In many ways motivation
is central to the study of psychology. You and I are constantly engaged in
pur-poseful or goal-oriented behavior and underlying all such behavior are
motives. Motivational concepts allow us to account for the variability in behavior,
both in an individuals (Beck,1990)
Motives arouse and
direct our behavior toward some goal. There are 3 major categories of motive.
- Biological
- Stimulus
- Learned Social.
The biological motives such as hunger, thirst, temperature
regulation and sex have a definite physiological basis. The stimulus motives,
such as sensory stimulation, exploration, curiosity, contact comfort and
competence cause us to seek us sensory stimulation through interaction with the
environment. They are internal and unlearned, but do not appear to have a
specific psychological basis. The learned social motives, such as achievement,
power and affiliation are determined largely by learning and focus on social
experiences.
Motivated behavior is
initiated and directed toward a goal and varies in intensity and persistence (Petri,
1991). Motivation, then can be thought of as the forces that initiate and
direct behavior and the variables that determine the intensity and persistence of
that behavior. The initiation of behavior can be prompted from within the
individual or the external environment. For example, we might be hungry because
of a low blood sugar level (internal cue) or because we saw a delicious looking
dessert (external cue). Motivation also provides direction for our behavior. For
example, when we hungry, we seek foods, rather than read our text book.
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Lastly, motivation
determines the intensity and persistence of our behavior. Intensity is to do
with how strong the behavior is. For instance, if you are only a little hungry
you might eat if food is readily available. But if there is no food in the
immediate vicinity you would probably engage in some other behavior. On the
other hand, if you are extremely hungry, you would most likely to watch
something to eat, doing whatever to obtain your goal. How motivated we are will
likewise influence our persistence. Sometimes we will persist in obtaining a
goal for a long time. While at other times we will give up after a brief try.
Psychologists often
measure motivation by observing what individuals do (initiation), how they make
choices (direction), how strongly they engage in the behavior (intensity) and
how long they engage in it (persistence). Motivation is not observed directly,
but rather is inferred from the performance of subjects (Petri, 1991). For example
if person subjects a horror movie over romantic comedy, we infer the person is
meeting a need by doing so. Sometimes we can manipulate the level of motivation
in others, such as when researches temporary deprive animals of food to
increase their motivation to work for food. Parents might also motive their
children by manipulating the level of reward (Praise or Money) given to certain
behaviors.
Reference
Beck, R.C (1990). Motivation:
Theories and Principles (3rd Edition). Eaglewood cliffs, NJ:
Prentice hall
Petri, H.L (1991).
Motivation: Theory and Research (3rd edition). Belmount, CA: Wadsworth
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