There are quite a few theories of motivation, it turns out! I’m excited to embark on the journey of learning about them all. With my ever-inquisitive and skeptical mind, I always wonder what motivates people to behave the way they do. And I sometimes wonder the same about myself. The text, Understanding Motivation and Emotion, explains that there are two fundamental questions in the study of motivation: 1) What causes behavior? and 2) Why does behavior vary in its intensity? (Reeve, 2008, 4). Reeve (2008) later expands the first question to “What causes activity—not only our behavior, but also our thoughts, our feelings, and our dreams?” (p. 6). I was relieved to find out that I am not abnormal in how variable and rapidly-changing my motivation can be. I could relate when Reeve (2008) explained, “Some days an employee works rapidly and diligently; other days the work is lethargic. One day a student shows strong enthusiasm, strives for excellence, and shows determined goal-directed striving; yet the next day, the same student is listless, does only the minimal amount of work, and avoids being challenged academically” (p. 7).
Reeve (2008) says that “The point of a motivation theory is to explain what gives behavior its energy and its direction…. Energy implies that behavior has strength—that it is relatively strong, intense, and persistent. Direction implies that behavior has purpose—that it is aimed or guided toward achieving some particular goal or outcome ” (p. 8). Sources of motivation come from an individual’s internal motives—needs, cognitions, emotions—and from external events. Needs are physiological or psychological in nature, such as the need for food or water, or the need for competence and belongingness. Cognitions are thoughts, beliefs, expectations, and one’s self-concept. Emotions are short-lived “expressive phenomena that orchestrate how we react adaptively to the important events in our lives” (Reeve, 2008, 9). External events can be social, environmental, or cultural (being praised, offered money, or being in an environment such as an office or a classroom).
Motivation levels are expressed in four ways: behavior, engagement, brain activity, and self-report. It’s interesting that you can’t really hide the fact that you’re unmotivated! Behavioral expressions of motivation include:
· How much attention you give something—concentration and task-focus
· The effort you put into something
· The amount of time it takes you to respond to a stimulus event (latency)
· The persistence you show (how long you keep at something)
· The choices you make
· The probability that you’ll respond to something
· Your facial expressions
· Your bodily gestures
Engagement refers to “the behavioral intensity, emotional quality, and personal investment” you make in an activity. If you’re trying to determine whether someone is engaged in what they’re doing, pay attention to their behavior, emotions, cognition, and voice. Of course, our brains and bodies know when we’re motivated and when we’re not because they give all kinds of indicators, such as brain activity, hormonal activity, heart rate changes, and respiratory rate changes, among other things. Lastly, people can self-report on their motivation levels, but this is not usually very reliable as a scientific method (Reeve, 2008, 13).
Motivation is an important resource for adapting to the world around us and maintaining well-being. What’s interesting to me is how important internal/intrinsic motivation is. Reeve (2008) explains, “People who are bossed around, coerced, and controlled by others tend to become emotionally flat and numb to the hopes and aspirations embedded within their inner psychological needs. Being controlled by others sours the person’s capacity to generate motivation of his or her own” (p. 15). If you’re a manager, teacher, or coach, hopefully this is not new information to you! However, you probably also know how difficult motivating other people can be. In my future posts, I’ll be talking about motivational theories that can be applied in the workplace, the classroom, and in our personal lives, such as:
· Achievement motivation
· Drive
· Ego development
· “Flow”
· Self-actualization
· Self-determination
· Many more
One final thought…something I found very useful for evaluating my own and others’ motivation… It sounds simple, but people who are motivated express joy, hope, interest, and optimism, whereas people who are unmotivated express sadness, hopelessness, frustration and stress (Reeve, 2008, 19). Motivating ourselves and others is an art…and I’m looking forward to learning (and writing) more about it!
Reference:
Reeve, J. ( 2008). 5th edition. Understanding Motivation and Emotion. New York: Wiley Press.
