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Volitional action, as we know, presupposes a preliminary awareness of the goal of the action and the means leading to the achievement of this goal. This means that a person, before starting to act, plans mentally for what and how he will act - before actually acting, he acts mentally.

On the other hand, volitional action is an action in difficult conditions, an action associated with overcoming any obstacles. It follows from this that the “mental action” preceding the actual one cannot be limited to a simple awareness of the goal and the means to achieve it, but includes a complex process of discussing various possibilities: to act or refrain from action, in which direction to act, in what way and in what ways to act. . This process ends with a decision.

The decision is followed by a transition from a “mental action” to an actual one, i.e., the implementation of this decision.

Thus, we can distinguish two main stages of volitional action: 1) the preparatory stage - "mental action", - ending with the adoption of a decision, and 2) the final stage - "actual action", which consists in the implementation of the decision.

In those cases where action must be taken immediately, decision and execution immediately follow each other, decision immediately passes into execution.

An example of a volitional action of this type is the episode in N. Ostrovsky’s novel “How the Steel Was Tempered”, when Korchagin, the military commissar of the battalion, receives an order from the chief of staff of the regiment to get off the horse and participate in maneuvers on foot during the maneuvers of the territorial units. The order was given in a very blunt manner, with a touch of mockery at Korchagin's disability.

“Korchagin seemed to have been whipped. He jerked the horse with a bridle ... "For several minutes, two feelings fought in him: resentment and endurance." The second won: “Korchagin was the military commissar of the battalion, this battalion stood behind him. What an example of discipline he would show him with his behavior! ..” The decision to unquestioningly obey the order, despite its injustice and harshness, immediately turns into execution: “He freed his legs from the stirrups, dismounted from the horse and, overcoming acute pain in the joints, went to the right flank.

In other cases, the decision concerns not a single and, moreover, urgent action, but the direction and nature of the activity, sometimes stretching over a very long time and consisting of many separate actions, not behavior at the moment, but a program of future behavior, not how to act now, but how to act in the future in certain situations. A person may decide to finish school with honors, not to smoke, to behave in a certain way with this or that person, etc.

An example of a decision of this type can be another episode from the same book by N. Ostrovsky, when Korchagin, fully understanding the terrible course of his illness, faced the question: “What should he do with himself now, after the defeat, when there is no hope of returning to build? .. What to do? .. ”Two directions of feelings and thoughts are fighting in him. One leads to suicide: "Why live when he has already lost the most precious thing - the ability to fight? .. He knew how to live well, know how to finish on time." The other leads to finding a way to make your life useful in spite of illness; suicide is “the most cowardly and easy way out. Learn to live even when life becomes unbearable. Make it useful."

During the long hours spent in the old park of the seaside town, Korchagin, in his words, "arranged a meeting of the" Politburo "and made a decision of great importance" - to break out of the iron ring and return to duty with a new weapon in hand.

In such cases, the decision does not lead directly to execution, but to the emergence of an intention, which is an internal disposition to act in the future in a certain direction.

However, intentions do not matter in and of themselves. They are needed only as a preparation for action. A person armed with the best intentions, but not realizing them in activity, is a person of weak, not strong will. The will manifests itself in making decisions, but it manifests itself much more in the execution of these decisions. Many people make a decision and arm themselves with the intention to quit smoking, but only those who can carry out this decision will show a strong will in this matter.

Decision and intention are the necessary links of volitional action, but its most important, central point is the execution of the decision.

The first preparatory stage of volitional action, ending with the adoption of a decision, can proceed in different ways. In the presence of internal obstacles, the initial stage of volitional action sometimes takes on the character of a struggle of motives.

Internal obstacles, as we know, are expressed in the conflict of conflicting motives. This conflict unfolds into a struggle of motives, which includes weighing, discussion, evaluation of conflicting desires, aspirations, feelings. In both of the above episodes from the life of Pavel Korchagin, we observe this kind of struggle of motives: in the first case, the struggle between resentment and endurance, discipline, in the second case, between despair and craving for "paper heroism", on the one hand, and the desire to fight, iron perseverance and a sense of duty of a true Bolshevik - on the other.

In the struggle of motives, it is a matter of the goal and direction of the action, and not of the means of carrying it out. The decision being made is about what to do, not how to do it. Before Korchagin in the first episode, the question is whether to unquestioningly execute an unjust order, and not about how to execute it.

The struggle of motives in a truly volitional action is a struggle between a sense of duty, a sense of duty, and any impulses that contradict duty.

In Korchagin's episode during the maneuvers, there is a struggle between a feeling of resentment, ready to turn into an affective outburst ("I jerked my horse by the bridle .."), and the consciousness that he must show his battalion an example of discipline. The essence of Korchagin's internal struggle during his long reflections in the old park comes down to resolving the question: what should he do? What does the duty of a Bolshevik require of him?

In other cases, in the preparatory stage of volitional action, the choice of the method of action comes to the fore. Most of all, this happens in cases where the difficulty lies in overcoming external rather than internal obstacles: there is no conflict of motives, the goal of the action is clear, but it is not clear in what ways this goal can be achieved, how to overcome the difficulties that stand in the way to it. In these cases, it is necessary to make a choice between different methods of action, it is necessary, in other words, to draw up a plan of action. The decision here should not concern the question of the goal, but the question of the means and ways to achieve it.

Let us take again an example from N. Ostrovsky's book "How Steel Was Tempered". Pavel Korchagin meets a Petliurist leading the arrested Zhukhrai on the highway. “Korchagin's heart pounded with terrible force. Thoughts ran one after another, they could not be grabbed and formalized. The time limit for a decision was too short. One thing was clear: Zhukhrai was dead. And, looking at those approaching, Pavel was lost in a swarm of feelings that engulfed him. "What to do?" At the last minute I remembered: there was a revolver in my pocket. As soon as they pass by, shoot in the back this one with a rifle, and then Fedor is free. And from the instant decision the dance of thoughts stopped. He caught up with Zhukhrai, the moment comes when you need to act. “But an anxious thought drilled into my head: “If I shoot at him and miss, then the bullet may hit Zhukhrai ...” How could one think when the Petliurist was already nearby? And it happened like this: a red-moustached guard caught up with Pavel; Korchagin suddenly rushed to him and, seizing his rifle, with a sharp movement bent him to the ground.

There is no question of any struggle of motives here. The enormous tension of all psychic forces is entirely directed in one direction: to find a method of action, a plan of action. Despite a very short time, a complex series of processes is unfolding in Paul's soul. First, confusion, bewilderment, a "swarm" of feelings and thoughts replacing each other. Then the first solution instantly arises, and the "dance of thoughts" stops. But when the time comes to act, when, it would seem, there is no time to think, it becomes clear that this decision is unsatisfactory, and literally in the last moments it is replaced by a new one: not to shoot, but to snatch the rifle from the hands of the escort. The emergence of this last decision is so closely merged in time with the execution that to Korchagin himself his actions seem "unexpected". In fact, in this case, too, the "actual action" was preceded by the "mental", the execution was preceded by the decision, although they were separated from each other by only an insignificant fraction of a second.

