Volitional Components Research Articles

Empirical Study of the Psychology of the Winner (On the Example of the Republic of Mordovia Athletes)

The paper describes the results of empirical studies on the psychological traits of the winning athletes of international and European tournaments, with the title of Honoured Master of Sports and International Master of Sports in sports such as athletics and combat sports. The study used the following psychological and acmeological diagnostic methods: author's questionnaire named Psychology of the winner, which includes questions relating to the biographical information of athletes, intellectual and personal traits, motivation and value constructs, emotional and volitional components of personality, etc..; the Mini-Mult questionnaire (a shortened version of the Minnesota multidimensional personality test, MMPI), which assesses personal traits (tendency to asthenoneurotic, sociopathic, anxiety and mistrust, hypertemic options of personal development, touchiness, susceptibility to affective reactions doubt, emotional detachment degree, complexity of social interaction, activity, and excitability); the Cattell test 16 PF (Form A), which measures the traits and properties of the human person as character, temperament, intelligence, emotional, volitional, moral, communication, and other features. In addition, there were interviews conducted in a free form, as well as handwriting analysis was applied to signatures of the winning athletes. The authors justified the position that outstanding winning athletes are the acmeological objects. The authors develop a systematic description of the psychological traits of the winning athletes. The paper demonstrates the psychological traits of the winning athletes specialising in athletics and combat sports. The paper formulates conclusions and the urgency of further study of the psychology of the winner.

СТРУКТУРНО-ДИНАМИЧЕСКАЯ МОДЕЛЬ ДУХОВНОГО САМОСОЗНАНИЯ И ОСОБЕННОСТИ ЕГО РАЗВИТИЯ В ЮНОШЕСКОМ ВОЗРАСТЕ

Spiritual self-consciousness is an integral holistic systemic-structural phenomenon, characterized by the certain development level and worldview orientation towards informative and cognitive, emotional and sensual, behavioral and activity motivational and volitional components, represented by the physical, psychic and socio-cultural self-consciousness and is expressed in personal, individual and group forms of self-consciousness. Spirituality of young personality is determined by the development level of its spiritual self-consciousness. Genesis of spiritual self-consciousness is a multidimensional reality that unites individual physical, mental and sociocultural life of the person; is a development process of youth’s ability to integrated understanding of various aspects of his/her own "Self", self-awareness and personal development as existential and responsible subject of life activity. Integration process of all personality structures most intensively takes place at the stage of youth, because this age is sensitive to the actualization of spiritual self-consciousness. The ability of the individual to become self-aware, one occurs under the conditions when the contents of teaching and educational process are adequate to the age and capabilities of the individual and take into account available area of actual and potential basic components development of the self-consciousness and integration in the development of spiritual self-consciousness. Effective means for the developing ability of self-awareness is the best use of the advantages and opportunities of the leading activity and orientation at the age in the process of correlation levels of development and configuration features (harmonic, disharmonious, balanced) components of self-consciousness in young age. Genesis of spiritual self-consciousness of a person is determined by the peculiarities of the main types of self-consciousness (physical, psychic, social and cultural) and correlation levels (individual-personal, personal-individual, individual-subject, subject-transcendent) with defined configuration (harmonic, disharmonious, balanced) of its basic components: informative and cognitive, emotional and sensual, behavioural and activity motivational and volitional. Motivational and volitional component combines the activates, directs and coordinates the action of other components, the development of spiritual self-consciousness at young age based on the following new formation: world view, personal identity and "Self-concept" personality and through the mechanisms of empathy, reflection, identification decentration, self-understanding, self-attitude, self-acceptance feedback and self-volitional decision that promotes the integration of Real Self and Ideal Self and provides integrative formation of the Spiritual Self. "Spiritual Self" is defined as an integrated and hierarchically highest form of psychical reflection, representing the level of the spiritual self-consciousness in young age. Key words: spiritual self-consciousness, spiritual awareness, spiritual self-consciousness.

Volitional components of consciousness vary across wakefulness, dreaming and lucid dreaming.

