In The Passions of the Soul (1649), René Descartes (1596–1650) offered a pivotal account of human motivation by linking his famous mind–body dualism with a theory of volition that emphasised the active power of the will. For Descartes, the mind (res cogitans) and body (res extensa) were distinct substances, yet they interacted through the passions, bodily states that the mind could interpret and guide. Volition, or the will, was the mind’s capacity to initiate action by affirming or pursuing ideas, and Descartes saw this faculty as central to motivation: although passions could move us, they became sources of strength and direction only when regulated by rational judgment. This early integration of cognition, emotion, and bodily response profoundly shapes modern understandings of motivation by highlighting that wellbeing emerges when individuals develop reflective control over emotional impulses; similarly, societies flourish when citizens cultivate informed self-governance and channel their passions toward collective good. Life Theme Analysis (Gibson, 2000), an approach to counselling and psychotherapy derived from Christian Psychology, teaches a form of emotional self-management in which emotional impulses are analysed and understood. Such understanding is part of the bedrock of civilised society.