The choice of a method of action requires the work of thought and sometimes very difficult work (in Korchagin, “thoughts ran one after another”, “the dance of thoughts stopped”, “the head was drilled ... a thought”, “how could you think? ..”, etc. .). However, drawing up a plan, which is part of a volitional action, is not only a mental, but also a volitional process, since the plan is drawn up not as a “plan in general”, not as a plan of actions that are theoretically possible in a given situation, but as a mental anticipation of a real action, as an obligation for execution. Each of us can, mentally standing in the place of Korchagin, solve the problem for him, looking for the best method of action in his position. But our mental activity in this case will be only mental, while in his case it was both mental and volitional.

When overcoming both internal and external obstacles, the will manifests itself in the ability to force oneself to do what a sense of duty requires.

A developed sense of duty is the most valuable quality of a person and the most important condition for the formation of a morally educated will. Growing into the strongest motive for human actions, the sense of duty leads to accomplishment of feats, makes a person a hero.

On the day of the anniversary of the Red Army, February 23, 1943, a Komsomol meeting of the battalion of the 254th Guards Rifle Regiment was held at a halt. They discussed how best to fulfill the combat order - to take the village of Chernushka.

Komsomol member Sasha Matrosov spoke at the meeting - a young blond guy with a machine gun on his chest. Looking around at his comrades, he said solemnly and authoritatively:

We will follow orders! I will fight the Germans as long as my hands hold weapons, as long as my heart beats. I will fight for our land, despising death!

All night the battalion went off-road through the forest. At stops, Sasha Matrosov said more than once that night to his friends:

Well, lads, remember our agreement: to fight, so fight. It will be necessary - die, but do the job.

The approaches to the village of Chernushka were blocked by three enemy bunkers; they managed to block two flank ones, but the central bunker fired furiously and made it impossible to cross the clearing that separated the battalion's position from the village. Groups of machine gunners sent to eliminate the bunker died as soon as they crawled out into the clearing. It was impossible to break through to the village without stopping, at least temporarily, the fire of the enemy machine gun.

Sasha Matrosov secretly crawled to the side of the bunker and fired a burst through the embrasure. His bullets hit the embrasure; the machine gun fell silent, but a few seconds later came to life again. Then Matrosov jumped to his feet, rushed forward and closed the embrasure with his body. The fire stopped instantly. The warriors rushed forward, and the bunker was taken.

So the Komsomol member Sasha Matrosov kept his word and really fulfilled his duty to the end. By his determination to sacrifice his life, he earned the high right to immortality. Guards Private Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Matrosov is forever enrolled in the lists of the company with which he went into battle near Chernushka (see Pravda of September 12, 1943).

To satisfy his needs, a person performs a certain activity, consisting of certain actions. The will of man is manifested in his actions. However, not all actions are characterized as volitional. From the point of view of activity, various actions can be divided into impulsive, habitual and volitional.

Impulsive actions are actions based on a need that has arisen immediately, without a clear goal setting and conscious volitional tension, without sufficient thought and awareness of their consequences. They manifest themselves, for example, in affective reactions, intemperance and rudeness, and so on.

Habitual actions are actions performed without deliberate efforts, based on previously established stereotypes. These are well-learned actions, actions according to a pattern. They take place, for example, in the usual everyday life.

Volitional actions are characterized by the following features: a) they are purposeful; b) the goal is realized (reflected in the second signal system, i.e. indicated by certain words); c) external and internal difficulties are overcome on the way to the goal. As an example of a volitional action, one can cite the preparation of an athlete for competitions, when the set goal (to defeat rivals), despite external difficulties (malaise, laziness, etc.), is brought to an end and implemented in practice.

Volitional actions are performed on the basis of motives. However, there is not always a correspondence between them and external actions. There are four main types of volitional actions: a) positive motives are realized in positive actions and deeds; b) negative motives are manifested in negative actions; c) positive motives, due to negligence and other reasons, lead to negative actions; d) negative motives are masked by outwardly positive actions.

Volitional actions are performed in different types of activities (study, work, sports, social activities, etc.). By type of activity, volitional actions are distinguished: physical, mental, collective, individual, independent, on assignment, etc.

According to the difficulty, volitional actions are divided into simple and complex:

1) Simple volitional actions consist of two parts: goal setting and execution. For example, approaching the crossbar, the athlete decides to pull himself up several times. The accepted goal (to catch up) is immediately realized. Those. the impulse to action turns into self-action;

2) Complex volitional actions consist of three parts: goal setting, planning and execution. Studying at a university, hiking, preparing for competitions, etc. can serve as an example of a complex volitional action.

a) goal setting is the initial stage of any volitional action. A goal is the desired, expected, or intended outcome of an action. Each goal is achieved by a person to satisfy some need. A conscious need becomes the motive of his action, therefore goals (what is achieved) are closely related to motives (what is achieved). Motives are internal causes that motivate action. The closer the motive is to the goal, the less volitional effort is required to achieve the goal. Moreover, no volitional efforts are required when goals and motives coincide. For example, swimming in the river (goal) on a hot summer day to refresh yourself (motive) does not require any special volitional effort (motive and goal are the same).

Much more often in volitional actions there is a discrepancy between motives and goals. Thus, the goal set by the student - to enroll in the SAMBO section - can be achieved for various reasons: to gain knowledge and skills to achieve sports peaks in the future; be able to fight back offenders and earn the respect of peers; Or because the parents want it.

Often, several different motives take part in the formation of a goal in a person. The needs are varied, some of them may appear simultaneously. For example, at one time a person has a desire to go for a walk, to the cinema or to friends. A struggle between these desires begins (the so-called struggle of motives), which ends with a decision and a person sets a goal - to go to friends, while all other desires are consciously suppressed. Here there is a struggle of motives of approximately the same strength. Significantly more volitional efforts are required from a person in the struggle of motives of various strengths. For example, a student has a desire to go to a party, but needs to prepare for an exam. With the help of volitional efforts, the desire to go to a party is suppressed and a decision is made to act with a higher moral motive - duty.

The struggle of motives takes place not only when several needs coexist simultaneously in motives (in the first example), or motives have different moral characteristics (in the second example), but also because different motives are reflected in consciousness with unequal clarity. Some of them are vaguely represented in consciousness (in the form of drives), others are well recognized (desires), others are very clearly expressed in consciousness (desires), and there is a clear idea not only of the goal, but also of the means to achieve it.