Consciousness is a multifaceted concept; its different aspects vary across species, vigilance states, or health conditions. While basal aspects of consciousness like perceptions and emotions are present in many states and species, higher-order aspects like reflective or volitional capabilities seem to be most pronounced in awake humans. Here we assess the experience of volition across different states of consciousness: 10 frequent lucid dreamers rated different aspects of volition according to the Volitional Components Questionnaire for phases of normal dreaming, lucid dreaming, and wakefulness. Overall, experienced volition was comparable for lucid dreaming and wakefulness, and rated significantly higher for both states compared to non-lucid dreaming. However, three subscales showed specific differences across states of consciousness: planning ability was most pronounced during wakefulness, intention enactment most pronounced during lucid dreaming, and self-determination most pronounced during both wakefulness and lucid dreaming. Our data confirm the multifaceted nature of consciousness: different higher-order aspects of consciousness are differentially expressed across different conscious states.

Stress-stimulated volitional coping competencies and depression in multiple sclerosis

ObjectiveThe present study examined the relationship between volitional modes of coping (self-regulation, volitional inhibition, and self-control) and depression in individuals with multiple sclerosis. MethodsA cross-sectional study of 121 participants aged 22–60years with clinically defined MS who were consecutively admitted to a neurological rehabilitation center during a 23-month period. Correlation analyses and hierarchical regressions were conducted to evaluate the predictive value of volitional competencies (Volitional Components Questionnaire, short form, VCQ-S) on depression (Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D), while controlling for demographic (age, gender, and education) and certain clinical variables (Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS; disease duration; and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, MFIS). ResultsHierarchical regression analyses of depression revealed a model in which 68% of the variance in the CES-D was explained by daily stress situations (VCQ-S), self-regulation (VCQ-S), fatigue (MFIS), and education. However, when the analysis included only participants who had scored above the cut-off of the CES-D (n=42), the VCQ-S factor volitional inhibition seemed to play a more relevant part in depression. In particular, the VCQ-S scales stimulation of self-access, stimulation of volitional inhibition, self-motivation, and emotional perseverance/state orientation after failure appear to be valuable predictors on CES-D. ConclusionsThe results suggest that personality-accentuated volitional coping competencies elicited by daily stressful situations could be a relevant factor for depressive mood states in individuals with MS. However, to clarify the exact relationships of this rather circular framework, longitudinal study designs with objective measurements and a stronger focus on MS-specific stressors are needed.

An intervention to increase walking requires both motivational and volitional components: A replication and extension

An intervention to increase walking has previously been developed, consisting of three motivational techniques, designed to increase self-efficacy, and three volitional techniques, designed to help translate intentions into action. Previous research found large effects (d = 0.90) on the objectively measured walking behaviour of 130 English adult volunteers, mediated by self-efficacy. The present study aimed to replicate this intervention, and decompose the intervention to assess whether both motivational and volitional intervention components are necessary. A three-group experimental design was employed, with n = 35 adult volunteers randomly allocated to receive one of three interventions: (a) a “combined” intervention, containing motivational and volitional components in session at T1 and a filler task at T2, (b) a “motivation first” intervention, where the motivational components were received at T1 and the volitional components at T2, or (c) a “volition first” intervention, where the volitional components were received at T1 followed by motivational components at T2. At T2, there was a significant main effect of time, such that there was an increase in walking, but this did not differ between groups. At T3, the “combined” intervention group showed a large (d = 1.06) and significant (p = 0.036) increase in walking behaviour, in contrast to both other interventions (time × groups interaction, p = 0.003). The “combined” intervention also produced a significant increase in self-efficacy, relative to the two other interventions. This study demonstrates generalisability of previous large intervention effects and suggests that use of both motivational and volitional components is optimal in producing change in walking behaviour. Future research should explore the mechanisms by which techniques to increase self-efficacy and planning interact.

