...Sources of Motivation Motivational Process in Human Psychology Sources of Motivation Motivation also known as drive or incentive is a primary parameter that initiates human behavior. Humans are social animals; their need to be accepted and find groups to identify with is inescapable. The three main motives for behaviors are motives, biological needs, and the need for stimuli. In addition, there are both internal and intrinsic motivations and external or extrinsic motivations. Intrinsic motivation comes from within a person’s schema of self-image, biological need or emotional needs. Extrinsic motivation comes from a need to seek approval from outside oneself, such as in a course grade at college, or approval from one’s employer. The reasons a person maintains or initiates a behavior or action can be instrumental to identifying individual potential within a person. Motivation can be either positive or negative; positive motivation is inspirational such as that found in a church sermon, a truly effective leader or keynote speaker, pep rally or something similar. Negative motivation is fear based, such as the motivation to go to work to make the rent payment or to keep a car from getting repossessed (fear of poverty motivation). This is in contrast to motivation to improve a condition; behaviors that are negatively motivated are inspired to keep a situation from getting worse rather than improving the situation. Whether a behavior stems from positive...
Words: 1059 - Pages: 5
...Sources of Motivation xxxxxxxxxxxx PSY/355 Jxxxx 9, xxxxx xxxxxxxx, Ph.D. Motivation is the drive that moves an individual into action. Motivation comes from several sources such as biological, psychological or external. Motivation affects behavior in many ways. This essay will define motivation, identify the sources of motivation, describe the relationship between motivation and behavior, and explain how behavior displays motivation. According to “Collins Dictionary of Sociology” (2006) the description of motivation is emotional, such as love, or it may involve the cognitive appraisal of a situation”. Motivation is a psychological and biological urge or impulse that enables an individual to act towards a desired goal, intention, or course of activity. It is goal based behavior that is the catalyst or reason for an action or change of action. The sources of motivation can be biological, psychological or external. The biological component of motivation is associated with the physical needs of the body and mind that stimulate behavior such as hunger, thirst, sleep, sex or pain. One example of this is physiological and chemical changes in hormones that signal hunger. The more this signal increases, the more one is impelled to do something that will relieve the feeling of hunger. Psychological aspects of motivation can be measured by the use of scales and questionnaires that measure the...
Words: 533 - Pages: 3
...Sources of Motivation Paper Kellie Dahl PSY/355 March 30, 2015 Tracy Christian-Cruz Sources of Motivation Paper “I think I can, I think I can” this common phrase is usually heard when trying to get motivation flowing. This is just one small part of motivation and where it comes from. By defining motivation, learning where it comes from, how it relates to behavior, and how behavior can affect motivation, one can learn to be at the “I think I can” step of being motivated. Motivation is, by definition; the act or instance of motivating, the desire to do; interest or drive (Collins English Dictionary, 10th ed.). This definition is very broad and can be interpreted in many ways. To break it down lets look at the act of being motivated, which is said to be moving into action or deciding on a change in action according to the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1841-1960). He believed that actions were not spontaneous in nature but were induced by motives or incentives (Deckers, 2010). A motive is a person’s internal disposition to be concerned with and approach positive incentives and avoid negative incentives, while an incentive is the anticipated reward or adverse event available within the environment. These two are linked because receiving an incentive is the goal of a motive (Deckers, 2010). One good example commonly used to describe this is being hungry; hunger is the motive for getting something to eat. Since our motivation comes from events that move us from...
Words: 878 - Pages: 4
...Sources of Motivation Motivation consists of both internal and external factors that stimulate energy or desire in an individual or group of individuals to pursue, be continually interested, and be persistent in accomplishing a goal. It is also the process that causes an individual to act in a certain way, or to have reason for ones behavior. (Business Dictionary, 2012). Whether it be negative or positive behavior, there is some force behind why individuals make the choices that they do. Some people are motivated to behave in ways that are productive and others are motivated to chose behaviors that are undesirable, inappropriate, or that will cause themselves or others harm. Examining the reasons behind what motivates individuals, whether it be emotions, basic needs, incentives, drive, arousal, survival, safety, or financial reasons, among many others, will help to understand motivation and how it relates to every behavior one exhibits. The basic motivations of humans have been examined over many centuries and several philosophers (Socrates, Locke, Bentham, Thorndike, and Freud, etc) all have theories of human motivation which have been examined and put forth, mostly in variations of the concept of hedonism. Hedonism is “the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.”(Deckers, 2010) These include basic reactions to pleasure and pain, but are complicated by human decisions to forgo instant pleasure in order to achieve longer term goals that could possibly...
