Willpower and volition are colloquial and scientific terms for the same process. When a person makes up their mind to do a thing, that state is termed 'immanent volition'. When we put forth any particular act of choice, that act is called an emanant, executive, or imperative volition. When an immanent or settled state of choice controls or governs a series of actions, that state is termed predominant volition. Subordinate volitions are particular acts of choice which carry into effect the object sought for by the governing or predominant volition. According to Gary Kielhofner's "Model of Human Occupation", volition is one of the three sub-systems that act on human behavior. Within this model, volition refers to a person's values, interests and self-efficacy about personal performance. In the book A Bias for Action, which sets to differentiate willpower from motivation - the authors use the term volition as a synonym for willpower and describe briefly the theories of Kurt Lewin. While Lewin argues that motivation and volition are one and the same, the authors claim that Ach argues differently. According to the authors, Ach claims that there is a certain threshold of desire that distinguishes motivation from volition: when desire lies below this threshold, it is motivation, and when it crosses over, it becomes volition. Using this model, the authors consider individuals' differing levels of commitment with regard to tasks by measuring it on a scale of intent from motivation to volition. Modern writing on the role of volition, including discussions of impulse control and education, also make this distinction. Corno's model ties volition to the processes of self-regulated learning.
Role in learning
Distance education
The ability to stay focused and ward off distractions otherwise known as volition is a skill set required by DE learners to be successful in knowledge acquisition. In their research study The Role of Volition in Distance Education: An Exploration of its Capacities, Deimann and Bastiaens, attempt to apply the concept of volition research to research and practice. They argue that the concept of volition, volition competence, and use of volitional strategies have direct application to the field of DE.