The struggle of motives ends with a decision and goal setting. This ends the first stage of volitional action. The struggle of motives is characteristic not only for weak-willed people, but also for strong-willed ones. Strong-willed people differ from weak-willed people in that their decisions are characterized by firmness, lack of hesitation, deliberation and stability.

b) the second stage - planning. Those. choice of means to achieve the goal. Planning is an important step in volitional action. With the help of it, the most rational ways of fulfilling goals of various nature and significance under constantly changing conditions of activity are found.

Planning, as well as choosing a goal, is often accompanied by a significant effort of will.

The choice of means to achieve the goal takes into account responsibility for one's actions, taking into account moral factors and is not always consistent with the desires of a person. But this is not always the case. For many people, the slogan “the end justifies the means” is a priority and, when planning, many are not guided by moral and ethical rules. It depends on the orientation of the individual.

c) the third stage - execution. They are the final stage of volitional action. The will of a person is judged precisely by this, the third stage. Execution is accompanied by an effort of will and in most cases is more difficult for a person than goal setting and planning. For some, it is difficult to start execution and they postpone the implementation of the decision made, for others it is difficult to complete what they have started, for others they cannot deviate from what they have started even a single step, under any circumstances (even if the implementation of the decision is already unreasonable, due to changed circumstances), etc.

Refusal of what has been started is not always a sign of weak will. If the refusal occurred due to fear of difficulties and obstacles, then we can talk about weak will. If the refusal is reasonably justified, then this is just an indicator of the ability to regulate one's behavior, an indicator of a educated will. In the process of execution, a person who knows how to regulate his behavior can change not only the intended plan, but also the originally adopted goal. This expresses the feedback in the volitional process.

The criterion for the level of development of a person's will is its practical side, i.e. execution.

In addition to simple and complex volitional actions, especially significant ones are singled out, which are performed as an impulse, in an extremely short time, when all the forces of the individual are mobilized. In the process of such a volitional act, all stages, as it were, permeate each other. This happens most often in emergency situations (in a combat situation, during natural disasters, the climaxes of wrestling, etc.). Such impulses are characterized by an aggravation of all mental processes, physical and mental stress, the expenditure of a large amount of energy, and the mobilization of volitional efforts.

Realizes the need to act and make appropriate decisions, but does not always proceed to implement them. This transition cannot be explained by motivation alone. For example, people with equal knowledge and skills, holding similar beliefs and views with varying degrees of determination and intensity, begin to implement the task before them. Or when, when faced with difficulties, one of them ceases to act, and the other acts with a vengeance, these manifestations are associated with the will.

Will- this is a conscious regulation by a person of his behavior and, which is expressed in the ability to overcome internal and external difficulties in the performance of purposeful actions and deeds. Will correlates with the whole consciousness of a person as one of the forms of reflection of reality, the function of which is conscious self-regulation. This self-regulation is based on the interaction of the processes of excitation and inhibition of the nervous system.

Volitional behavior is the result of the interaction of many very complex physiological processes of the brain with the influences of the external environment.

Volitional or voluntary actions develop on the basis of involuntary movements and actions. The simplest of involuntary movements are reflex ones, for example, swallowing, sneezing, constriction and expansion of the pupil, blinking, jerking the hand when touching a hot object, involuntary turning of the head towards the sound that has been heard, etc. Our expressive movements are also usually involuntary: in surprise, we raise our eyebrows, rejoicing, we begin to smile, etc.

There is a specific feature of volitional behavior in experiencing the state “I have to”, and not “I want”, however, another option is also possible, such as the coincidence of volitional and impulsive behavior “I want to do my duty”.

The opposite of involuntary are conscious actions, more characteristic of human behavior, which are aimed at achieving the goal. It is the conscious purposefulness of actions that characterizes volitional behavior. They are quite complex in their structure, since not every goal can be achieved immediately. Volitional actions may include separate links and movements, which, in the course of the formation of a skill, were automated and lost their relevance, i.e. originally conscious character.

Some volitional actions are complex and can be performed for a long time. So, sailors who decide to go on a trip around the world begin their preparation long before the trip. This includes training, and inspection of ammunition, and route selection, etc. But the main difficulties will arise later, when they begin their journey.

The most important sign of volitional behavior is considered to be overcoming obstacles, internal or external. Internal obstacles are caused by human behavior and can be caused by fatigue, fear, desire for fun, shame, inertia, and simply laziness. The implementation of each specific type of activity and, above all, labor, aimed at transforming the surrounding world, requires a person to perform a complex system of deliberate, arbitrary actions. Arbitrary called actions which are carried out on the basis of conscious goals and the presentation of ways to achieve them.

For example, in order to get a profession, a young person needs to enter a certain university, fully complete all the curricula, read and assimilate a large number of special sources, and pass the required number of tests and exams. The ultimate goal of obtaining a specialty may be attractive, but to achieve it you will have to perform actions, many of which act as difficult, undesirable or unpleasant for a person. At the same time, he has actual needs and motives, desires and aspirations that are not directly related to this goal, but at the moment are the most attractive - reading, sports, recreation and much more, from which you can quickly and easily get satisfaction. You will need to make a choice between what you want and what you need, to resolve an intrapersonal conflict. Actions that are carried out on the basis of conscious goals, but at the same time are committed in a conflict, in conditions of overcoming internal or external obstacles, are called volitional actions. Psychologically, such actions are characterized by the formation of a person's ability to self-regulate their activities and various mental processes.

The goals that a person sets for himself differ in range (near and distant), difficulty in achieving them, subjective significance, degree of novelty. The more distant the goal, the more intermediate actions will have to be performed in the course of achieving it. The difficulty of reaching the goal depends on the number and complexity of obstacles. Subjective significance reflects the place of the goal in the system of life values ​​of a person and determines the depth of the internal conflict in the event of renunciation of immediate desires, i.e. the more significant the goal for a person, the more obstacles he overcomes. In some cases, achieving the goal is more expensive than life. Evidence of this can serve as examples of the death of fighters during torture or deaths in sports fights. A person will not be able to achieve a new goal with the help of habitual actions, and this requires great efforts and stress from him.

According to the sum of these factors, volitional actions are divided into simple and complex. Simple volitional actions are habitual for a person, and obstacles are easily overcome. “So I don’t want to get up early today, go to work, but ... I decided to earn money and I will do all this,” the man argues. In complex volitional actions, overcoming internal conflicts and external obstacles requires great efforts of will. To prepare for a difficult exam, to complete an education, to achieve success in sports, to overcome negative character traits or to form a desired quality in oneself are examples of complex volitional actions that serve as the basis for work, study and other activities.

Executive stages of volitional action

However, making a decision does not mean carrying it out. Sometimes the intention may not be realized and the work begun is not brought to the end. The essence of volitional action lies not in the struggle of motives and not in making a decision, but in its execution. Only one who knows how to carry out his decisions can be considered a person with a sufficiently strong will.

The executive stage of volitional action has a complex structure.

