Learn the stages of willing and how to move from intention to action. Learn “will qualities” like focus and persistence. Learn practical ways to apply will in ordinary life.
This is a free course based around Roberto Assagioli’s book, The Act of Will. You will need a copy of the book to read, although if you’re happy to read it on your device, you can find copies of it free online. You can:
- borrow The Act of Will from a library.
- purchase a copy from Amazon.com or other book retailers.
Who it’s for: If you want practical self-leadership, follow-through, clarity, self-discipline, motivation without hype, then this is for you.
Who it’s not for: If you’re looking for a quick hack, or who don’t want to read/reflect at all, then this is probably not for you (but have a look anyway, it’s free!).
Want an overview, before you decide? Watch the explainer videos on YouTube: The Act of Will (Roberto Assagioli) Explained: Practical Self-Mastery & Will Training
What you’ll learn
- Understand major “will” styles (e.g., strong/skillful/good; personal/transpersonal themes)
- Learn the six functional stages of willing (purpose, deliberation, decision, affirmation, planning, directing execution)
- Build practical routines for follow-through
- Use short, low-effort exercises to train attention/focus and self-direction
Course Format
Cost: Free
Format: Self-paced lessons + optional quizzes + infographics
Structure: One lesson per chapter (including appendices)
Time: Lessons will take approximate 30 minutes on top of time taken to read the chapter.
Link: https://graemewilson.nz/courses/act-of-will-study-guide/
License: CC0 1.0 Universal
Printable Act of Will Study Guide
Note: The links go to Google Docs. From there you can read online or download in other formats, e.g., PDF, epub, Word.
Part One – The Nature of the Will
- Course Introduction
This course treats The Act of Will as what Assagioli intended it to be: a training manual, not merely an interesting set of ideas. - 1. Introduction
Diagnose the modern “inner–outer” power gap and justify training the will through direct experience rather than theory. - 2. The Existential Experience of the Will
Establish the lived discovery of the will (and the “I” that wills) as the foundation and incentive for training, while clearing key misunderstandings and resistances that obstruct that training. - 3. The Qualities of the Will
Review the will’s key qualities, so they can be clearly understood, deliberately evoked, and balanced in the right proportions during willing and will-training. - 4. The Strong Will
Provide practical preparation and exercises to deliberately increase the strength (energy/intensity) of the will so a willed act has enough “fire” to carry out its purpose. - 5. The Skillful Will: Psychological Laws
Clarify how to use the will effectively by directing other psychological functions through knowable laws, avoiding both brute forcing and abdicating the will. - 6. Practical Applications of the Skillful Will
To present a small set of tested, typical techniques that apply the psychological laws of the previous chapter under the direction of the skillful will in common inner and outer situations. - 7. The Good Will
Introduce good will as a new, higher task in will-training—disciplining the will to choose aims consistent with others’ welfare—and show practical means for reducing conflict through removing obstacles and developing will-to-understand (especially via empathy). - 8. Love and Will
Clarify why love and will often oppose or distort each other in practice, and how to deliberately integrate them through balancing, raising their level, and synthesizing them (not compromising). - 9. The Transpersonal Will
Clarify how higher (“transpersonal”) needs generate a distinct kind of willing—experienced as meaning-seeking, a “pull/call,” and a drive toward transcendence rather than regression. - 10. The Universal Will
Clarify the idea of a Universal Will, how it relates to individual will, and why intuition and analogy (not anthropomorphic theology or purely analytic “proofs”) best support experiential understanding of that relationship.
Part Two – The Stages of Willing
- 11. From Intention to Realization
Present the act of will as a six-stage sequence and show how understanding these stages reveals why willing succeeds or fails. - 12. Purpose, Evaluation, Motivation, Intention
Clarify the interrelated elements that start a willed act and show how accurate motivation-work (including unconscious motives) is necessary to move from “goal in imagination” to effective action. - 13. Deliberation, Choice, and Decision
Train the learner to make sound decisions by deliberate thinking, willed inhibition (restraint), realistic appraisal of possibilities, and responsible choosing (including renunciation). - 14. Affirmation
Explain why affirmation is the pivotal “activating” moment after decision, and teach practical techniques for making affirmation effective without common misuses. - 15. Planning and Programming
Teach the rules and phases of planning/programing so willing can move from decision into effective execution without losing the goal. - 16. The Direction of the Execution
Correct a common misuse of will at the execution stage by defining the will’s proper function as direction—coordinating and supervising the other psychophysical functions that actually carry out action.
Part Three – Epilogue
- 17. The Joyous Will
Clarify what “joy” means in relation to willing, and argue that successful willing is intrinsically joyous across multiple levels of human needs. - The Will Project
To frame the book as a beginning and propose a research and application programme (“The Will Project”) with an urgent focus on peace through good will.
Appendices
- Appendix One: Self-Identification Exercise
Make self-consciousness (“I”) explicit by practicing disidentification from changing contents of consciousness and deliberate self-identification as a center of will. - Appendix Two: Thinking and Meditation
- Define meditation precisely, distinguish its three main types, and teach the discipline, preparation, aims, methods, and safeguards needed for effective inner action.
- Appendix Three: Questionnaire on the Will
If you’re willing, complete and submit the Questionnaire on the Will (Google Form). - Appendix Four: Historical Survey
Provide perspective on historically conflicting “will” concepts and justify a practical way forward: direct existential study plus experiments on willing. - Appendix Five: Differential Psychology
Clarify what “differential psychology” can and cannot explain about people, and how to use traits and types without distortion while recognizing the unique, changing individual.
From the course developer
I created this course as I’ve seen how people often understand what they should do, yet still feel stuck at the level of choice, follow-through, and self-trust. I’ve experienced this myself, as I’m sure most people have. The Act of Will offers a practical way to bridge that gap in everyday life.
My background includes a Certificate in Psychosynthesis (2002–2004), Psychosynthesis Life Coaching training (2021/2022), plus Communication Leadership training (2021).
This course extracts the key concepts from The Act of Will, helping you to put them into practice. Expect calm, structured lessons with clear definitions and short exercises, aimed at helping you build steady progress in mastering your will. The course is free from hype or grand promises, focusing on the aspects that are most important.
I have chosen to license the The Act of Will Study Guide as CC0 1.0 Universal , making it available for anyone to reproduce or use in any way they choose.
– Graeme Wilson, Christchurch, New Zealand
Final thoughts
Keep in mind, the course and the book can only introduce you to the concepts. You will have to make an effort to understand and put into practice the various techniques.