...Essay Would you agree that all human actions are ultimately motivated by self-interest? Provide reasons for your agreement/disagreement. Although few would use the word “selfish”, a word of negative connotation that implies actions done harm the interests of others for the benefit of the doer, to describe the whole human race, some believe all rational human actions are ultimately motivated by “self-interest”, a more neutral word that implies actions done are motivated by the doer’s desire, but may or may not cause harm to others. Others, however, argue that some acts such as altruism, or otherwise called “selfless actions”, serve as evidence that counters the view. This essay will argue that all human actions are ultimately motivated by self-interest. By examining human actions as either (1) acts for self, (2) altruistic acts that also benefit the doer or (3) altruistic acts that do not, it will argue that all of the above actions are ultimately initiated by self-interest. ["apparent fact" sounds like an oxymoron; "clear fact" is better] It is widely accepted that many human actions are done to benefit the doer. Every day, people work for food and shelter. They entertain themselves with occasional trips to theme parks or the cinema. In desperate circumstances, some may even commit theft or murder. All these are actions intended to be self-beneficial. It is not necessarily evil to be self-interested. Any rational person would be motivated to carry out such acts to satisfy...
Words: 1167 - Pages: 5
...Morality - judges the rightness or wrongness of an action based on properties intrinsic to the action, not on its consequences. Psychological egoism - the view that humans are always motivated by self-interest, even in what seem to be acts of altruism. It claims that, when people choose to help others, they do so ultimately because of the personal benefits that they themselves expect to obtain, directly or indirectly, from doing so. Ethical egoism - the normative ethical position that moral agents ought to do what is in their own self-interest. It differs from psychological egoism, which claims that people can only act in their self-interest. Care Ethics - our sense of right and wrong and our beliefs about rights we possess and duties we owe others. Utalitarianism - the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority. Act Utalitarianism - a utilitarian theory of ethics which states that a person'sact is morally right if and only if it produces at least as much happiness as any other act that the person could perform at that time. Rule Utalitarianism - a form of utilitarianism that says an action is right as it conforms to a rule that leads to the greatest good, or that "the rightness or wrongness of a particular action is a function of the correctness of the ruleof which it is an instance. Universal ethical egoism - the universal doctrine that all persons should pursue their own interests exclusively. Duty Ethics - concerned with what...
Words: 299 - Pages: 2
...psychoanalytic view of human motivation suggests that behavior is ultimately determined by unconscious sexual and aggressive drives. There are four basic principles to the psychoanalytic view. They are determinism, drive, conflict and the unconscious. There are forces over which we have no control and these forces determine all human behavior and experience. These powerful forces exist within us, and can be traced back to primitive drives or instincts. Those forces that determine all our behavior and experience, are in constant conflict with each other, and cause anxiety. There is no avoiding conflict and anxiety in life. Conflict between primitive urges and conflicts are deep within us. We are unconscious of the forces that control our behavior and the conflicts that cause our anxiety. We have virtually no control over our lives. Conscious experience and self-actualizing tendencies are most important in the humanistic view of motivation. The all encompassing motivational force in the humanistic theory of personality is the motive to actualize or fulfill the self. Self-actualizing tendencies are built on basic need of safety and security, belonging and love, and self esteem. Intrinsically motivated behavior, the central idea in humanistic psychology, suggests that providing rewards and incentives may not work to reinforce motivational behaviors and sometimes undermine people's interest in the activities for which they are rewarded. The diversity view of human motivation...
Words: 543 - Pages: 3
...In Hobbes’s Leviathan, he examines man’s relationship with one another in a state of war. Hobbes claims that naturally humans are in a state of “kill or be killed”, pushed to hurt each other by their need for self preservation. But this idea that men are controlled by their fears in a state of nature provides a cynical and faulty view of man. Hobbes fails to take man’s capacity to love into account in his philosophy. Because of this, Hobbes’s belief about man’s state of nature is faulty and untrue. When Hobbes examines man’s behavior, he claims that man is controlled by a need for power. Hobbes argues that each action committed by a man is his attempt to become more powerful. He claims that all of man’s desires “may be be be reduced to the...