There are several stages in the structure of volitional actions:

• arousal and goal setting
• discussion and struggle of motives
• decision making and final selection
• execution and achievement of results.

Feature of volitional actions lies in the fact that the goal in them, as a rule, is subordinated not to one, but to two or three or even more motives, different in content, strength and significance for the subject. Motives can be one direction or multidirectional. For example, an employee of an organization needs to prepare a package of documents. He is interested in his work, he intends to receive high wages, and wants his boss to highlight him. In this case, the three different motives—learning, high pay, and prestige—have a common focus, so there is no struggle between them. Under their influence, a goal is formed - to complete the work in detail. Internal conflicts here are associated with the need to perform a difficult action, with overcoming fatigue and fatigue. It will also take a lot of effort to comprehend, assimilate complex material and to rationally organize activities. The situation will be different if the initial motives have a different direction. So, with a great interest in his work, a person is indifferent to what kind of salary he will receive. Or, for example, a strong motive arises outside of work, for example, to watch an interesting film. A person begins to weigh all the pros and cons, considers the advantages and disadvantages of a particular choice. This stage in the structure of volitional action is called discussion and struggle of motives. The more complex the situation, the more significant motives become for a person, the more difficult it is for him to make a choice.

The adoption of a volitional decision is largely based on the beliefs of the subject, on his understanding of the social significance of his choice. This process is quite complex, ambiguous and contradictory. Scientists who have studied the nature of volitional action have described the psychological mechanisms that influence the subject's choice of a goal in a situation of motive struggle. L. S. Vygotsky saw the essence of this process in the mastery of a person by his actions and mental processes, including motivation. A. N. Leontiev attached decisive importance to social motivation. He gave a very telling example in this respect. The man decided to make a parachute jump, but at the last moment abandoned this intention. However, the next day he came again, explaining that he was ashamed to admit to his comrades his weakness: he told them that he had jumped, and now considered himself obliged to do so. L. I. Bozhovich emphasized the special role of understanding the action, analyzing one's motives, and predicting the consequences. V. A. Ivannikov emphasized that through a conscious change in the meaning of one’s own actions, there is a conscious influence on the strength of motivation, and thus, the ability to perform an action without an actually experienced motive is achieved. L. Festinger studied situations when a person, knowing the negative consequences of a particular action, still opted for it. He called this choice mechanism cognitive dissonance. For example, a person understands that smoking is harmful, but still smokes. V. I. Selivanov connected the choice of a goal with the motive of duty (“I have to”), which is formed in a person as a special personal quality.

In order for volitional efforts to have a positive impact on the effectiveness of an activity, it must be properly organized, taking into account an adequate assessment of the forces and capabilities of the subject, built in accordance with a work plan or schedule. Otherwise, the person will be tired and will not always be able to achieve the expected results. The increase in the intensity of volitional efforts is facilitated by the high activity of the subject, the high tone of activity, and teamwork. Reduce the intensity of volitional efforts and reduce their impact on the effectiveness of actions fatigue, fear of failure, fatigue, disbelief in one's own strength. The end result of a volitional action is evaluated by a person in terms of its compliance with the goal. On this basis, he decides to continue or terminate the activity. The performed volitional action causes a feeling of satisfaction in a person.

Willpower

Within the framework of individual differences in the volitional sphere, parameters are distinguished that can characterize both the volitional sphere as a whole and individual stages of volitional action. In particular, one of the unifying characteristics of the will is its strength. Willpower manifests itself at all stages of the volitional act, but most clearly - in what obstacles are overcome with the help of volitional actions.

Willpower

A planned action is not automatically implemented: in order for a decision to turn into action, a conscious decision is needed. willpower. Currently, volitional effort is understood as a form of emotional stress that mobilizes a person’s internal resources and creates additional motives for action to achieve a goal. Volitional effort is characterized by the amount of energy expended to perform a purposeful action or to keep from unwanted actions.

purposefulness

The generalized characteristic of volitional action is purposefulness. Purposefulness is understood as a conscious and active orientation of a person to a certain result of activity. A purposeful person has clear personal goals and does not trade for trifles. Such people know exactly what they want, where they are going, what they are fighting for.

Initiative

The starting stage of volitional action largely depends on such qualities as initiative, independence. Initiative is usually based on the abundance and brightness of new ideas, plans, rich imagination. For many people, the most difficult thing is to overcome their own inertia, they cannot do anything on their own, without stimulation from outside. The independence of a volitional act is manifested in the ability not to be influenced by various factors, to critically evaluate the advice and suggestions of other people, to act on the basis of one's views and beliefs.

Excerpt

At the stage of stimulating volitional action, one should note such a quality of will as excerpt. Exposure allows you to slow down actions, thoughts, feelings that are inadequate to the situation. It is especially difficult to resist impulsive behavior in an emotionally charged environment. In fact, endurance is a manifestation of the inhibitory function of the will.

Determination

An individual parameter that characterizes the features of the stage of the struggle of motives and decision making is determination- the ability to make and implement quick, informed and unshakable decisions. Decisiveness is manifested in the choice of the dominant motive, in the choice of the right actions, in the choice of adequate means to achieve the goal. Externally, decisiveness is observed in the absence of hesitation and it may seem that such a person chooses easily and freely.

Energy

Another important characteristic of the executive stage is vigor and perseverance. Energy It is the mobilization of forces to achieve a goal. However, energy often manifests itself only at the initial stages of the action. Therefore, energy becomes a truly valuable quality only when combined with perseverance. persistence- the ability to constantly and for a long time pursue a goal, without reducing the fuse in the fight against difficulties. A persistent person does not stop at failures, does not pay attention to the reproaches or opposition of other people.

Intention

The actual executive stage of the decision is usually associated with one or another time - a deadline. If the execution of the decision is delayed for a long time, then they say about intention. So, for example, a smoking person may decide (intention) to give up this addiction from next year. But intention alone is not enough to carry out a volitional action. As in any other action, here we can single out the stage of planning ways to achieve the task. Planning is a complex mental activity, the search for the most rational ways and means of implementing the decision.

self control

An important role in the implementation of the decision is played by self-control and self-esteem. In the process of achieving the goal, self-control ensures the dominance of higher motives over lower ones, general principles - over instantaneous impulses, desires. Still, depending on self-esteem, the manifestation and adequacy of control changes significantly. For example, negative self-esteem leads to the fact that a person will exaggerate his negative traits and, as a result, lose faith in his strength and completely refuse to work. A positive attitude towards yourself can lead to the fact that self-control turns into narcissism.

