unter to the
current of our desires or our habits, or to enter into conflict with a
temptation.

VOLITION ACTS IN THE MAKING OF DECISIONS.--Everyone knows for himself
the state of inward unrest which we call indecision. A thought enters
the mind which would of itself prompt an act; but before the act can
occur, a contrary idea appears and the act is checked; another thought
comes favoring the act, and is in turn counterbalanced by an opposing
one. The impelling and inhibiting ideas we call _motives_ or _reasons_
for and against the proposed act. While we are balancing the motives
against each other, we are said to _deliberate_. This process of
deliberation must go on, if we continue to think about the matter at
all, until one set of ideas has triumphed over the other and secured the
attention. When this has occurred, we have _decided_, and the
deliberation is at an end. We have exercised the highest function of the
will and made a _choice_.

Sometimes the battle of motives is short, the decision being reached as
soon as there is time to summon all the reasons on both sides of the
question. At other times the conflict may go on at intervals for days or
weeks, neither set of motives being strong enough to vanquish the other
and dictate the decision. When the motives are somewhat evenly balanced
we wisely pause in making a decision, because when one line of action is
taken, the other cannot be, and we hesitate to lose either opportunity.
A state of indecision is usually highly unpleasant, and no doubt more
than one decision has been hastened in our lives simply that we might be
done with the unpleasantness attendant on the consideration of two
contrary and insistent sets of motives.

It is of the highest importance when making a decision of any
consequence that we should be fair in considering all the reasons on
both sides of the question, allowing each its just weight. Nor is this
as easy as it might appear; for, as we saw in our study of the emotions,
our feeling attitude toward any object that occupies the mind is largely
responsible for the subjective value we place upon it. It is easy to be
so prejudiced toward or against a line of action that the motives
bearing upon it cannot get fair consideration. To be able to eliminate
this personal factor to such an extent that the evidence before us on a
question may be considered on its merits is a rare accomplishment.

TYPES OF DECISION.--A decision may be reached in a v