Conation is a domain of behavior or mental processes associated with goal directed action. Wholistic education stresses an integrated approach to an individual's learning process; thus, consideration of the integration of the four domains (cognitive, affective, psychomotor and conative) can find a receptive niche among educators who seek to facilitate personal growth for learners. The Conation Cycle provides a means of examining the steps that occur between setting a goal and the achievement of that goal. Four instruments were used in the examination of personality attributes related to goal accomplishment capability: the Goal Orientation Index, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Rotter Locus of Control (I/E) Scale and the Bass Orientation Inventory. Data from two studies involving Pennsylvania pupil serivces administrators and industrial engineering students at West Virginia University suggest that: (1) personal information from inventories enables an individual to make decisions concerning his/her personal or professonal development; (2) correlation data can be used to tailor individualized prescription for self-monitored behavior change; and (3) development of metacognitive and intrapersonal skills is a necessary element in the wholistic development of individuals. Conation provides a theoretical framework which brings together the mind/body/values foci of wholistic education. (BAE)