Locus of control

The American psychologist D. Rotter introduced the concept of “ locus of control” (from Latin locus - “place” and French controle - “check”). This is a quality that characterizes the tendency of a person to attribute responsibility for the results of his activities to external forces and circumstances, or, on the contrary, to his own efforts and abilities. When people attribute the causes of their behavior and their actions to external factors (chance, fate), they talk about external, external localization of control. People with internal, internal localization of control usually take responsibility for their actions.

deed

Human actions stand out as a special type of volitional processes. deed- this is a personally meaningful behavior, evaluated by other people as an act of moral self-determination. An act can be committed in the form of an action or, conversely, inaction of the subject, in the form of an occupied position or attitude towards something.

Negativism

Negativism It manifests itself in refusing to comply with the demands made or committing actions that are intentionally opposed to the requirements of other people. Such actions, as a rule, are devoid of reasonable grounds. Negativists are just as easy to manage as conformists. To do this, it is enough just to set goals for them and formulate requirements that are the opposite of what actually needs to be done.

Stubbornness expressed in the desire, by all means, to act in their own way. Outwardly, it resembles volitional behavior, but it is not such, since it is carried out contrary to reasonable arguments and often to the detriment of oneself.

Suggestibility expressed in a decrease in consciousness and criticality in the perception and implementation of the suggested content.

Conformity It consists in the tendency to change one's behavior, assessment of the situation and possible actions in it under the influence of others. For a conforming person, it is important that his behavior is consistent with the opinions, assessments and requirements of others. For example, some young people, choosing a future profession, choose a university, paying tribute in favor of a fashionable, prestigious profession, and do not follow their aspirations.

Will is the highest level of personality activity, acts as a necessary condition for learning, labor and other complex activities. It manifests one of the most essential abilities of a person - mastering one's own behavior, choosing one's own path.

Formation of volitional qualities

Will is a specific quality of a person. This is a product of socio-historical development and is formed in one's lifetime as the ability to resist actual needs and impulsive desires. Volitional activity requires the transformation of the relationship of the individual with the environment, the formation of his consciousness, new types of needs and ways to satisfy them. The goal directs and regulates the activities of the action. However, the goal that must be achieved as a result of action loses its regulatory functions if it is difficult and far away.

The formation of the volitional qualities of a personality is determined by purposeful education and is inextricably linked with the development of personality orientation, beliefs, worldview, ideals, with the development of a person’s character and intellect. The methods of educating volitional qualities are persuasion, explanation, works of fiction, stories with vivid examples and illustrations of how people behave in difficult life situations, what decisions and why they make, how they manage to overcome difficulties. Such methods are aimed at revealing the meaning of socially significant norms.

Still, these methods alone are undeniably not enough for a person to be able to transfer the learned rules and norms of behavior into real life. Often such assimilation is passive and formal. Not a single volitional quality can be brought up only by explaining, inviting and showing. Starting from childhood, it is necessary to create situations in which a person could show the desired quality. It can be both real situations and role-playing games. The process of will formation is long. It is based on the gradual inclusion in the activities of more and more distant goals, the achievement of which requires the application of strong-willed efforts. It is important to provide a person, and especially a child, with timely assistance in organizing activities, drawing up an action plan and their practical implementation. But at the same time it is not necessary to limit its independence. Positive emotions help to maintain a high level of volitional activity, and we know that the fulfillment of needs and the achievement of goals leads to satisfaction, therefore, even the smallest successes should be noticed and rejoiced at. It is important to feel that you can experience joy from the independence of your action, from the right to choose, to resolve a difficult situation, i.e. increase the value of committing a volitional action. In parallel with this, it is necessary to correctly relate to mistakes and failures, one should not reproach oneself, humiliate one's dignity, cause feelings of guilt and failure. These measures will only lower self-esteem and will not bring benefits. It is necessary to understand the reason for the failure, to outline a plan for further action. In the formation of the will, striving for success is a more effective motive than avoiding failure.

It is easier for us to carry out volitional actions using previously learned rules of behavior and formed useful skills. If a person has learned that you need to come to a kindergarten, school, institute, work on time, then it will be easier for him to appear in other places without delay.

Life in society and upbringing form in us the psychological mechanisms of arbitrary actions and volitional activity. From adolescence, a person himself begins to form his personality, character, will in accordance with consciously set goals. This process takes place throughout life. Self-education of the will is based on self-knowledge of individual characteristics, one's strengths and weaknesses, a critical analysis of one's capabilities, an awareness of inconsistency with ideals, the development of skills to master one's own behavior and the training of desired volitional qualities. One of the founders of the doctrine of will, T. Ribot, defined its meaning as follows: “Will is the crown, the last word of development, the result of a large number of aspirations disciplined in a hierarchical order. Will is the most perfect form of what is called activity. Will does not develop to automatism. Even with a high level of development of volitional qualities, the fulfillment of a volitional action requires a person to do intensive moral, intellectual and practical work and transform himself.

Complex volitional actions have a detailed structure. In the structure of a complex volitional act, the stages of goal formation, predecision, modeling of significant conditions of activity, programming of performing actions, processing of current information about the achieved intermediate results, current correction of actions and evaluation of the final result are essential.

Stages of complex volitional action

1. Awareness of the possibilities of meeting actualized needs, the struggle of motives (the stage of predecision).

Each need has different possibilities for its satisfaction. The process of choosing one of these possibilities is the process of forming the goal of the action.

In difficult conditions of behavior, this choice is often accompanied by a clash of conflicting motives - a struggle of motives. The struggle of motives can be short-term or very long-term, associated with a great expenditure of nervous energy (sometimes very painful). The struggle of motives is the confrontation of various desires. Before a desire turns into a goal of activity, a person evaluates, substantiates it, weighs all the pros and cons. The struggle of motives is especially intense between personal and socially significant desires, between the arguments of feeling and reason. This tension intensifies if a responsible decision is to be made.

Desires differ in their level, that is, in the degree of social significance and emotional strength. (The famous hero of Saltykov-Shchedrin could not determine what he wanted more - a constitution or stellate sturgeon with horseradish. In this grotesque, the incompatibility of desires of various levels is subtly noticed.)

If out of two desires of the same level one becomes stronger, then no struggle of motives occurs.

Doubts and hesitation arise when choosing one of the options in a series of equally strong desires. Volitional effort here is manifested in the ability of a person to be guided by his principles, life positions, in overcoming emotions in order to achieve a significant goal.

In the activities of different people, there is not always a confrontation of motives. Often people are guided by certain permanently dominant motives. If these motives are socially valuable, then a person's behavior is socially adapted, that is, adapted to the requirements of the social environment. But some people are guided by motives that do not take into account the requirements of the environment, and their behavior becomes socially unadapted.

Behavioral activity is motivated by needs. However, the very needs and desires of a person arise, as a rule, taking into account the possibilities of their implementation. The current situation itself can form situational motives - incentive motives.

Human behavior is directed by a complex system of factors, a complex of motives. So, in labor activity, a hierarchy of motives is manifested: benefits, satisfaction, convenience, prestige, security, etc. The general orientation of the individual will determine in which place one or another of these motives will be, what is the strength of the corresponding motive.

