, and purchasing behavior.
• Avoiding temptations and planning for the future are effective tactics for maintaining self-control.
• With the right motivation, you can be able to continue even when your willpower is depleted.
• Maintaining stable blood glucose levels, such as by regularly eating healthy meals and snacks, can help prevent the effects of willpower depletion.
• Since exhaustion in one area can weaken willpower in other areas, it is much more effective to focus on one goal at a time rather than “attack” a list of multiple solutions at once.
• Just as muscles are strengthened by regular exercise, regular exercise of self-control can improve willpower over time.

Good luck to you! See you at the sessions!

General concept

Each person is a personality with a special set of qualities. Some of them are acquired, others are congenital. Such a human ability as will is associated with his mental activity and desires. It can be developed differently in each individual. For example, a person with a strong will clearly knows what he wants and confidently follows his goal. On the contrary, if this ability is poorly developed, it is difficult to make decisions and achieve goals. In the life of a person with a weak will, his fate is controlled by various factors and people, but not by himself.

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.

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Conscious self-regulation

When considering the question of what will is, we should pay special attention to the fact that this ability is meaningful and conscious. It is controlled by many parts of the brain and generally depends on the person’s psychotype. Taking into account what was written above, we can conclude that complete control of one’s activities is the will. There is one more important nuance. Many psychologists argue that a prerequisite for the presence of will is a goal. Thus, a person’s desire to achieve a certain desire is a manifestation of this ability.

Translation of the word will

We offer you a translation of the word will into English, German and French. Implemented using the Yandex.Dictionary service

• To English
• To German
• To French

• volition
  - desire own will - own volition
• political will

• Wille
  - desire, willpower, free will - freier Wille
• enough willpower - genug Willenskraft
• my last wish - mein letzter Wunsch

• volonté
  - willpower, whim, freedom, desire, good will - bonne volonté
• one's own will

Strength of will

Quite often this simple four-letter word appears in certain phrases. So, perhaps, one of the most popular is “willpower”. The meaning of the words is quite simple. This concept includes the ability to self-convince. But is it? So, for example, a person wants to quit smoking. He convinces himself that this habit does not bring anything good into his life. Then there are attempts not to pick up cigarettes. If they are successful, the person is said to have willpower. If such a fuse only lasted for a few hours or days, then we can say that he does not have it. It turns out that the person could not convince himself? Is not a fact. Thus, a person may be firmly convinced that smoking is bad, but at the same time continue to take puffs one after another. Therefore, the ability to convince oneself is not willpower. Thus, desire and understanding alone are not enough. You also need to stick to the original plan and not deviate from it.

Let's consider what will is from the other side. A person sets himself a difficult task (true intention) and sticks to it at all costs. This is what willpower is. Among other things, it is characterized by certain functions. Without them, it will be just a desire and attempts to fulfill it.

Willpower - what is it?

If we had more self-control, would we all eat healthier, exercise regularly, avoid drugs and alcohol, save for retirement, stop procrastinating, and achieve all sorts of lofty goals?

According to all surveys, lack of willpower is the No. 1 reason for not following through with such changes.

Many people believe that they could improve their lives if only they had more of this mysterious thing called willpower.

In 2011, 27% of survey respondents reported that lack of willpower was the biggest barrier to change. However, although many people blame a lack of willpower for their poor decisions, they have not given up hope.

Most respondents believe that willpower is something that can be learned. These respondents are up to something. Recent research shows that willpower can actually be improved by training.

On the other hand, many survey participants reported that having more time for themselves would help them overcome their lack of willpower. However, willpower does not automatically increase when you have extra time.

So how can people resist temptation? In recent years, scientists have made some compelling discoveries about how willpower works. In this article we will review our current understanding of self-control.

Lack of willpower is not the only reason why you may not achieve your goals. American willpower researcher Roy Baumeister, Ph.D., a psychologist at Florida State University, describes three necessary components for achieving goals:

• first, he says you need to establish motivation for change and set a clear goal;
• secondly, you must control your behavior in relation to this goal;
• the third component is willpower.

