*Voluntary Action.*—It is observed that reflex action, in the sense that it has so far been considered, is not the usual mode of action of the external organs, but is, instead, a kind of emergency action, due to unusual conditions and excitation by strong stimuli. Voluntary actions, on the other hand, represent the ordinary, or normal, action of these organs. They comprise the movements of the body of which we are conscious and which are _controlled by the mind_. But while they are of a higher order than reflex actions and are under _intelligent_ direction, they are brought about in much the same manner. *Voluntary Action Pathways* differ in but one essential respect from those of reflex action. They pass through the cerebrum, the organ of the mind (Fig. 140). This is necessary in order that the mind may control the action. From all portions of the body surface, afferent pathways may be traced to the cerebrum; and from the cerebrum efferent pathways extend to all the voluntary organs. A complex system of intermediate neurons, found mostly in the brain, join the afferent with the efferent pathways. The voluntary pathways are not distinct from, but include, reflex pathways, a fact which explains why the same external stimulus may excite both reflex and voluntary action (Fig. 141). [Fig. 140] Fig. 140—*Diagram of a voluntary action pathway.* *Choice in Voluntary Action.*—In reflex action a given stimulus, acting in a certain way; produces each time the same result. This is not the case with voluntary action, the difference being _due to the mind_. In these actions the external stimulus first excites the mind, and the resulting mental processes—perhaps as memory of previous experiences—supply a variety of facts, any of which may act as stimuli to action. Before the action takes place, however, some one fact must be singled out from among the mental processes excited. This fact becomes the _exciting stimulus_ and leads to action. It follows, therefore, that the action which finally occurs is not necessarily the result of an immediate external stimulus, but of a _selected_ stimulus—one which is the result of choice. [Fig. 141] Fig. 141—*Diagram of voluntary action pathways* including reflex pathways. Not only does the element of choice enter into the selection of the proper stimulus, but it also enters into the time, nature, and intensity of the action. For these reasons it is frequently impossible to trace voluntary actions back to their actual stimuli. The pupil will recognize the element of choice in such simple acts as picking up some object from the street, complying with a request, and purchasing some article from a store.