In addition to the value criteria of the individual, the strength of the motive can be influenced by the clarity, brightness, emotionality and accessibility of the goal, the skills available to achieve it, and the conditions that contribute to its achievement. The strength of the motive, in turn, affects the nature of the action performed: it can dull attention to obstacles and restrictions.

In an effort to achieve the desired goal, people often neglect the dangers, take unnecessary risks, overestimate the likelihood of desired events and underestimate the likelihood of undesirable consequences. There are two general strategies of people's behavior: striving for success or avoiding failure. Everything that contradicts the formed motivation causes a feeling of discomfort – cognitive dissonance. A person's own position usually seems more correct and fair than the positions of other people. In order to realize their attitude, people often put forward their own defensive motives, sometimes not corresponding to real conditions. motive- subjective substantiation of the meaning of a particular goal achievement.

But the motive does not always accurately reflect in the mind what really prompted a person to act. Sometimes a special motivation of a person to realize the motive of his behavior leads him to a critical assessment of his act and a change in behavior.

So, the initial factor of activity is the needs, attitudes, life positions of a person, on the basis of which the corresponding motives of activity are formed. A possible struggle of motives ends with a decision.

2. Decision-making- a choice from a number of possible goals, one that is assessed as the most optimal in the given conditions for a given person.

Decision making is the choice of behavior in a situation of uncertainty.

The choice of behavior can be transitive- justified, optimal, taking into account the conditions for the development of events, and non-transitive- non-optimal, when real possibilities, options for the development of events are not analyzed.

Actions performed without a reasonable calculation, without taking into account the possibilities of implementing plans, are associated with the low intellectual level of the subject, the limitations of his operational and long-term memory, and significant defects in the motivational and regulatory sphere.

There are five types of decision making:
1) impulsive decisions (the processes of building hypotheses clearly prevail over the processes of control);
2) decisions with risk;
3) balanced;
4) cautious;
5) inert (control processes sharply prevail over the processes of building hypotheses, which proceed uncertainly and slowly).

People with a high level of intelligence are characterized by the predominance of balanced types of decisions and the limitation of extreme types (impulsive and inert). In extreme conditions, they most effectively combine risk with prudence. Unbalanced people prefer impulsive decisions, and inert people prefer cautious, protracted decisions.

When making a decision, a person strives for maximum success with minimum losses. But people judge gains and losses differently. So, risking in some business to damage the reputation, one person unconditionally rejects this action, the other hesitates, the third does not attach any importance to this risk.

Operating with initial data in the decision-making process, a person loads his RAM, the volume of which is very limited. Many people tend to ease the stress of making decisions by simplifying the relationships between inputs, limiting the need for comparison. People often ignore the relationship between the initial data, do not predict the possible development of events.

Decisions often have to be made under conditions of uncertainty, to predict the development of events. Determining the probability of an event, that is, the relative frequency of its occurrence, serves as the basis for making a decision in a risky situation.

The assessment of the probability of an event (if it is not calculated by mathematical methods) is subjective. Usually people rely on typical circumstances, take into account only the event that is vividly imprinted in their memory.

People tend to overestimate the likelihood of low-probability events (such as the chance of winning the lottery) and underestimate high-probability events (such as the inevitability of punishment for a crime). It is often mistakenly believed that expected events that have not occurred for a long time should occur in the near future.

Subjective assessments are very stable, and the role of intuition is usually overestimated. Relying on intuition, people often make erroneous decisions. (Let's try at least approximately to solve the following problem. Let's mentally divide the globe into two halves. Further, we will also divide one of the halves into two parts, etc. How many divisions should be made approximately so that an atom is obtained in the last of them? Hundreds of thousands, Millions or billions? We intuitively tend to agree with these astronomical numbers. In reality, only 80 divisions are needed.)

When making a decision, people seek to find an appropriate justification for it, convince themselves of its correctness, exaggerate the merits of the chosen course of action and downplay its shortcomings.

In conclusion, we note that there are no standard, correct solutions for all occasions. The correctness of a decision depends on the principles on the basis of which it was made, the objective significance of the factors taken into account, their usefulness in a given situation, for a given individual and for society.

The decision made is usually accompanied by a subjective feeling of some relief (since this relieves the tension characteristic of the struggle of motives), a positive emotional experience that activates activity. The decision-making ends with the final formation of the purpose of the action.

3. Purpose of action, i.e., the mental model of its future result, in the future, acts as a system-forming factor in the organization of all means of achieving it.

The goal determines the significance of everything that has this or that relation to it, organizes the field of the subject's conscious sphere. Our goals subjugate our perception, our thinking, and our memory. Only in relation to our goals does this or that influence acquire an informational character.

Goal setting and goal achievement is the main area of ​​human conscious activity. The good, as Aristotle said, is achieved by two circumstances - the correct definition of goals and the vision of the means to achieve them.

The main goals of life determine the main content of a person's life, his personal meanings and values.

Satisfy all the desires of a person, said K. D. Ushinsky, but take away his goal in life and you will see what an unfortunate and insignificant creature he will be. Purpose in life is the core of human dignity and human happiness.

The main goals of a person are determined by social factors, those social forces that determine his development. However, these factors affect the personality indirectly, through the active life of the personality itself.

The focus of action on a goal that is significant for a given individual, the achievement of which is associated with the possibility of failure, dangerous consequences, is called risk. In the behavior of people, both fear of risk, avoidance of it, and an increased propensity for risk are manifested.

4. Awareness of the task and choice of methods of activity. Following the nomination of the goal of the activity, its tasks are realized, possible ways and means of achieving it are planned in detail. Human activity takes place in certain conditions and depends on them. Correlation of the goal of activity with given conditions is the realization of the tasks of activity.

The conditions of activity can be specially specified (for example, in a mathematical problem), but in most cases they must be identified as a result of studying the initial situation. The choice of methods of action is also associated with a more or less significant struggle of motives, for some methods may be accessible, but contrary to moral standards, others socially approved, but personally unacceptable.

So, correlating the goal of activity with the conditions, a person again makes an appropriate decision to achieve the goal by a set of specific actions, and then forms a program for their implementation.

5. Formation of a program, an indicative basis for actions. Already when choosing the goal of an action, the means to achieve it are usually outlined, but after the final decision on how to achieve the goal under the given conditions, a detailed program of action, an internal plan of action, its tentative basis are formed.

Oriented basis of action- a system of ideas about the criteria for the effectiveness of this action. A person acts depending on the knowledge on the basis of which he orients himself in given conditions, what connections and relations of things he takes into account.

Before performing a physical action with a material object, a person performs these actions in the mind with ideal images of things. Any action is performed as a result of knowing the principle of action, establishing a connection between the goal and the means of achieving it. This knowledge becomes the regulatory, orienting basis of action; forming the orienting basis of action, a person transforms in his mind the initial conditions into a system necessary to achieve the goal.

