Excerpted from Wikipedia
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation
Date: 05-Nov-2012
Motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal directed behaviors. For instance: An individual has not eaten, he or she feels hungry, and as a response he or she eats and diminishes feelings of hunger. There are many approaches to motivation: physiological, behavioral, cognitive, and social.
Motivation may be rooted in a basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or for a desired object. Conceptually, motivation is related to, but distinct from, emotion.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
Motivation can be divided into two types: internal, or intrinsic motivation, and external, or extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. Intrinsic motivation is based on taking pleasure in an activity rather than working towards an external reward. Intrinsic motivation has been studied since the early 1970s. Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in the task willingly as well as work to improve their skills, which will increase their capabilities. Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they:
– attribute their educational results to factors under their own control, also known as autonomy,
– believe they have the skill that will allow them to be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are not determined by luck),
– are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good grades.
Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain an outcome, which then contradicts intrinsic motivation. It is widely believed that motivation performs two functions. The first is often referred as to the energetic activation component of the motivation construct. The second is directed at a specific behaviour and makes reference to the orientation directional component. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money and grades, and threat of punishment. Competition is in general extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not simply to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. A crowd cheering on the individual and trophies are also extrinsic incentives. The concept of motivation can be instilled in children at a very young age, by promoting and evoking interest in a certain book or novel. The idea is to have a discussion pertaining the book with young individuals, as well as to reward them.
Comparison of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards can lead to overjustification and a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation. In one study demonstrating this effect, children who expected to be (and were) rewarded with a ribbon and a gold star for drawing pictures spent less time playing with the drawing materials in subsequent observations than children who were assigned to an unexpected reward condition. For those children who received no extrinsic reward, self-determination theory proposes that extrinsic motivation can be internalized by the individual if the task fits with their values and beliefs and therefore helps to fulfill their basic psychological needs.
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Intrinsic Motivation and the 16 Basic Desires Theory
Starting from studies involving more than 6,000 people, Professor Steven Reiss has proposed a theory that found 16 basic desires that guide nearly all human behavior. The 16 basic desires that motivate our actions and define our personalities are:
- Acceptance, the need for approval
- Curiosity, the need to learn
- Eating, the need for food
- Family, the need to raise children
- Honor, the need to be loyal to the traditional values of one’s clan/ethnic group
- Idealism, the need for social justice
- Independence, the need for individuality
- Order, the need for organized, stable, predictable environments
- Physical activity, the need for exercise
- Power, the need for influence of will
- Romance, the need for sex
- Saving, the need to collect
- Social contact, the need for friends (peer relationships)
- Social status, the need for social standing/importance
- Tranquility, the need to be safe
- Vengeance, the need to strike back
My Own Writing
Motivation depends on emotion, whose root literally means “motion.”
Setting goals and keeping them clearly in mind creates a tension between the way things are and the way you want them to be. This tension will result in motivation if it can be acted on, or frustration if it cannot.
Motivation Methods
Make the next step as easy as possible. Lay out materials, supplies, and tools; clarify processes, etc.
Types of Motivation
– Motivation From Love
– Motivation From Fear
– Motivation From The Desire To Make a Difference
Book Excerpts
Books
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Useful Links
RSA Animate – Dan Pink on ‘Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us.’
Articles and Blog Posts