volitional

Volitional is an adjective relating to volition, the act or power of choosing or willing. It derives from Latin voluntas, “will,” via Late Latin voluntālis, from volēre, “to wish.” The term is commonly used to distinguish deliberate, consciously initiated actions from automatic or reflexive processes.

In philosophy and ethics, volition concerns the formation of intentions, deliberation, and the conscious initiation of actions. It is central to debates about free will, autonomy, and moral responsibility, where questions focus on whether a person could have acted otherwise and to what extent intentional choice governs behavior.

In psychology and cognitive science, volitional processes include goal setting, planning, self-control, initiation, and the maintenance of action toward long- or short-term aims. Researchers examine how intentions translate into behavior and how motivation, executive functions, and self-regulation influence volitional control. Neuropsychological studies have explored neural precursors to voluntary movement, such as readiness potentials, contributing to ongoing discussions about the timing of conscious intention.

In linguistics, volitional is used to describe a mood or aspect that marks the speaker’s will or intention to act. The exact usage and terminology vary across languages and theoretical frameworks; some describe a volitional form or mood, while others do not rely on this category.

See also volition, voluntary, free will, agency, intentionality, and self-regulation.