6. Execution of actions and its current adjustment. Actions are performed in a certain way - a system of operations, generalized actions. In labor processes, the methods of action are to a certain extent predetermined by the tools of labor, the rules for their use (a hammer for inserting one object into another, pincers for removing an object, etc.). But depending on the level of mental development of a person, his experience, knowledge and other individual characteristics, each person carries out activities in ways characteristic of him. The ways people act differ in the number of intermediate operations, the unity of individual operations, the accuracy and speed of action. Each person develops stereotypes, habitual ways of performing actions: a characteristic way of holding objects (pens, cigarettes, spoons, knives, etc.), a peculiar manner of using them. Performing actions are a system of simple actions implemented by a complex of movements.

Physical actions - movements - have certain mechanical characteristics: trajectory, speed or pace (rate of repetition of cycles) and strength. In many cases, the success of an activity depends on reaction time (speed of response to an external signal). Thus, road safety depends on the speed of reaction to danger signals, the outcome of a hockey match depends on the speed of the goalkeeper's reaction, and trouble-free operation depends on the speed of the reaction of the operator of the control panel.

The reaction time depends on the readiness to respond to the corresponding signal, on the type of the nervous system, the age and gender of the person, and his mental state. The reaction time is significantly increased in a conflict and anxiety situation.

The verbal-associative reaction differs in time from the sensorimotor ones. It is more difficult to react with a word than with a movement, verbal reactions are slowed down (by 0.3–0.5 sec).

External action is performed by a system of movements, which are controlled on the basis of data entering the brain from different senses, are under sensory control. The physical action is accomplished through continuous muscular and visual control and corrective movements. (With closed eyes, actions are performed inaccurately, and if you put prismatic glasses on your eyes, then many actions cannot be performed at all.) Action is corrected based on an analysis of intermediate results and changes in the external environment. So, braking the car by pressing the foot on the brake pedal, the driver correlates his movement with the state of the road, the danger of the current situation, the weight of the car, the quality of the tires, etc.

The purpose of the action determines the benchmarks against which the actions are corrected. Thus, performing braking in order to ensure its greatest safety, the driver will correlate his actions already with other sensory landmarks. The actual results of all operations are constantly compared with the previously set dynamic model of action. Inaccurate actions are corrected as a result of the analysis of the reasons for not achieving the goal. At the same time, it may sometimes turn out that the orienting model of action itself was formed erroneously. In these situations, the level of critical thinking of the individual is manifested.

The system of techniques, determined by the purpose, motives, conditions of action and the mental characteristics of the actor, is called the mode of action. It is determined by the orienting, mental and sensory-motor characteristics of the subject and indicates the measure of the mental capabilities of the individual.

The mode of action reveals the psychophysiological and characterological features of a person, his knowledge and skills, skills and habits, the neurophysiological basis of which is a dynamic stereotype. Individualized stereotyping of actions makes it possible to identify a person by the method of action.

The way of performing actions cannot be reduced only to the automatisms of motor skills. Features of psychomotor are combined in a way with features of thinking, memory, life experience, general abilities and temperament of the individual. Such a complex combination of diverse factors gives a unique individualization of a behavioral act, which manifests itself, in particular, in a crime.

Consider in this connection the commission and investigation " crimes of the century"- a robbery in 1963 in England of a mail train and theft of over 2.5 million pounds.

It was about three in the morning when the Glasgow-London night mail train, traveling at a speed of 75 miles per hour, stopped at one of the deserted hauls due to a red traffic light. Machinist's assistant David Whitby jumped off the running board to use the emergency telephone to call the signal room and inquire about the reason for the stop. The phone did not work: the wire was cut. As Whitby was returning to the diesel, he was stopped by three unidentified men and threatened that they would kill him if he screamed.
At this time, the engineer Jack Millis was lying on the floor of the diesel cab - he was stunned by the blow of an iron bar. By the time he regained consciousness, the gangsters had unhooked ten cars from the train and forced Millis to drive the remaining two, among which was the car with money, a quarter of a mile forward, to two stakes with a white rag. The train stopped on a bridge over the highway. Millis and Whitby were forced off the diesel, handcuffed to each other, and left on the side of the highway. The car with the money was broken into, the three postal workers accompanying the money were ordered to lie on the floor. The gangsters unloaded the contents of the wagon - 120 bags of money with a total weight of 3.5 tons - onto trucks that stood ready at the bridge and disappeared.

The search for gangsters was undertaken in several directions. The method of committing a crime was analyzed. The police officers involved in this case raised the archives to compare the "mechanism" of the robbery of the mail train with the circumstances of similar crimes. The robberies of a mail car at Brighton station in April 1962, when £15,000 was stolen, the attempted theft of £10,000 safes in November of that year, and the Irish Express robbery in February 1963 were studied. However, the comparison showed differences in the ways in which all these crimes were committed.

Then those elements of the method of committing a train robbery were singled out, which contained indirect indications of the skills and degree of various knowledge of the criminals and thus could, to a certain extent, orient the police. These elements were: knowledge of the wagon coupling system and professional skills in wagon uncoupling; knowledge of the signaling system adopted on the roads of England, and means of signaling; obtaining information about the transportation of money and the means of transportation; the use of military-style trucks, etc. Later, when the identities of the criminals were established, these elements of the robbery method played a decisive role in proving their guilt.

Since the 17th century in England, a guide was published about the prisoners of Newgate Prison - " Newgate calendar b. In it, along with biographical data about the prisoners of the prison, the methods of committing crimes characteristic of them were described. The directory was successfully used by detectives. Forensic scientists still have the principle in service: what is the method of committing a crime, such is the method of its disclosure.

Action execution- the central element in the structure of volitional regulation of activity. It is here that such personality traits as purposefulness, perseverance, perseverance and, at the same time, flexibility in relation to a previously formed program, etc., are necessary. Gravity has to be overcome by willpower. But the timely abandonment of the initiated action, if its execution gives an unnecessary (and sometimes even harmful) result, is also one of the manifestations of the will of a person.

So, the achievement of the goal depends on the strength of the initial motivation, the ability of the individual to mobilize his psychophysiological capabilities, on the analysis and correction of intermediate results. Usually people strive for the best performance of activities in accordance with generally accepted standards of quality.

Some people strive to achieve success at all costs, showing great initiative and not being afraid of the risk of failure. Others seek above all to avoid any kind of failure. They prefer to shy away from such types and methods of activity that are associated with risk, the need to take the initiative and bear responsibility. People of this mentality prefer a strategy of behavior that minimizes the possibility of damaging their prestige.

7. Achievement of the result of activity and its final assessment. The expediency of behavior is determined primarily by the achievement of the result.

The neurophysiological mechanisms of the result as a structural element of the action were put in the center of attention by Academician P.K. Anokhin.