Words: 555 - Pages: 3
...current generation the main concern, in many organizations, is the lack of motivation in the employees. It is important for a company to take action and make sure that the employees are well-motivated. In this paper some theories of motivation I used are Expectancy, goal-setting and self-efficiency. I did a bit of research and found a couple of interesting articles which helped me understand the theories in more depth. This paper encourages organizations to use motivation theories for better efficiency and employee satisfaction. A company should try to figure out which method satisfies an employee and what the employee expects from his/her job. Keywords: Expectancy, goal-setting, self-efficiency Motivation Organization Problems and symptoms: I am currently working as a Senior Accounts Payable Clerk at Fermar Paving Limited based out of Toronto. They do road improvement and construction jobs for the city in the Greater Toronto Area and during winter they also do winter maintenance and snow clearing for the city. Although it is a great company to work for, I feel that there is lack of motivation in the company. Motivation is the process that accounts for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward reaching a goal (Langton, Robbins, and Judge, 2015). In the company, I feel that some people have lost interest and are not putting their full efforts in to reach the goal. I feel that every company needs to know what motivates their employees and...
Words: 1432 - Pages: 6
...guides, motivates, commands and controls the behavior and work of the subordinates to accomplish the organizational goals. It is an unique combination of some qualities that transforms potentials to reality. Leadership acts as the catalyst that makes all other elements work together. Without leadership, all other resources of a concern remain dormant. Characteristics of Leadership Leaders and leaderships are in every level of an organization. There are some generally known qualities of leaders but some unique characteristics make them great leaders. The characteristics include - Dedication: Dedication means spending whatever time or energy is needed to complete the task in hand to proceed towards the goal. By setting an excellent example, a leader can show the followers that one must do whatever it takes to achieve something great. Flexibility: Not everything goes as per the plans. Sometimes, the competitors change their tactics, the Government may force new regulations on business, inflation may take place. A leader should have the adaptability to take things normally and be flexible to handle situations easily. Communication Skills: A leader should be a great listener and a speaker also. A good leader can communicate with all his subordinates. Great leaders show their strengths and personal character through communication with the employees and empower them. Confidence: A leader must possess confidence, courage, tenacity and patience. Sometimes the situation becomes worse...
Words: 8179 - Pages: 33
...interpersonal communication is when the message senders and the message receivers understand the message. ContextEdit Context refers to the conditions that precede or surround the communication. It consists of present or past events from which the meaning of the messages is derived, though it may also, in the case of written communications, depend upon the statements preceding and following the quotation in question. Immediate surrounding may also color the perceived meaning of words; normally safe discourse may easily become contextually ambiguous or offensive in a restrooms or shower halls. These influencess do not constitute the massage by themselves, but rather these extraneous nuances subtly change the message's effective meaning. Ultimately, context includes the entire world, but usually refers to salient factors such as the following: Physical milieu the season or weather, current physicals location and environment Situational milieu classroome, military conflict, supermarket checkout Cultural and linguistic backgrounds Developmental progress (maturity) or emotional state Complementary or contrasting roles boss and employee; teacher and student; parent, child, and spouse; friend or enemy; partner or competitor TheoriesEdit Uncertainty reduction theory Main article: Uncertainty reduction theory Uncertainty reduction theory comes from the sociopsychological perspective. It addresses the basic process of how we gain knowledge about other people. According to the theory people...
Words: 1087 - Pages: 5
... University of South Carolina Aiken In this assignment, we will discuss motivation as a concept, as a behavior and as a management tool. I have herein brought in all the important concepts that are associated with motivation, given its prime role in life. Also, I have taken a case study related to a bank, and examined how the HRD has identified, and evolved a plan to increase motivational assets. Motivation is a practice of extracting, controlling and sustaining certain behavior. There are many approaches to motivation - physiological, behavioral, cognitive, and social. Motivation is usually a group effect, but not limited to it; it affects the behavior of individuals on different levels, and as a result, the product in any workplace can directly be correlated to the motivational levels or on practical terms, the spirit of the work force. Motivation plays a vital role in setting and attaining goals, and the factor of motivation is intertwined with certain philosophical and psychological concepts - altruism, selfishness, morality, or avoiding mortality. Work place motivation can either intrinsic or extrinsic; intrinsic motivation refers to the drive or thirst due to the interest in the work, and this kind of motivation exists within the individual, not forced by any external pressure. Psychologists see intrinsic motivation as more effective than extrinsic because it helps in engaging on a task on one’s own...
