Activity 6.3: Returning to Free Will

The chapter, "The Will," from James talks about the little free will we may have.  James talks about the two different types of will, the precipitate will and the obstructed will, and goes on to discuss his views on the will.  A passage that stood out to me is about the balky will, a type of will that teachers may face.  He says,

Certain children, if they do not succeed in doing a thing immediately, remain completely inhibited in regard to it: it becomes literally impossible for them to understand it if it be an intellectual problem, or do it if it be an outward operation, as long as this particular inhibited condition lasts (James, p. 88-89). 

            As I was reading this, I began thinking about the self-fulfilling prophecy, and wondered if this was similar.  I would think it would be; if a student doesn’t master a task, they may develop a balky will, in which they shut down and decide if they can’t do it, they won’t try master the skill, which will result in a lack of that skill.  When you read this passage, what did y’all think?  Did it remind you of the self-fulfilling prophecy, and can you think of examples of students exhibiting a balky will?  This also relates to James’ question, “Will you or won’t you have it so?” discussed by Robert Richardson in the video we watched.  Students who exhibit bulky wills have decided that they won’t have it so, because they have convinced themselves they will not succeed.  They are not being realistic, and they are not putting forth voluntary, or “willed,” effort. 

            This passage also reminded me of two connections from my own experience.  First of all, I myself displayed a balky will when it came to math.  I convinced myself that I could not do it, that I wasn’t good at it, and so I resisted against it, big time.  I avoided math class at all costs (I spent a lot of time in the nurse’s office in the 5^th grade!)  Not until I began working with a tutor who approached math in a creative way did I find myself making improvements in math, and less resistant.  Another example of this occurred when I was babysitting my cousin one summer during college.  I decided that I was going to teach him to swim, and so I would take him to the deep end and position myself just far enough that he had to make his way to me.  He hated this.  He liked swimming, but he eventually began to hang on the side of the pool and completely avoid me.  We stopped going to the pool for a while, and when we went back we approached our lessons differently, and he is now one of the best swimmers I know.