Volition (psychology)

Volition is the study of will, choice, and decision. One of the three primary human psychological faculties (the other two being feeling or affect, and thinking), volition is the least conscious of the three. Volition can be extroverted, as in the will to change the surrounding world (environment), or introverted, as in the will to change oneself or believe/accept something.

Choice is the familiar, and volition the scientific, term for the same state of the will; viz., an "elective preference". When we have "made up our minds" (as we say) to a thing, i. e., have a settled state of choice respecting it, that state is called an eminent volition; when we put forth any particular act of choice, that act is called an immanent, or executive, or imperative, volition. When an immanent, or settled state of, choice, is one which controls or governs a series of actions, we call that state a predominant volition; while we give the name of subordinate volitions to those particular acts of choice which carry into effect the object sought for by the governing or "predominant volition".

Within Gary Kielhofner's "Model of Human Occupation" Volition is one of the three sub-systems that act on human behaviour. Within this model voltion refers to the person's values and beliefs.

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