Predicting hygienic food handling behaviour: modelling the health action process approach

PurposeThe purpose of the current paper is to investigate the determinants of hygienic food handling behaviour using the health action process approach (HAPA) and to examine if the volitional components of the model or the addition of past behaviour could explain additional variance in behaviour.Design/methodology/approachA prospective four‐week study investigating the predictive ability of HAPA variables and past behaviour was used. At time 1, 109 participants completed self‐report questionnaires regarding their action self‐efficacy, risk awareness, outcome expectancies and intentions to hygienically prepare food and past behaviour. At time 2, participants returned a follow‐up questionnaire, which measured behaviour, planning, maintenance and recovery self efficacy. Structural equation modelling was used to compare three versions of the HAPA model.FindingsThe first model showed that intention was a significant predictor of behaviour explaining 40 per cent of the variance and was the best fit. The second model, which included the volitional components of the HAPA model, did significantly increase the proportion of behaviour explained. The third model, which included past behaviour, increased the variance explained but was not a superior fit to the previous two models.Practical implicationsThe results of this study confirm that aspects of the HAPA may be useful in determining hygienic food handling behaviour. However, volitional variables do not appear to be important in this behaviour. The implications of this for future research and interventions are elucidated.Originality/valueThe current study is one of the first to use the HAPA model to predict hygienic food handling behaviour.

Measuring Volitional Competences: Psychometric Properties of a Short Form of the Volitional Components Questionnaire (VCQ) in a Clinical Sample

Volitional competences (skills of will), including self-regulation skills such as self-motivation and emotion regulation and self-control skills such as impulse control, are particularly necessary for patients with psychiatric and psychosomatic disorders. The Volitional Components Questionnaire (VCQ) is an instrument designed to measure volitional competences. However, its length of 190 items prevents its routine application in clinical settings. This study evaluates a new 36-item short form of the VCQ. 1018 inpatients of a psychosomatic rehabilitation clinic completed the VCQ and several measures of psychopathology, personality, and cognitive ability. Exploratory factor analysis identified six factors. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the VCQ-36 shared several volitional components with the original VCQ. Most of the self-regulation competences correlated negatively with psychopathological measures such as depression, as well as with neuroticism, social inhibitedness, and excitability, and positively with extraversion. Impulse control was also negatively associated with neuroticism and excitability. No meaningful correlation with cognitive ability was observed. The VCQ-36 is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing volitional competences and is well suited for routine application in clinical settings.

Functional Anatomy of Humor: Positive Affect and Chronic Mental Illness

Functional Anatomy of Humor: Positive Affect and Chronic Mental Illness

Self‐regulation in violent and non‐violent offenders: a preliminary report

The functional role of self-regulation in violent behaviour is not yet fully understood. To test the hypothesis that violent offenders have more deficits in self-regulation and self-control than non-violent offenders. Self-regulation and personality disorders were evaluated in a sample of 70 violent and non-violent incarcerated offenders using the Volitional Components Questionnaire (VCQ) and the SCID-II for DSM-IV. The self-report data indicate that violent offenders were no different from non-violent offenders on either facilitatory or inhibitory modes of self-regulation and self-control. Compared with a sample of normal, healthy men, differences were found in all tested self-regulation variables but not in self-control. Except for antisocial personality, the groups were similar in personality features. The proposed hypothesis was not sustained on this measure of self-regulation. With regard to self-regulation and self-control, violent and non-violent offenders were similar and treatment interventions to improve capacity in these respects are probably useful for both groups.

Voluntarism in Consultation Psychiatry: The Forgotten Capacity

Voluntarism in Consultation Psychiatry: The Forgotten Capacity

The development of volition in young elite athletes

Abstract Objectives To examine the development of volition in young athletes attending an elite sport school. Because volition is important for realising long and intense training loads during the course of an athletic career the question is if the context of a school for young elite athletes promotes its development. Design Two studies are described, one with a cross-sectional (study 1) and another with a longitudinal design (study 2). Methods In the cross-sectional study the volitional skills of 327 students attending a school for young elite athletes were analysed according to age and living situation (at home/in the boarding school). In the longitudinal study the development of volition of 63 young elite athletes was compared to that of 122 non-athletic students attending a regular school. In both studies volition is measured with the Volitional Components Questionnaire (VCQ II). On the basis of a factor analysis conducted in study 1, two factors could be identified, namely self-optimisation, which includes skills needed to achieve goals, and self-impediment, which includes skills addressed in stress situations. Results Study 1 suggests that self-impediment shows a development and that volitional skills develop more favourably in athletes living in the boarding school. These results are confirmed by the longitudinal study. The second study additionally shows that volitional skills concerning self-optimisation develop more favourably in the young elite athletes when compared to regular students. Conclusion Only advantages concerning the development of volition in students attending a school for young elite athletes were found.

