The Power of Motivation
I decided to choose this theme, because I find motivation to be fundamental in one’s life. Without motivation people just seem to get stuck, everything seems difficult and life just doesn’t evolve.
Firstly, as we have learned, motivation refers to the start, “the direction, the intensity and the persistence of behavior. Motivation means having the passion and the will to undertake some action. It may be internal (i.e., intrinsic motivation) or external (i.e., extrinsic motivation)”(Schinnerer,2017).
Intrinsic motivation is seen when a person undertakes an activity for its own sake without any sort of external reward. It results from our feelings (e.g., happiness, anger, and sadness), thoughts, values and goals. We make things because they naturally satisfy us. In contrast, external motivation
is evident when someone behaves a particular way for reasons external to, or outside of, the person. The person does something because knows that is going to get a reward from it, that’s what drives them.
However, the question is, WHAT GET US REALLY MOVING?
Throughout the years psychologists came out with four theories of motivation:
1. Evolutionary Perspective – was developed in the early twentieth century, and it made us believe behaviors are instincts which makes act a certain way. However, the problem arised was that just because it exists a presence of a tendency, it doesn’t mean it is supposed to be there
2. Drive Reduction - suggests that a psychological need, or drive, simply compels us to reduce that need. However, since we are more complicated and not so static, this theory may over simplify our behavior.
3. Optimal Arousal - rather than just reducing a drive or tension we're motivated to maintain a balance between stimulation and relaxation.
4. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – implies that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others (Maslow (1943, 1954).
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
When analyzing all the theories above, I don’t necessarily agree with any of them. Personally, I think that motivation and what makes people feel motivated varies from person to person, depending on their values, culture and education. There is no order to be followed, and things coexist differently. So, to narrow it down to specific things seems to be quite constricted, and homogenous. Still, one should never look down to the power of motivation, and one should always seek to motivate and be motivated. After all, that’s what keeps us moving.
References:
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. (2018). Simply Psychology. Retrieved 1 January 2018, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.htmlThe Power of Positive Internal Motivation | Psych Central. (2018). Psych Central. Retrieved 1 January 2018, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-positive-internal-motivation/The Power of Motivation: Crash Course Psychology #17. (2018). YouTube. Retrieved 1 January 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hdSLiHaJz8
Carolina Figueiredo, nº7619
carolinafdfigueiredo@gmail.com
Carolina Figueiredo, nº7619
carolinafdfigueiredo@gmail.com
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