Whether you want to lose weight, quit smoking, study more, or spend less time on the Internet, willpower is an important step towards achieving this result.

At its core, willpower is the ability to resist short-term temptations in order to achieve long-term goals. And there are good reasons for this.

Psychologists at one of the universities in the United States studied self-control in eighth-graders during the school year. The researchers first assessed students' self-discipline (their term for self-control) by asking teachers, parents, and the students themselves to complete questionnaires.

They found that students who rated self-discipline highly had better grades, better school attendance and higher standardized test scores, and were more likely to participate in a competitive high school program.

Self-discipline was found to be more important than IQ in predicting academic success. Other studies have found similar patterns.

The benefits of willpower seem to extend well beyond your college years. Terry Moffitt, PhD, of Duke University, and colleagues studied self-control in a group of 1,000 people who were followed from birth to age 32 as part of the Longitudinal Health Study in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Moffitt and her colleagues found that people with high self-control in childhood (as reported by teachers, parents, and children themselves) grew into adults with greater physical and mental health, fewer problems related to substance abuse and criminal convictions, and better behavior in the field of savings and financial security.

These patterns persisted even after the researchers controlled for the children's socioeconomic status, family life and general intelligence. Findings like these highlight the importance of willpower in almost every area of ​​life.

Definition of willpower

We have many common names for willpower: determination, drive, determination, self-discipline, self-control. But psychologists characterize willpower, or self-control, in more specific ways.

According to most psychologists, willpower can be defined as:

• the ability to delay gratification by resisting short-term temptations in order to achieve long-term goals;
• the ability to suppress unwanted thoughts, feelings, or impulses;
• the ability to use a “cold” cognitive behavioral system rather than a “hot” emotional one;
• conscious, effortful regulation of oneself with a limited resource of the “I”, capable of being depleted.

Main functions

Will is a rather complex concept in psychology. In order to understand it, you should know what basic functions it can perform.

• So, the first and most important function is incentive. It provides the beginning of certain actions to overcome certain obstacles.
• The second function is stabilization. It is associated with volitional efforts that help maintain activity at a certain level, despite interference.
• The third function is called braking. Its purpose is to inhibit desires and goals that are incompatible with the main one.

Any situation where there is a manifestation of willpower can be considered according to these functions. Let's look at the example we looked at earlier. So, a person decided to quit smoking in order, for example, to save money - this is an incentive function. Let’s imagine a situation where he succeeds, but then a friend comes to visit and offers to smoke one thing at a time. Refusal of the offer will be a function of stabilization. When a person suddenly gets the idea to give up this stupid idea and start saving on something else, the brake function will work. He will rethink everything again and decide that he will not deviate from his goal.

Willpower and a healthy lifestyle

Every day you make the decision to resist impulses for a healthier, happier life. Whether you're refusing that second helping of mashed potatoes, dragging yourself to the gym, turning down another round of smoothies, or resisting the urge to skip your Monday morning meeting, your will is almost constantly tested.

Limited willpower is often cited as a major barrier to maintaining a healthy weight, and research supports this idea.

For example, a study by Eli Tsukayama of the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues found that children with better self-control were less likely to become overweight as they entered adolescence, due to their ability to control impulses and delay gratification.

However, as described in the previous section, resisting these impulses can weaken your ability to resist the next temptation.

Todd Heatherton, Ph.D., of Dartmouth College, and Kathleen Vohs demonstrated this in a study in which they offered dieting students ice cream after they watched a sad movie.

Some of the subjects were observed without warning, while others were instructed to suppress their emotional reactions through an effort that required willpower.

The researchers found that of all the dieters, those who suppressed their feelings ate significantly more ice cream than those who were free to react emotionally to the film.

People often blame bad moods on what is called “emotional eating.” But Heatherton and Vohs found that the subjects' emotional state did not affect the amount of ice cream they ate.