Self-Regulation and Recovery: Approaching an Understanding of the Process of Recovery from Stress

Stress has been studied extensively in psychology. Only recently, however, has research started to address the question of how individuals manage to recover from stress. Recovery from stress is analyzed as a process of self-regulation. Several individual difference variables which affect the efficiency of self-regulation have been integrated into a structured model of the recovery process. Such variables are action versus state orientation (a tendency to ruminate, e.g., about a past experience) and volitional components, such as self-determination, self-motivation, emotion control, rumination, and self-discipline. Some of these components are assumed to promote recovery from stress, whereas others are assumed to further the perseverance of stress. The model was supported by the empirical findings of three independent studies (Study 1, N=58; Study 2, N=221; Study 3, N= 105). Kuhl's Action Control Scale measured action versus state orientation. Volitional components were assessed with Kuhl and Fuhrmann's Volitional Components Questionnaire. The amounts of experienced stress and recovery from stress was assessed with Kellmann and Kallus's Recovery-Stress Questionnaire. As hypothesized in the model, the disposition towards action versus state orientation was a more distant determinant of the recovery from stress and perseverance of stress. The volitional components are more proximal determinants in the recovery process. Action orientation promotes recovery from stress via adequate volitional skills, e.g., self-determination, self-motivation, emotion control, whereas state orientation furthers a perseverance of stress through rumination and self-discipline.

Pathways to rape: Preliminary examination of patterns in the offence processes of rapists and their rehabilitation implications

Offence process models seek to capture the interactions between cognitive, affective, behavioural and volitional components of offences, as they unfold over time. These models are primarily descriptive and provide a foundation to higher levels of theorizing. Previous research into the offence chains of child sexual offenders has suggested that a number of different pathways are required to accommodate the most common variations in how men go about committing their offences. Offence chain research has established that the Relapse Prevention (RP) model accommodates a truncated range of these offence chain patterns, yet most treatment programmes for sex offenders rely heavily on the RP model. In recent research with rapists, we constructed an offence process model for rape, using qualitative data obtained from a sample of rapists incarcerated in New Zealand prisons. We present preliminary work on identifying the pathways that individual offences take through this model. We describe these pathways and examine their implications for tailoring of rehabilitation endeavours for men who sexually assault adults.

Personality systems interactions theory and the theory of planned behaviour: evidence that self-regulatory volitional components enhance enactment of studying behaviour.

The role of volitional components specified by personality systems interactions theory in enhancing behavioural prediction was examined in a longitudinal investigation of students' studying. Participants completed measures specified by the theory of planned behaviour and questionnaire measures of 'conscious attention control', 'implicit attention control' and 'self-determination' from the volitional components inventory. Behaviour was assessed 2 weeks later. Regression analyses showed that volitional components increased variance explained in behaviour by 10-18%, after taking into account strength of motivation to study assessed by attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and intention from the theory of planned behaviour. Moreover, consistent with elements of personality systems interactions theory, moderator effects were obtained. Participants who reported self-determination, conscious attention control and implicit attention control were more likely to enact their intentions. Volitional components were also associated with increased studying among participants who perceived a low subjective norm for studying. Volitional components improved prediction of studying after accounting for past behaviour in the regression models.

Self-regulation, self-Control, and management training transfer

Kuhl (1996, Enzyklopädie der Psychologie, Serie Motivation und Emotion, Bd. 4, Motivation, Volition und Handlung (pp. 665–765). Göttingen: Hogrefe) differentiates between two modes of action control: self-regulation and self-control. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relevance of self-regulation and self-control in management training transfer. Three hypotheses were derived from Kuhl's theory. The first is that self-regulators remember intentions better than self-controllers. The second is that self-regulation is associated with positive emotions, whereas self-control is associated with negative emotions. The final hypothesis is that self-regulation increases the success of training transfer, whereas self-control impedes the success of training transfer. To test these hypotheses, a longitudinal field study was conducted with 82 managers participating in two 2-day training sessions. Self-regulation and self-control were measured at the outset of the training session using the Volitional Components Inventory (VCI) ( Kuhl & Fuhrmann, 1998, Lifespan perspectives an motivation and control (pp. 15–49). Hillsdale; NJ: Erlbaum). The dependent variables — intention memory, emotions, intention realization, and criteria fulfillment — were assessed three months after the course. The results corroborate Hypotheses 1 and 2; partial support was found for Hypothesis 3. Discussing these results, several suggestions for improving managers’ self-regulation are proposed.