"In fact, the reflex," reflex act "and" reflex action ", are of interest only to the researcher - a physiologist or psychologist. An animal and a person are always interested in the results of actions."

Biological systems constantly work on the basis of feedback, constantly comparing the achieved result with the previously formed goal.

There is, however, a specific feedback in the regulation of human activity, in contrast to the behavior of animals. It consists in the fact that the goals of human activity, as a rule, are not related to the direct satisfaction of biological needs. The achieved result of an action is not always a direct biological reinforcement, as in the behavioral acts of animals (the effectiveness of an aggressive act of a predator is determined by the presence of food in its mouth). In most cases, a person evaluates the achieved result. The result of the activity is evaluated not by the formal achievement of the goal, but by how much it satisfies the corresponding need and meets the motives of the activity. The result of the activity may not coincide with the desire and aspirations of the person, and then another behavioral act is performed. Target- only a criterion for the correctness of the promotion of activities to the planned result. The result obtained is considered from the point of view of its compliance with the impulse that caused the action. Only this correspondence is the criterion of successful activity. The correctness of the performance of a practical action is revealed directly in its result, the correctness of the performance of cognitive actions is controlled and evaluated with the help of other control actions. The need for feedback in actions is the less, the higher the level of the orienting (theoretical) basis of the action. Actions of a moral nature are evaluated from the standpoint of their compliance with moral standards.

Activities that do not lead to success are modified. While maintaining the same motive, the goal and program of activity change. In the persistent achievement of the necessary result, the essence of the will is manifested.

Satisfaction with the result fixes the image of this act of behavior, facilitates its repetition in the future.

In most cases, human activity is carried out in interaction with other people. Under these conditions, the psychology of interpersonal relations acquires leading importance. The success of group activity largely depends on the psychological compatibility of individuals and their group cohesion.

By systematically performing socially significant and productive actions, an individual forms a system of positive personal qualities in himself - the human psyche is formed in his activity.

Conscious regulation of activity requires a system of volitional mental states: initiative, purposefulness, confidence, determination, perseverance, etc. These volitional states manifest themselves in their totality throughout the entire activity. However, at its individual stages, certain volitional states acquire leading significance. So, the choice of a goal is associated primarily with the state of purposefulness, decision-making - with the state of determination, the execution of an action - with the state of perseverance, etc.

Volitional states in sequence corresponding to the activity structure

State of initiative characterized by active processing of incoming information, identification of priority problems, setting the most significant goals and ways to achieve them. The state of initiative is expressed in increased excitability towards the search for a goal. In the presence of a number of goals, the state of decisiveness acquires paramount importance.

Determination- the mental state of mobilization for a quick and reasonable choice of goals and ways to achieve it. The state of determination is associated with an increase in the emotional and intellectual activity of the psyche. Decisiveness is not only driven by feeling, but is also associated with the suppression of various emotions, anticipation of the consequences of future actions.

In different people, the state of determination has individual typological features. Some try to subsume every decision under some idea, principle, or scheme approved by society ("it's accepted", "it's supposed to be", "such is the instruction", etc.). Obedience to certain principles facilitates decision making. However, this raises the possibility of inappropriate behavior. Some prefer to go with the flow when making a decision, not interfering in the course of events, entrusting the decision to other people.

One of the individual typological features of the state of determination is a quick, but unreasonable, impulsive decision making. This is due to the desire of some people to quickly get rid of the tense state of the struggle of motives. Under external decisiveness here lies the insufficiency of volitional regulation of activity. Genuine decisiveness requires a relatively quick firm decision based on the advantages and disadvantages of all alternative solutions.

However, despite the subjective differences in the state of decisiveness, there are also objective factors that influence the decision-making process. These factors include the lack of time, the significance of the action in favor of which the decision is made, the type of higher nervous activity of a person, and the features of the interaction of signaling systems. So, with insufficient regulation of the first signaling system by the second signaling system, a person shows fussiness, randomness in decision-making, with insufficient connection of the second signaling system with the first - excessive "theorizing", delay in decision-making.

The mental state of inability to make quick decisions is a state of indecision. It can be a manifestation of a special mental passivity of the individual, weakness of nervous processes, their lack of mobility. Indecision does not belong to the properties of any temperament. However, temperament affects the form of indecision. Alertness in melancholics, protractedness in phlegmatic people, fussiness in sanguine people, impulsiveness in choleric people - these are some of the features of decision-making determined by temperament.

indecisiveness often associated with insufficient awareness, lack of appropriate skills and abilities, while the main reason for indecision is the presence in this situation of equivalent opposing motives. At the same time, individuals tend to consistently make different decisions, change them, hesitate, and even decide on simultaneous different actions (trial and error).

The attitude of people to their indecision is different. Some people hurt her. experience, others in all cases find an excuse for it, and still others do not attach much importance to this shortcoming. Meanwhile, indecision is a negative quality that needs to be overcome. It can lead to morally negative and illegal consequences (difficulty, criminal inactivity, etc.).

purposefulness as a mental state is characterized by the concentration of consciousness on the main, most significant goals. From a physiological point of view, this state is characterized by the emergence of a dominant that subordinates all human actions to the achievement of the goal.

Confidence as a volitional mental state is a high-probability expectation of the planned result of activity based on the initial conditions. This state largely determines the effectiveness of the activity. It consists in an objective assessment of the circumstances that affect the outcome of the activity, based on a clear understanding of the links between the initial data and the final goal, awareness (sometimes intuitive) of its achievability, reality. Because of this, a positive-emotional attitude arises to all activities to achieve this goal, the physical and mental activity of a person increases. Cheerfulness and cheerfulness are companions of confidence. The state of confidence depends on the possession of the means to achieve the goal (the subject and instrument of activity, knowledge, skills, abilities and physical capabilities).

Successful completion of activities requires overcoming both uncertainty and self-confidence. In a state of self-confidence, a person overestimates his capabilities and underestimates objective difficulties, intervenes in matters in which he is incompetent. The state of self-confidence can be episodic (arising as a result of temporary successes) and dominant (arising as a result of an uncritical attitude towards oneself).

persistence as a mental state consists in overcoming difficulties for a long time, controlling the action and directing it to achieve the goal. A selective attitude towards everything that can contribute to the achievement of the goal is a manifestation of flexibility in overcoming obstacles. Stubbornness should be distinguished from perseverance - inflexibility, an uncritical attitude to activity.

State of restraint. In the process of activity, various stimuli act on a person, provoking action in an undesirable direction. The inhibition of undesirable actions is the state of restraint, self-control, which requires considerable volitional effort. These efforts are aimed at suppressing possible negative emotions.

Restraint should not be confused with insensitivity, emotional immunity. Restraint involves a reasonably reasonable response to strong emotional impacts. Restraint is a state in which the inhibitory function of the will is manifested. The state of restraint is the state of controlled behavior.