In other words, willpower depletion was a more important factor in self-indulgence than mood.

The reasons why someone diets may also play a role. As described in the previous section, Muraven and his colleagues found that your beliefs and attitudes can protect you from the effects of burnout.

In one example of this idea, he asked volunteers to refrain from eating cookies from a plate placed in front of them. He then tested their strength of self-control by having them squeeze a hand-held resistance band as long as they could.

He found that people who chose not to eat cookies for internal reasons (such as enjoying resisting the treats) showed better self-control in the exercise experiment than people who resisted for external reasons (such as wanting to please the experimenter).

It's clear that willpower is an essential component of healthy eating. In an environment where unhealthy (but appetizing) food choices are everywhere, resisting temptation is likely to deplete willpower, breaking the resolve of even highly motivated dieters.

However, overeating is a complex phenomenon, with numerous psychological and neurological causes. As a result, the role of willpower is somewhat controversial when discussing obesity treatments.

Some experts believe that the emphasis on self-control and personal choice stigmatizes people and is unlikely to motivate them to lose weight. Such experts believe that practitioners should avoid emphasizing willpower and focus on minimizing environmental influences on eating behavior.

After all, when it comes to our modern environment, resisting the urge to overeat can be a huge challenge. We are bombarded with advertisements for high-calorie treats.

Fast, cheap, processed food is readily available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and often costs less than healthier options.

However, both willpower and environment play a role in your food choices. A better understanding of both elements will improve options for individuals and practitioners combating obesity.

Willpower also plays a role in other healthy lifestyle behaviors, including the abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs.

According to Kevin King, Ph.D., of the University of Washington, developing good self-control in childhood can prevent substance abuse problems in adolescents and adults.

King and colleagues examined self-control in adolescents as they progressed from 6th to 11th grade. They found that teens who had more self-control problems in sixth grade, such as shouting out answers in class or acting rashly, were more likely to use alcohol, tobacco and marijuana in high school.

Unsurprisingly, willpower also plays an important role in curbing your drinking. One experiment found that social drinkers who exercised self-control in a laboratory setting went on to drink even more alcohol than subjects who had not previously delved into their “self-control bins.”

Another study found that on days when underage social drinkers found themselves having to exercise more self-control than usual, they were more likely to violate their own drinking limits.

This finding provides even more evidence that exercising willpower in one area can undermine your ability to resist temptation in other, unrelated areas of your life.

Understanding the role of willpower will likely be important for developing effective treatments for drug addiction and for helping people make decisions such as eating healthy, exercising, and quitting illicit substances.

Personality Traits

As mentioned earlier, not every person has a strong will. This depends on many factors, including personality traits. In order to understand what the word “will” means, let’s consider in which individuals it manifests itself most often.

Thus, a strong-willed person is usually purposeful, decisive, persistent, and independent. Such a person has good endurance and discipline. These qualities are very important for a person with a strong will. For example, it will be very difficult for an indecisive individual to make a decision and set a goal. Persistence will help him stick to the plan at all costs and not deviate from his goal. Independence will be manifested in the fact that he will carry out his plans without outside help.

Where does willpower come from?

Historically, willpower appeared with the emergence of the tribal system. The survival of the collective depended on the ability of the individual to make the right decisions. For example, giving the last piece of meat to a child rather than eating it yourself. Engage in combat with a wild animal, despite the threat of death and the possibility of escape.

Why is this well-coordinated mechanism now failing? The will arose later than the instincts and basic needs of man. Since we make our first conscious decisions, our psyche has been fighting a battle of motives. Every hour we choose between “I need” and “I want.”

How to test willpower

To test the volitional qualities of a person, psychologists have developed a special test. Answer 5 questions:

1. Is it easy for you to get up early in the morning?
2. Can you finish monotonous work if you have the opportunity to rest and procrastinate?
3. You have been prescribed a diet due to illness. Mom made your favorite cakes without knowing about the diet. Will you hold on?
4. Do you always keep your promise?
5. Do you easily control yourself during unfair reproaches or quarrels?

