Willpower

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Willpower or willpower ( English willpower ) is an everyday term for the technical term volition from psychology and management theory . Willpower is a synonym for character traits such as perseverance (perseverance), tenacity, determination, drive, robustness or determination. What all terms have in common is that they denote the psychological energy that is necessary to overcome feelings of unpleasantness, distractions or other obstacles on the way to achieving goals. In addition to the strength of will, all other conditions are met, to the will of (the intention , the intention ) into action to implement , it is called implementation expertise .

The term willpower is also used in connection with overcoming undesirable behaviors, habits, and emotions. Examples are eating and drinking habits, disturbances in social behavior or (inappropriate) impulsiveness. The willpower plays an important role in the concept of self-management therapy of Frederick Kanfer , a therapeutic variant of self-management with the aim of self-regulation (the patient) to strengthen capacity.

Historical development

The psychologist Narcissus Ach (1871–1946) was one of the first to scientifically investigate the phenomenon of the will using experimental methods. According to him, the success of our endeavors shows itself in the realization of what we want in the face of resistance. He called this the efficiency of the will. He means the result of two forces: willpower on the one hand and (often reluctant) habits on the other. It is about overcoming obstacles (habits) controlled by the will. Deviating from purposeful action, so oh, means a loss of energy and weakens willpower. At the same time, achieving a goal has several advantages. On the one hand, an awareness of ability arises and, on the other hand, repeated experiences of this kind lead to the emergence of (new) knowledge (through experience). The awareness of freedom or the feeling of having the strength and power to do what you want is particularly valuable. This awareness of success through achieving goals is also accompanied by pride and feelings of pleasure.

Other interesting contributions to the discussion on this topic (from a historical perspective) come from William James (1842–1910), Kurt Lewin (1890–1947) and Milton Erickson (1901–1980). Decisive impulses for the further development of this topic came from the cybernetic model of self-regulation (also known as self-regulation). The further development consists in the fact that motives or personality traits are not viewed as the primary "cause" of human action, but rather the voluntary or conscious decision

  1. what someone directs his attention to
  2. which motives and goals he chooses,
  3. for which actions (means of achieving the goal) he decides,
  4. how to monitor the success of his activities,
  5. which impulses he (does not) follow and
  6. how he deals with his emotions.

Consequently, human error is due to a lack of these skills (self-regulatory failure).

The neurologist Hans Kornhuber (1928–2009) made another important contribution with the discovery of the readiness potential . In doing so, he has given the subject of self-regulation a scientifically sound basis. Current neurology has confirmed the cybernetic paradigm for controlling behavior. Joseph LeDoux attributes the fact that the entire complex of issues (willpower, volition, self-regulation and motivation) received little attention from the general public to the “cognitive revolution” ( cognitive turn ).

Practical use

The subject of willpower (volition) plays a very important role in everyday life. For example, the empirical study by June Tangney and co-authors found that people with strong willpower can deal with emotionally stressful situations much more successfully; they are more self-confident, have better personal relationships, and are less prone to abuse of alcohol, nicotine, or food. Studies in medicine, schools and sports came to the same conclusion. These findings lead to the conclusion that strong-willed people are particularly successful in life. In psychotherapy, the subject of the will on the basis of neuropsychological concepts in the tradition of AR Lurija was put into practice in integrative therapy by Hilarion G. Petzold with a will-diagnostic interview and will-therapeutic methods to promote decision-making, implementation and perseverance. This was also taken up and systematically developed in supervision and coaching , where the focus is on the performance-oriented implementation of knowledge.

A key question is how to operationalize and measure willpower; because only then is it possible to train this ability and apply it in practice. An instrument (test) for this purpose is the so-called self-control inventory. An example for the general and clinical area is the inventory of Julius Kuhl and Arno Fuhrmann. Another example is the Self-Control and Self-Management Scale by Peter Mezo. A self-control inventory (test) to measure the willpower especially for specialists and managers was developed at the Steinbeis Institute for Management Innovation and validated on the basis of a sample of around 14,000 participants.