Words: 1141 - Pages: 5
...Sources of Motivation Latonia Wells Psy 355 Sources of Motivation Have you ever wondered why it is hard to accomplish some tasks you set out to do? Achieving a task or accomplishing a goal depends on several factors that all require a force behind them to make them take action or work as a motivator. Everyone is not always inspired to accomplish their goals and they need this force to initiate and guide their behaviors while pushing them in the right direction. So how does it start, motivation is a concept that is conditional in all living organisms, which are driven by needs. Motivation starts with characteristics that cause an individual to take action in attempt to achieve a goal or task in life. Lack of motivation compels a person to give up when obstacles or troubles arise. Over the years researchers have discovered several theories to explain and understand motivation and how it is related to behaviors. This paper will define motivation, identify two sources of motivation, explain the relationship between motivation and behavior, and examine how motivation is exhibited in behavior. Motivation Motivation is a major influence based on what people do and how they act. Motivation consists of disposition that can pull or pull an individual in a particular direction, depending on the end state. According to Decker’s actions are induced by motives (push) or incentives (pull) and to be motivated is to be moved into action some form of action. Motivation is conceptualized...
Words: 1661 - Pages: 7
...Motivation PSY/355 Sources of Motivation Motivation can be one of two influences, internal or external. It makes an individual move in a particular direction or take action. There are either positive or negative motivations, which cause positive or negative effects. A positive motivation is pleasurable or rewarding effect on someone, where negative motivation can lead to something painful. Being positively motivated can be many things mainly it is makes an individual feel good. An example of positive motivation would be parents telling their kids that if they get good grades they would let them pick the next family trip. An example of a negative motivation would be criticized by your boss about your work while they aren’t doing anything would make you do less work and not respond well to them. Biological and psychological motives are two sources of motivation. Biological needs motivate humans to behave a certain way. The most important biological needs are hunger, thirst and human connections to others, which motivates humans to seek and find food and water. Both food and water are important to human survival. For example the need for comfort for an individual who is too hot or cold will change t the temperature in the room. Psychological needs are the motivation to belong in groups in society. The psychological need to be happy can also include the need to make others happy. A student goes to class and is psychologically motivated to...
Words: 826 - Pages: 4
...Sources of Motivation This document will provide a brief description of what motivation is; it will identify at least two sources of motivation, explain the relationship between motivation and behavior, and will examine how behavior exhibits motivation. How is motivation defined? Motivation is defined as an internal process that makes an individual move toward a goal, and it is what causes an individual to act the way he or she does to accomplish that goal. However, motivation can only be limited by an individual’s behavior (Deckers, 2010). The sources of motivation are able to originate from internal sources that are described as biological and psychological variables, and from external sources, such as incentives and goals (Deckers, 2010). The most important sources of motivation are biological, psychological, emotional, environmental, and evolutionary. Biological and psychological have an immense influence on motivation as well as and these two sources are considered internal variables while environmental is considered an external variable. Biological is emotions or feelings such as appetite and hormones that work in the individual body. Psychological can be described as the “need to feel right” that can motivate the individual to act together with others. Environmental is described as the positive incentives or goals that create a center of attention on an individual whereas the negative consequences are a drive back to the individual. Emotional can be describe...
Words: 916 - Pages: 4
...The Brain and Motivation Motivation to Stop Smoking Christina Cheshire Emeka Wolfe-Norman, Ed.S, LPC PSY/ 355 February 27, 2012 Most drugs, including nicotine, induce a “euphoric” effect in the mind (Lewis, 2009) that can be difficult to “undo.” Smoking for most will be the most difficult thing they will ever do. I know that I have a personal interest in this paper. I am a smoker who is trying to quit. I have been a smoker for over fifteen years and I have come to a point in my life where I know that I must stop and it is a daily struggle but also achieveable. Structures of the Brain and Smoking According to Lewis (2009), “nicotine is known to activate neuronal nicotinic receptors in the mesolimbic dopamine system.” What this means is that nicotine acts as a neural transmitter of sorts, and activates the dopamine system, creating the euphoric or calming effect most often associated with cigarette smoking. Because these receptors become sensitive to nicotine use, a person will become accustomed to the hypersensitive psychomotor activation (Lewis, 2009). The psychomotor activation creates a sense of alertness, boots metabolism,...
