The Will

According to James, will could be the reason we get out of bed in the morning. Will can be defined as the intent to act or not act on a given impulse. Inhibition, or not acting, can be influenced in a number of ways. With respect to education, James gives the example of a child who is unable to learn something and therefore wishes to give up on the task. “ So long as the inhibiting sense of impossibility remains in the child’s mind, he will continue unable to get beyond the obstacle. The aim of the teacher should then be to make him simply forget. Drop the subject for the time, divert the mind to something else: then, leading the pupil back by some circuitous line of association, spring it on him again before he has time to recognize it, and as likely as not, he will go over it now without any difficulty” (p. 89).

This method has the teacher explore a different avenue of understanding with the student once they have had time away from the subject. Similar to walking away from a puzzle or any difficult task for a time, we are often able to persist longer and with more success if we take a break from it once we find ourselves getting frustrated. This idea closely aligns with more recent work on willpower done by social psychologist Roy Baumeister. Baumeister’s research indicates that willpower can deplete over time. However, similar to James’ conception of the habit, Baumeister also contends that willpower can be built up in strength and endurance through regular use in a variety of domains (Pinker, 2011). This also has connections to the idea of attention and stream of consciousness. For some students, working at a given task for long hours will not yield successful results. In fact, it may turn them off to a subject altogether. James notes the importance of taking into account individual differences in focus among students. Diverting attention to another topic, or even several topics in quick succession allows the student to immerse themselves in an idea until they hit a wall, then they can switch to another topic and pursue it for a while.

In concluding this talk, James makes the case that teachers should not admonish the student for diverting their attention to other places. Instead, the teacher should use the concept of the will and create a competing interest that will cause the student to inhibit their impulse to direct their attention away from the classroom (p. 94). By encouraging positive experiences with the exercise of will, the teacher is positively reinforcing good behavior, rather than negatively reinforcing bad behavior. This brings up the subject of punishment or admonishment in the classroom. In essence, James is calling for teachers to reinforce model citizen behavior in their students, instead of calling attention to their aberrations from the desired behavior. Is this the best way for students to learn to control their will?

Pinker, S. (2011, September 2). The Sugary Secret of Self-Control. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/books/review/willpower-by-roy-f-baumeister-and-john-tierney-book-review.html.