Words: 2408 - Pages: 10
...The word “motivation” is derived from a Latin word movere, meaning ‘to move’. So motivation can also be defined as those forces that cause people to behave in certain ways – the level of desire employees feel to perform, regardless of the level of happiness. Employees who are adequately motivated to perform will be more productive, more engaged and feel more invested in their work. Employee motivation has always been an issue, I believe, for leaders and managers. Unmotivated employees are likely to spend little or no effort in their jobs, avoid the workplace as much as possible, exit the organization if given the opportunity and produce low quality work. On the other hand, employees who feel motivated to work are likely to be persistent, creative and productive, turning out high quality work that they willingly undertake. Reality however is that every employee has different ways to become motivated and as leaders and managers we need to get to know, and understand, our employees well and be able to use different tactics to motivate each of them based on their personal wants and needs. Motivation can also be defined as something inside a person that drives them to action. This motivation varies in different people. We can also say that motivation is the willingness to work at a certain level of effort. Motivation emerges, in theories, out of needs, values, goals, intentions, and expectation. Motivation comes from within, so, as leaders need to cultivate and direct the motivation...
Words: 3646 - Pages: 15
...to execute an executive summary. On the other hand a summary should give salient features of any given aspect of a novel, or a short story or a play. This is the difference between a summary and an executive summary. You can write a summary of any particular episode of a novel or any other fiction written by Jane Austen. The particular summary should contain the various events of the episode in a nutshell or briefly. On the other hand an executive summary should be written in non-technical language. This is the main difference between the two. An executive summary should necessarily have a conclusion. On the other hand a conclusion is not necessary while writing a summary of a play or any scene of a play. An executive summary should ultimately make a business recommendation. No such intention is included in the writing of a summary. An executive summary should contain short and concise paragraphs. On the other hand a summary need not have short and concise paragraphs. On the contrary it can have long paragraphs too. A summary aims at presenting the salient points of any given essay. It is a shorter form of a longer essay. These are the differences between the two terms, namely, a summary and an executive summary. Summary vs Synopsis Writing a summary is a skill that is taught early to students. It is to write a short, condensed version of a...
Words: 4170 - Pages: 17
...used to represent the reasons for our actions, our desires, our needs, etc. Motives are hypothetical constructs, used to explain why people do what they do. A motive is what prompts a person to act in a certain way or at least develop an inclination for specific behavior.[1] For example, when someone eats food to satisfy the need of hunger, or when a student does his/her work in school because they want a good grade. Both show a similar connection between what we do and why we do it. According to Maehr and Meyer, "Motivation is a word that is part of the popular culture as few other psychological concepts are".[2] Wikipedia readers will have a motive (or motives) for reading an article, even if such motives are complex and difficult to pinpoint. At the other end of the range of complexity, hunger is frequently the motive for seeking out and consuming food.Types of theories and models[edit] Motivation theories can be classified on a number of basis. Natural vs. Rational based on whether the underlying theory of human Cognition is based on natural forces (drives, needs, desires) or some kind of rationality (instrumentality, meaningfulness, self-identity). Content vs. Process based on whether the focus is on the content ("what") motivates vs process ("how") motivation takes place. Monist and pluralistic motivational theories[edit] A class of theories about why people do things seeks to reduce the number of factors down to one and explain all behaviour through that one factor....
