The volitional basis of Personality Systems Interaction Theory:: applications in learning and treatment contexts

This chapter discusses the volitional basis of Personality Systems Interaction Theory (PSI), and applies it to the improvement of conditions for learning and psychological treatment. The theory explains motivational and volitional phenomena, including concentration, coping with failure, identification and intrinsic commitment to personal goals, persistence, and implementation of intentions. Patterns of interactions among four cognitive systems, viz., thinking and intention memory, feeling and extension memory, discrepancy-sensitive object recognition, and intuitive behavior control, are shown to be modulated by affective change. Self-regulatory abilities support affective change in learning and in therapy, while developmental and educational risk factors compromise it. Educational and clinical treatment applications are discussed in terms of the functional mechanisms involved.