Will is a character trait that allows a person to independently choose what to do and what to think about. This is an extremely important quality, on which almost all the achievements of mankind are based.
Will in Psychology
Unlike everyday understanding of the will, in psychology everything is a little more complicated. There are several concepts, some of which are due to the latest discoveries in the field of neurobiology. Understanding the mechanisms of how the human brain actually works can change the entire existing system of ideas not only about the will, but also about other properties of a person’s character.
As a rule, the concept of will in modern psychology means the ability to consciously achieve one's goal. Qualities that relate to strong-willed: decisiveness, tenacity, fortitude, self-control, independence and others.
One can characterize the will as the ability to act contrary to circumstances and not to come to terms with them. Not everyone will agree that this is correct in all situations, but sometimes it is really a very powerful tool that allows you to change your life.
Conscious choice
The mechanism of informed choice is not fully understood. Many thinkers have tried to investigate the mechanism by which free choice is made. Modern psychology identifies three aspects that are present in the mechanism of informed choice.
First of all, this is a trick. A person sets himself the goal he is going to achieve. All other circumstances are "marked" as secondary. Such a perception makes a volitional decision much simpler, because if there are two ways, and one of which will lead to an important goal, and the second - no, the choice is not so difficult.
The second component of volitional choice is the control of emotions and thoughts. Contrary to the misconception that will is, first and foremost, control of action, psychologists have proved that will is thought. If a person is not able to control his thoughts, it is difficult to expect that he will be able to control actions. Conversely, the control of thoughts makes the choice of the right action almost a foregone conclusion.
The third important point in the mechanism of volitional decision is control over the environment. If a person’s life contains circumstances that impede the achievement of his goals, he gets rid of them. Often this even happens unconsciously. For example, those who seriously intend to lose weight will try to spend less time with friends in front of the TV, and quit smokers will not go out with their colleagues to the porch, as before.
Will is an amazing mechanism, but its closer examination shows that a person makes an important volitional decision long before that moment comes. The right environment, the right thoughts, the right focus: all this makes volitional effort not at all as difficult as you might think.