Ancient Greek philosophers

The meaning of the word “will” was interesting to the ancient Greek philosophers. They carefully studied this ability and tried to understand its essence. For example, Aristotle believed that the will is connected with the mind. In this term he put certain actions and actions of a person. Aristotle believed that will is a person’s true desires, what he wants most. They are not related to needs, but arise only as a result of reflection. Plato, in turn, connected the will with the soul. After all, it is the inner world of a person, his consciousness, that can control desires. Only the soul determines and awakens human activity and the desire to act.

Signs of will

Psychologists, figuring out and defining what human will is, have formulated three characteristics inherent in this mental trait. The first is the awareness of one's own freedom. A person understands that he is free to do any action. He realizes that there is no predetermination in principle, only he himself determines what behavioral reactions will be.

The sign of will is determinacy of action. This must be objective. Its presence is mandatory. The sign must be present in any action, even if from the outside it seems completely free.

At the same time, volitional behavior is a holistic phenomenon that affects all personal aspects. A person expresses himself through such mental characteristics clearly, completely. Regulation of behavior through will is considered the highest level of mental control.

Will and Bible

Few people think that it is in the Bible that one can find a lot of information regarding the word “will”. So, this is God's ability to do and will whatever He wants. It is by the will of the Lord that many events described in the Bible take place. God is a manifestation of higher intelligence. It is He who is endowed with the authority and power to do whatever He wants. Thus, it becomes clear that will is true desires and the path to their implementation. Since man is created in the image and likeness of God, he is also endowed with this ability.

Declension of the noun will (which case)

Declension of words by case in singular and plural.

Scope of use

General vocabulary Figurative meaning Colloquial expression Sublime expression Economics

Is it possible to train the will?

If someone likes to think that someone else controls their life, then such a person is unlikely to be interested in learning that the will can be trained. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, but in fact, man is the creation of God, and he himself has the right to control his life and destiny. But in order to avoid responsibility, some people subconsciously do not want to admit it. They shift responsibilities to other people and live not by their own will, but by chance. In fact, this is a rather convenient position, because then, in case of failure, you can blame anyone, but not yourself.

Will can and should be trained, because in its essence this ability is freedom. When a person manages his life, there are no impossible tasks before him. He is absolutely free to do what he really wants. Such an important ability as willpower can significantly make a person’s life easier, make it richer and more colorful.

Strengthening self-control

Our will, like our muscles, becomes stronger from constantly increasing activity; without giving them exercise, you will certainly have weak muscles and a weak will.
K. Ushinsky
In recent years, a large number of studies have been conducted to explain many aspects of willpower. Most researchers are looking for an answer to the question: how can you strengthen willpower?

If willpower is indeed a limited resource, as research suggests, then what can be done to conserve it?

Avoiding temptation is an effective way to maintain self-control.

In Walter Mischel's marshmallow study (in which preschool children had a choice between eating one marshmallow immediately or waiting an unspecified amount of time to receive two marshmallows), children who looked at candy were less likely to resist temptation than children who closed their eyes, turned away, or were otherwise distracted.

The principle of “out of sight, out of mind” also applies to adults. One recent study, for example, found that office workers who kept candy in a desk drawer indulged themselves less than when they kept candy on their desks, in plain sight.

Another useful tactic for improving self-control is a technique psychologists call “implementation intention.”

Typically, these intentions take the form of “if-then” statements and help people plan behavior in situations that may be confusing.

For example, someone who has decided to give up drinking alcohol might say to himself before a party, “If someone offers me a drink, I will ask for juice.”

Research among adolescents and adults has shown that implementing intentions improves self-control, even among people whose willpower has been depleted by laboratory tasks. Having a plan in advance can allow you to make decisions in the moment without resorting to willpower.

