“The proactive (as opposed to habitual) part of motivation that connects knowledge, affect, drives, desires, and instincts to behavior. Along with affect and cognition, conation is one of the three traditionally identified components of mind” (APA, 2024). A person achieves conative balance when their conation avoids the imbalances of hyperactivity, deficit, and dysfunction. A person achieves conative balance by cultivating and employing their conative intelligence, which allows them to discern which desires and intentions lead to their own and others’ well-being and then adopt them while releasing desires and intentions that undermine their own and others’ well-being (Wallace, 2006).

American Psychological Association. (2024). Conation. APA Dictionary of Psychology. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from https://dictionary.apa.org/conation 

Wallace, B. A. (2006). The attention revolution: Unlocking the power of the focused mind. Wisdom Publications.