Words: 1117 - Pages: 5
...Motivation Carlos Aguinaga PSY/355 September 09, 2013 Henry Hernandez Motivation Motivation plays a large role in just about all aspects of life, from wanting to get up and workout to wanting to sit down and finish schoolwork. The proper motivation can inspire people to do their best and the lack of motivation can keep people from doing their job to their full potential. Motivation defined Merriam-Webster defines Motivation as the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something: the act or process of motivating someone (Merriam-Webster, 2013). So motivation is something that a person feels makes them want to get in motion to accomplish certain tasks by using different sources to spark interest. A motivation is the “process by which a person is moved into action. Motivation can originate from internal sources, described as biological and psychological variables, and from external sources, such as incentives and goals” (Deckers, 2010, Pg. 1). Motivation Sources There are internal and external sources to what motivates people. Internal sources state that it is who or what the person is that will determine their motivating factors. “A persons biological attributes and psychological dispositions determine what will be motivating” (Deckers, 2010, Pg. 8). The biological variable refers to what the body needs in order to survive. For example, if your brain tells you that you are hungry that will usually motivate someone enough...
Words: 778 - Pages: 4
...Students’ Motivation A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences Major in Psychology By Imelda Tolentino Josan Alejandra Valle Charize Faith Laciste Mirriam Calimlim Arellano University-Pasig September, 2013 Chapter I Introduction Studying is said to be the primary key to achieve academic excellence, but what factors really driven students to study? Others might say that fears motivate students while others might claim that you should give them tough classes and they will pull through. Some teaching faculty would say that students are motivated because of their personal goals in life. Yes, you could ask everyone but they would just answer in different opinions. The disagreement about the sources of student motivation makes the question of academic motivation sound a great deal like that of workplace motivation. Management theory abounds with contradictory theories about what makes employees work. Maslow (1968) argued that needs drive behaviour, and that workplace (and, presumably, academic) motivation is determined by the level of the needs hierarchy at which the individual is operating. McClelland (1966) claimed instead that motivation is driven by an innate need to achieve, and Herzberg (1959) proposed that the content of the jobs themselves was the source of the elusive employee motivation. The purpose of this research was to align explanations for student motivation with classical workplace motivation theories...
Words: 3514 - Pages: 15
...Fundamentals of Human Behavior | Motivation in Saint-Gobain | | ------------------------------------------------- L-2F.04 Léo ANIESA – Arnaud COSTARGENT – Thibaut GATELLIER – Gilles LAURET – Ludovic MANGA – Arthur MICHEL | Table of contents Introduction 1 I. Contextualization 1 A. General presentation of Saint-Gobain 1 B. What is motivation? 1 C. Problematic and hypothesis 2 II. Case study of Saint-Gobain: theories about motivation 3 A. Mc Gregor’s Theory 3 B. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 4 C. Equity Theory 5 D. Expectancy Theory 5 * ------------------------------------------------- * ------------------------------------------------- * ------------------------------------------------- * ------------------------------------------------- * ------------------------------------------------- * ------------------------------------------------- * ------------------------------------------------- * Introduction “Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people.” This quote from Lee IACOCCA, the ex-President of Ford and the ex-CEO of Chrysler, shows the importance of motivation in a company. Motivation is the gasoline of the teamwork efficiency. It is what makes people follow your ideas and project. Thus, a company cannot work without motivated employees...