Research suggesting that we have a limited amount of self-control raises a troubling question: When we are faced with too many temptations, are we setting ourselves up for failure?

Not necessary. Most researchers do not believe that a person's willpower is ever completely depleted. Rather, people hold some willpower in reserve for future demands.

Proper motivation allows us to tap into these reserves, allowing us to persist even when our self-control powers are depleted.

Demonstrating this idea, Mark Muraven found that people with depleted willpower persist in self-control when they are told that they will be paid for their efforts or that their efforts will benefit others (for example, helping to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease).

High motivation, he concludes, can help overcome weakened willpower, at least up to a point.

Regular exercise of self-control can improve willpower.

In one of the first demonstrations of this idea, Muraven and his colleagues asked volunteers to follow a two-week regimen to control their food intake, improve their mood, or improve their posture.

Compared to a control group, participants who exercised self-control by completing assigned exercises were less vulnerable to willpower depletion in subsequent laboratory experiments.

In another study, he found that smokers who practiced self-control for two weeks by avoiding sweets or regularly squeezing a hand-held resistance band were ultimately more successful in quitting smoking than subjects who performed regular tasks that did not require self-control (such as writing notes). in the diary).

The findings that willpower depletion is linked to glucose levels also suggest a possible cure. Eating regularly to maintain blood sugar levels in the brain can help replenish depleted willpower reserves.

!!! But don't let the concept of "sugar" fool you. Healthy foods without refined sugar are better than any sweets for maintaining normal blood sugar levels.

Dieters looking to maintain willpower while cutting calories can eat frequent small meals instead of skipping breakfast or lunch.

Evidence from research on willpower depletion also suggests that writing a list of resolutions on New Year's Eve is the worst possible approach. Exhaustion in one area can reduce willpower in other areas, so it makes sense to focus on one goal at a time.

In other words, don't try to quit smoking, start eating healthier, and start a new workout plan all at the same time. Setting goals one by one is the best approach.

Once you get into a good habit, Baumeister says, you no longer need to use your willpower to maintain the behavior. Eventually, healthy habits will become routine and no longer require effort.

Despite a significant amount of research, many questions about the nature of self-control remain unresolved. However, it is likely that with clear goals, good self-control and a little practice, you can train your willpower to remain strong in the face of temptation.

Self improvement

Many scientists, when asked what the word “will” means, answer this way: it is an ability that helps a person put his life in order. And in fact, setting goals and getting results is quite important. In order to develop willpower, it is necessary to train those personality traits that we mentioned earlier. So, a person should become more decisive, independent, and persistent. Another important detail is organization. First you need to discipline yourself. Try to organize your day so that you do certain activities at the same time. For example, have breakfast every day at exactly 8 am.

Another synonym for the word “will” is “determination.” Try to set small tasks for yourself and complete them within clear deadlines. It is important to pay attention to momentary desires. These are the main enemies of willpower. When any desire arises, it must first be analyzed. So, for example, you wanted a piece of chocolate. Analyze how much you need it right now. Set a goal to eat it in exactly one hour. You need to convince yourself that your mind controls your body, and not vice versa.

In this way, you need to try to discipline yourself in many things. Willpower is actually the ability of a person to control his thoughts and desires, taking into account the main and main task. If you stop every time and think about the need for this or that action, then after a month you will notice that it will be much easier for you to set a task and complete it.

This is how willpower is formed with little effort. It is also important to remember that the better the motivation, the easier it will be to complete certain tasks. People who have this ability well developed are more successful. They know how to plan their time and go towards their goals in small but confident steps.

How to develop willpower

Willpower is like a muscle. If she is not pumped up, then it will be difficult to carry out complex tasks. Therefore, developing willpower is always a consistent process. Every day you need to make the slightest brief effort. When it becomes easier to do, you can complicate the task. For example, give up sweets at least once or stop working at the first demand of the mind, but not immediately, but after 10 minutes.

Meditation is also good for developing willpower, because it trains those parts of the brain that are responsible for this quality.