Psychopathy and Responsibility

Some philosophers have argued that the psychopath serves as the ultimate test of the limits of moral responsibility. They hold that the psychopath lacks a deep knowledge of right and wrong, and that Kant’s ethics arguably offers the most plausible account of this moral knowledge. On this view, the psychopath’s lack of moral understanding is due to a cognitive failure involving practical reason. I argue that the deep knowledge of right and wrong consists of emotional and volitional components in addition to a cognitive one. Hence it is mistaken to claim that the psychopath’s moral deficiency is due solely to a cognitive failure, or that his lack of the deep knowledge of right and wrong can be explained entirely in terms of a defect of practical reason. I refer to empirical research to show that the Kantian model of practical reason does not provide a satisfactory account of responsibility of the psychopath in particular or of moral agents in general. On the basis of both philosophical and empirical considerations, I argue that the psychopath is at least partly responsible for his behaviour.

Maintenance of constant arm position or force: reflex and volitional components in man.

1. Normal subjects, with closed eyes, attempted to keep constant either the force exerted at the wrist or the position of the wrist against an elastic load. The load was attached to the wrist 275 mm from the axis of rotation of the elbow joint. During recording, the far end of the elastic load was displaced slowly enough that it was not immediately perceived but far enough for perception to occur before its completion. 2. The over-all relation between wrist force and position for the two conditions was approximately linear and could be described in terms of effective stiffness. The effective stiffness for the constant-position task averaged 2.8 N/mm (210 N m/rad), while for the constant-force task the mean effective stiffness was -0.028 N/mm (-2.1 N m/rad), indicative of slight over-compensation. 3. Averaging the performance at the onset of the imposed disturbance indicated that the subjects' behaviour consisted of two parts: an initial, small-range response followed by a second phase over the remainder of the displacement. The transition corresponded to the subjects' threshold for detection of the disturbance. 4. The stiffness measured for the response prior to perception was taken as a measure which included the tonic stretch reflex. The stiffness was altered appropriately for the two tasks, being lower when the subjects tried to maintain the force exerted constant (average 1.1 N/mm, 83 N m/rad) than when they attempted to keep the position constant (average 2.3 N/mm, 170 N m/rad). A small degree of co-contraction occurred but could be dissociated from the stiffness changes. 5. Scaling the results allowed comparison of the initial stiffness with values for the decerebrate cat. When analysed in this way, the values recorded in man during the constant-position task were similar to those reported for short-range stiffness in the decerebrate cat. 6. The thresholds for detection of the disturbance were much lower than those reported for subjects with relaxed muscles. 7. The stretch reflex in man has a direct role in compensating for small disturbances during motor tasks. It may also function to improve detection of applied disturbances by magnifying the corresponding force change. Once the stimulus is perceived and voluntary intervention is possible, a greater contrast is seen between the subjects' performance of the two tasks.

Primate communication, comparative neurology, and the origin of language re-examined

The view that non-human primates lack significant voluntary control over their vocalizations and that their vocalizations lack propositional, referential, or symbolic qualities has been a persistent one, especially among those who have examined the evolutionary origin of human speech. This view would seem to favor proposals of human language having originated in the form of manual gesture, a modality that in non-human primates appears to be subject to greater voluntary control. Recent field and laboratory investigations of the information conveyed in the natural vocalization system of primates and comparative neurological data, however, point to important similarities between the vocalization system of non-human primates and human speech. In particular, use of innovative methodology such as the “playback” technique has shown in several New and Old World monkey species that calls convey more than the sender's emotionalmotivational state, including also information about the sender's sex, group membership, and social relationships. In some species, calls apparently also have semantic qualities, in that they encode specific information about external objects or events, and there is evidence that the decoding of calls may be governed by simple syntactical rules and that perceptual mechanisms similar to those in human speech may be employed. This structural and functional complexity of calls is also reflected at the level of governing neural mechanisms. Not only is there strong evidence for volitional components in calls and the involvement of neocortical mechanisms, but there may also be a differentiation of neural control mechanisms according to call type. Furthermore, in some species hemispheric asymmetries exist in auditory perception and perhaps also production of calls. Despite the absence of significant neurobiological data from apes, these data suggest that the vocal-auditory machinery of the earliest hominids was far more ready to take on “primordial” speech functions than has been previously supposed.