Words: 2289 - Pages: 10
...Motivation To Learn Connie Frith Educational Communications and Technology University of Saskatchewan Abstract Motivation to learn is paramount to student success. The sources of motivation however are complex. This paper examines the internal and external factors that influence the motivation to learn, as well as the principles of motivation as applied to instructional design. The intent of the paper is to be pragmatic in focus and it is written to educators for use in the classroon. The applications of motivation theory in education are limited only by one’s imagination. Definition Inertia is a property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force. Motivation can be defined as the internal drive directing behavior towards some end. Motivation helps individuals overcome inertia. External forces can influence behavior but ultimately it is the internal force of motivation that sustains behavior. People work longer, harder and with more vigor and intensity when they are motivated than when they are not. As an instructor I often consider student motivation to be up to the student. Such abstract concepts as attitude and needs are personal and not easy for an instructor to address.. Adult educators are dealing with a group of individuals whose needs and motivations are very diverse. Life experience widens the gap between students and creates a diversity that is important in learning. Instructional...
Words: 4014 - Pages: 17
...* Contents Summary 2 1.0 Introduction 2 2.0 Definition of Motivation 2 3.0 theories of motivation 3 3.1 Hertzberg’s two (2) factor theory 3 3.2 McGregor’s X and Y theory 3 3.3 Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs 3 3.4 McClelland’s Human Motivation theory 4 4.0 Failure of employee motivation programs 4 4.1 Empirical Study 1 4 4.2 Empirical study 2 5 5.0 Improving employee motivation 6 5.1 Applying McGregor’s X and Y theory 6 5.2 Applying McClelland’s Acquire needs theory 6 5.3 Applying Hertzberg’s two factor theory 6 5.4 Applying Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory 7 6.0 Conclusion 7 7.0 References 8 8.0 Appendices 9 Source: Maslow’s Love and Belonging Needs 10 * Summary The purpose of this documentation is to highlight the different factors that influence employee motivation. Different type of people a motivated by different factors, some are intrinsically (non-materialistic) motivated while others are motivated extrinsically (materialistic). This document also provides an analysis of two (2) empirical studies relating to the reasons of failure in the employee motivation program. There are various ways to improve motivation amongst employees, as this will be presented within this documentation. * 1.0 Introduction Employee motivation continue to be an imperative issue for leaders and mangers. Unmotivated employees are inclined to devote minimal or no effort in their jobs, produce low quality work, exit the company if given the opportunity...
Words: 2502 - Pages: 11
...Developing a Log-based Motivation Measuring Tool Arnon Hershkovitz and Rafi Nachmias1 {arnonher, nachmias}@post.tau.ac.il 1 Knowledge Technology Lab, School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Israel Abstract. The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual framework and a tool for measuring motivation of online learners. The study was carried out in three phases, the first of which was the construction of a framework, based on an extensive literature review. Phase two consisted of identifying variables computable from log file data, associate with the framework and compatible with previous empirical research. For this purpose, an empirical study was designed and a specific learning environment focusing on vocabulary for adults was chosen. Log files of a large population (N=2,162) were collected and variables were identified using Learnograms, a visual representation of learning variables over time. This phase resulted in seven explicitly defined variables, along with a mechanism to calculate them from the raw log files. The third phase included preprocessing of the dataset (reducing it to 674 cases) and application of hierarchical clustering of the variables. This phase resulted in three clusters interpreted to fit the three dimensions of motivation defined in the framework. A discussion of this study and further research is provided. 1 Introduction Assessment of learners' motivation in online environments has been a challenge for both researchers...
Words: 2879 - Pages: 12
...Interpersonal Relations Positive relationships may lead to better communication and wider interaction between group members. In a group composed of friends, it would be expected that communication channels would be more open and numerous. This in turn, would be expected to exert facilitative effects on problem solving because it may lead to greater interchange of viewpoints and information and to more widespread contribution to problem solutions. And the sense of mutual support and the active cooperation created by friendly relations will enable the group to deal more confidently with its tasks and with the environment, including the leader. In all groups, however, personal differences occur. In the give-and-take of group work, differences can occur that serve useful functions—while others can be highly destructive. One problem for the leader of a group is to identify those feelings that are destructive to unity and to cope with them in such manner that their negative effects will be dissipated. Whether differences are concerned with genuine issues or with personal conflict, it serves no purpose to bury them or ignore their existence. A more effective approach is to try to develop a climate where differences on issues are welcomed as part of the problem solving process and where personal hostility can be recognized and dealt with as seems most appropriate. LEADING OPERATING GROUPS The most important single factor affecting group functioning...
Words: 1730 - Pages: 7
