Action control

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In modern volitional psychology, action control is understood to mean processes that shield a current or emerging intention from competing motivational tendencies. The term was introduced by Julius Kuhl in the early 1980s .

The construct is intended to explain why people, in view of the constantly existing and numerous motivation tendencies , can decide on a goal of action and pursue it persistently . If the strongest current motivational tendency were always to guide action, this would result in a disordered, constant takeover and relinquishment of intentions, the so-called action flicker .

Action control strategies

Action control strategies are processes that can support the maintenance of an intention. Kuhl (1987) includes:

  • Attention control , d. H. the hiding of intentional endangering information.
  • Motivation control , d. H. the targeted increase in your own motivation.
  • Emotion control , d. H. influencing one's own emotions.
  • Environmental control , d. H. the change in one's own environment.
  • Information processing economy , d. H. avoiding excessively long deliberations.

Concept of will

According to Kuhl, processes of action control can take place before the intention is formed, i.e. H. Certain motivational tendencies are already strengthened in the weighing-up phase, others weakened. In addition, action control processes according to Kuhl can also run unconsciously. With this, Kuhl goes far beyond the definition of the concept of will as it was undertaken by the psychology of will in the early 20th century.

literature

  • Kuhl, J .; Motivation, conflict and action control, Berlin, Heidelberg, Springer 1983
  • Kuhl, J. & Beckmann, J .; Action control, From cognition to behavior, New York, Springer 1985
  • Kuhl, J. & Beckmann, J .; Volition and personality, Action and state orientation, Hogrefe & Huber Publishers, Seattle 1994
  • Kuhl, J .; Motivation and Personality, Hogrefe, Göttingen 2001
  • Heckhausen, H. , Gollwitzer, PM & Weinert, FE (Eds.); Beyond the Rubicon. The will in the human sciences , Springer, Berlin 1987, ISBN 978-3540173731