Conative

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈkəʊn.ə.tɪv/

Definitions

1. Relating to the mental process of volition, desire, or purposeful striving toward goals and action
2. Pertaining to the aspect of mind concerned with willing, desiring, and actively striving to achieve intended objectives
3. Of or relating to the psychological tendency toward purposeful effort, goal-directed behavior, and volitional intent

Etymology: "Conative" describes the part of the mind concerned with striving: the impulse that pushes us to try, to want, and to act on a goal, as opposed to simply knowing or feeling something. The word comes from Latin "conatio," meaning an attempt or an effort, which is itself built from "conari," to try or undertake. Latin's prefix "con-" adds a sense of together or thoroughly, so the root idea is an effort made with full force. Psychologists and philosophers adopted the adjective to sort the mind into a tidy set of parts. Alongside the cognitive (thinking) and the affective (feeling), the conative names the drive that turns a thought or emotion into deliberate action. The term is a deliberate technical borrowing rather than an everyday word, which is why it sounds more precise than "willful" or "motivated" while meaning something close to both.