See also

literature

  • Narcissus: About the will. Leipzig 1910.
  • Roy Baumeister and John Tierney: The Power of Discipline. Campus, Frankfurt am Main 2012, ISBN 978-3-593-39360-5 (American original title: Willpower. Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength , Penguin Book Press, New York 2011)
  • Roy Baumeister, Kathleen Vohs (Ed.): Handbook of Self-Regulation. New York, The Guilford Press, 2004
  • Anne-Marie Elbe, Brigit Szimanski, Jürgen Beckmann: The development of volition in young elite athletes. In: Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 2005
  • Patrick Haggard: Human volition: towards a neuroscience of will. In: Nature Reviews / Neuroscience. Vol. 9, 2008.
  • Rick Hoyle (Ed.): Handbook of Personality and Self-Regulation. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
  • Frederick Kanfer: Motivation theory and industrial and organizational psychology. In: MD Dunette, LM Hough (Eds.): Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology. 2nd Edition. Consulting Psychology Press, Palo Alto, CA 1990.
  • Frederick Kanfer : The motivation of clients from the perspective of the self-regulatory model. In: Julius Kuhl, Heinz Heckhausen (Hrsg.): Enzyklopädie der Psychologie. Volume 4: Motivation, Volition, and Action. Goettingen 1996.
  • Joseph LeDoux: The Web of Personality. Düsseldorf 2006.
  • Kurt Lewin : The development of experimental Wilenspsychologie and psychotherapy. In: Archives for Psychiatry. Volume 85, 1929.
  • Peter Mezo: The Self-Control and Self-Management Scale: Development of an Adaptive Self-Regulatory Coping Skills Instrument. In: J. Psychol. Behav. Assess. 2009, 31.
  • Waldemar Pelz: Volition - the implementation competence. Research report of the THM Business School, Giessen 2015. (Download PDF)
  • June P. Tangney, Roy F. Baumeister, Angie Luzio Boone: High Self-Control Predicts Good Adjustment, Less Pathology, Better Grades, and Interpersonal Success. In: Journal of Personality. Vol. 72, 2004.
  • Brian Tracy : No excuses! The power of self-discipline. Gabal, Offenbach 2011, ISBN 978-3-86936-235-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Walter Mischel and Ozlem Ayduk, Will Power in a Cognitive-Affective Processing System, in: Roy Baumeister and Kathleen Vohs (Editors), Handbook of Self-Regulation, New York, The Guilford Press: 2004
  2. ^ Frederick Kanfer: Motivation theory and industrial and organizational psychology. In: MD Dunette, LM Hough (Eds.): Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology. 2nd Edition. Consulting Psychology Press, Palo Alto, CA 1990.
  3. ↑ Kurt Lewin: The development of experimental Wilenspsychologie and psychotherapy. In: Archives for Psychiatry. Volume 85, 1929.
  4. ↑ Narcissus Ah: About the will. Leipzig 1910, p. 5 ff.
  5. ↑ ibid., P. 13 ff.
  6. ↑ Eran Magen, James Gross: Thy Cybernetic Process Model of Self-Control. In: Rick Hoyle (Ed.): Handbook of Personality and Self-Regulation. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, pp. 145 ff. And Michael Rosenbaum, Karin Ben-Ari: Learned helplessness and learned resourcefulness: effects of noncontingent success and failure on individuals in self-control skills. In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol. 48, No. 1, 1985, pp. 198 ff.
  7. ↑ P. Haggard: Human volition: towards a neuroscience of will. In: Nature Reviews Neuroscience Vol. 9 (2008)
  8. ↑ Joseph LeDoux : The network of personality. Düsseldorf 2006.
  9. ↑ June P. Tangney, Roy F. Baumeister, Angie Luzio Boone: High Self-Control Predicts Good Adjustment, Less Pathology, Better Grades, and Interpersonal Success. In: Journal of Personality. Vol. 72, 2004.
  10. ^ Anne-Marie Elbe, Brigit Szimanski, Jürgen Beckmann: The development of volition in young elite athletes. In: Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 2005 and Jean-Paul Broonen et al .: Is volition the missing link in the management of low back pain? In: Joint Bone Spine . 2010, online version
  11. ↑ HG Petzold, N. Michailowa: Alexander Lurija - Neuroscience and Psychotherapy. Integrative and biopsychosocial models . Krammer, Vienna 2008.
  12. ↑ HG Petzold, J. Sieper: Integrative will therapy - perspectives on the practice of diagnostic and therapeutic handling of will and will. Ed .: POLYLOGE. tape 8 . Hückeswagen 2012 ( fpi-publikation.de ).
  13. ↑ K. Rast-Pupato: Will and Will in the context of psychotherapy with children and adolescents - From the perspective of integrative therapy . Ed .: POLYLOGE. tape 20/2006 ( fpi-publikation.de ).
  14. ↑ M. Chudy: The Will in Supervision - Entry into a Complex Discussion - An attempt to oversee for practitioners. Ed .: SUPERVISION. tape 12/2011 ( fpi-publikation.de ).
  15. ↑ A. Moser: SELF-CONTROL - THE WILL TO A SOVEREIGN SELF! Concepts for supervision. Ed .: SUPERVISION. tape 08 , 2015 ( fpi-publikation.de ).
  16. ↑ C. Müller: The meaning of the will for supervision. Ed .: SUPERVISION. tape 11/2011 ( fpi-publikation.de ).
  17. ↑ Frederick Kanfer : The motivation of clients from the perspective of the self-regulation model. In: Julius Kuhl, Heinz Heckhausen (Hrsg.): Enzyklopädie der Psychologie. Volume 4: Motivation, Volition, and Action. Goettingen 1996.
  18. ^ J. Kuhl, A. Fuhrmann: Decomposing Self-Regulation and Self-Control: The Volitional Components Inventory. In: J. Heckhausen, CS Dweck: Motivation and Self-Regulation Across the Life Span. Cambridge (UK) 1998.
  19. ↑ PG Mezo: The Self-Control and Self-Management Scale: Development of an Adaptive Self-Regulatory Coping Skills Instrument. In: J. Psychol. Behav. Assess. Volume 31, 2009, pp. 83-93.
  20. ↑ Waldemar Pelz: Implementation skills as key skills for leaders. In: Corinna von Au (ed.): Leadership and applied psychology. Volume 3: Characteristics and competencies of leaders. Springer Verlag, Berlin 2016. Summary