Stereotypy in Human Randomization and Spontaneous Sequencing of Responses

dancy as a measure of stereotypy in human performance on randomization and spontaneous sequencing tasks. In the latter study they hypothesized that in a randomization task the control over stereotypy is limited by a subject's ability to randomize and in a spontaneous task by both his ability to randomize and his willingness, suggesting a distinction between cognitive and attitudinal (volitional) components of stereotypy. Higher stereotypy scores on spontaneous sequencing were hypothesized to be related to the attitudinal component. The present study was done to determine the correlation between the tasks of randomization and spontaneous activity, using the information-theoretic measure of redundancy as a measure of stereotypy. A relative lack of positive correlation would be consistent with the notion of cognitive and attitudinal components of stereotypy as independent factors of stereotypy, while a significant positive correlation would indicate a common factor of stereotypy in both types of tasks. Subjects were 106 undergraduates of both sexes; 52 were given the spontaneous sequencing task first, followed by the randomization task. The remaining 54 subjects were tested in the reverse order. Both tasks were those described earlier (1. 2). When the spontaneous sequencing task was presented first, the product-moment correlation was -.I09 (p > .05), but when the randomization task was first, 7 was .640 (p < .01). This discrepancy requires some explanation. The spontaneous sequencing task is induced by non-specific instructions (the subject does whatever he pleases), while the randomization task is preceded by specific randomization instructions (subject has to apply his ability to randomize the sequence). While the transition from non-specific to specific tasks would not be expected to contaminate the specific task (namely, randomization), the converse would not be equally logical. An initial specific task would be expected to carry over to the following non-specific task because subjects habituate to one particular mode of responding which is also consistent with and allowed by the non-specific instructions (namely, spontaneous sequencing instructions). Tbe correlation of .640 when the randomization task is first, should be interpreted as spurious (albeit on an ex port facto basis). This interpretation is supported by an inspection of the means. When the spontaneous sequencing task was second, the redundancy dropped to a low of .430 (compared with .659 when the same task was first), a level more consistent with redundancy obtained on randomization (.346 and .296, respectively). A lack of positive correlation, when the randomization follows the spontaneous sequencing task, supports the contention that the stereotypy in the two tasks is of two different kinds, namely, of a cognitive and of an attitudinal (volitional) type.

Hormonal control of receptivity, proceptivity and sexual motivation

The results of three experiments using ovariectomized female rats are reported. In each experiment, females were individually tested in large arena with a partner (or partners) tethered so as to give the unrestrained female control over the occurrence of social interaction. In the first experiment we show that ovariectomized females will repeatedly approach a sexually active male and allow themselves to be mounted. Other forms of female initiated contact are common. These include “grooming” and “nosing” the male, crawling over or under the male, the “push-past” the male, genital sniffing, and following the male. For convenience we refer to these as feminine social contacts. Treatment with ovarian hormones induces sexual receptivity, increases the frequency with which females approach males, and increases the display of sexual soliciting behaviors such as hopping and darting. In this setting the frequency of feminine social contacts is decreased. In a second experiment we show that hopping/darting is frequently displayed by intensely receptive females when they are tested with sexually active males, but these beahviors are almost never displayed in the presence of either a sexually passive male or a female. The frequency of feminine social contacts varies predictably with the setting: contact frequency is low when receptive females are tested with active males; contact frequency is high when females are tested with a passive male or a female. In the third experiment we used a preference test paradigm to measure sexual motivation. This involved testing a female with a sexually active male and a sexually inactive castrate at the same time. Treatment with ovarian hormones increases a female's preference for the sexually active male over the castrate, and by this criterion hormonal stimulation can be said to increase sexual motivation. The results of this experiment, using a very simple test for sexual motivation, form the basis for a forthcoming series of papers dealing with the effects of brain damage upon reflexive and volitional components of feminine sexual behavior.