Words: 8883 - Pages: 36
...A concise, brief summary of chapter 6 from Psychology for language teachers What makes a person want to learn? Motivation in language learning Motivation is one of the crucial factors influencing learning. It simply means the want to learn. Motivation overlaps with interest, curiosity and desire to achieve. In a cognitive approach to motivation, the focus is upon ways in which individuals make sense of their own learning experiences. It says that individuals are motivated initially by their conscious thoughts and feelings. Psychological approaches to learning have changed so noticeably in recent years. If we broaden a cognitive perspective on motivation, we can reach to what is meant by social constructivist view. Early psychological views on motivation Behaviorists did lots of researches in laboratories and clearly observed what animals behaved in order to meet their needs and generalized these phenomena to human beings: Dog bell salivation searching food meeting biological needs According to the above mentioned model, behaviorists believed that motivation should be considered in terms of biological needs i.e. what biological needs have to be met during the early learning stages. Also the kind of reward or reinforcement is very important. In other words behaviorist sought to define motivation just in terms of external forces. They only believed that some special circumstances...
Words: 1448 - Pages: 6
...learning and the mind, but today’s neuroscientists and educators are seeing learning from a different scope – the brain. From this viewpoint, learning is creating links – by linking the information in which the student has prior knowledge or interest, the student is able to expand upon this and learn something else which he can relate it to. For example, in a history class when discussing Native Americans, a teacher may ask the students relate prior information they have on Native Americans. This can come from personal experiences - like seeing a burial ground, or finding an arrowhead; it can even be a movie the student relates it to. By doing this the teacher is making a personal connection between prior information the student has already attained and processed, and linking it to the information to be discussed in the class (Slavin, 2009) . Another learning stimulus that creates a learning link would finding something the student is interested in. This can be illustrated in the same scenario – students in the southern states often find Indian relics in their own backyards, piquing their interest in what happened right where they stood hundreds of years ago. By linking the information in which they have a personal interest with the information taught, once again a connection in learning within the brain is created (Watts, 2009). Importance of Meaningful Learning Innately the brain seeks to find purpose or meaning in design and patterns, yet refuses to accept...
Words: 1436 - Pages: 6
...The HRM Function In any organisation, an essential part of the process of management is to ensure the efficient use of resources, particularly human resources. This is because the human element plays a major role in the success of organisations. The effective management of human resources is therefore very important. This is because organisational goals and business strategies can only be realised through people. HRM has been defined as “the design, implementation and maintenance of strategies to manage people for optimum business performance including the development of policies and processes to support these strategies and the evaluation of the contribution of people to the business”. Perhaps, one major justification regarding the change of nomenclature from Personnel Management to Human Resource Management is the increasing emphasis on effective employee relations and importance of securing the involvement and commitment of employees to the aims of the organisation. This becomes important given the preference of organisations for a leaner and fitter workforce. In this context it becomes imperative to get the best possible performance from every employee while, at the point of recruitment, well qualified and highly skilled people are brought into the organisation. HRM policies, activities and functions are based on the premise that it is necessary to recognise the needs and wants of staff as well as the nature of their grievances as a step in the direction of motivating...
Words: 5325 - Pages: 22
...Humanitarian intervention is a label that has been employed to describe economic to military intervention. The main types of intervention include military, diplomatic, developmental and economic sanction. Mill’s (1859) stated that "There seems to be no little need that the whole doctrine of non-interference with foreign nations should be reconsidered, if it can be said to have as yet been considered as a really moral question at all... To go to war for an idea, if the war is aggressive, not defensive, is as criminal as to go to war for territory or revenue; for it is as little justifiable to force our ideas on other people, as to compel them to submit to our will in any other respect”. This essay will demonstrate how humanitarian intervention efforts are not reaching the goals that are needed to properly aid the disadvantaged nations in developing nations. Economic humanitarian intervention emerged at the end of the Second World War. Historically, it is apparent that foreign aid was used explicitly to prevent the expansion of communism during the Cold War, and not solely to help those in need. It can be argued that humanitarian intervention has done more harm than good to the nations. Northern/ Western countries have enriched themselves from their unequal relation with Southern either under colonialism or under the trading system, which has the Southern nations paying more towards their ongoing debt and receiving an irrelevant amount of foreign aid to help assist these nations...
Words: 2006 - Pages: 9
