THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

What is Motivation?

Motivation is nothing but driving and pulling forces both external and internal which resulted

in the persistent behaviour directed towards achieving my particular goal of becoming priest.

Motivation can be defined as an “inferred internal process that activates guides and maintains

behaviour over time.” It is the force that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented

behaviors. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or

cognitive in nature. Now let us discuss various theories of motivation namely, Drive theory,

incentive theory, Arousal theory, expectancy theory, instinct theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy

theory, psychoanalytic theory and temporal motivation theory.

1. Drive Theory: Motivation and Homeostasis

The drive theories of motivation perhaps apply best to some of the biological motives.

According to this theory of motivation, people are motivated to take certain actions in order

to reduce the internal tension that is caused by unmet needs. For example, you might be

motivated to drink a glass of water in order to reduce the internal state of thirst. It helps us to

restore a balanced physiological state and it is known as homeostasis. Hence, according to

this theory, motivation is basically a process in which various biological needs drive us to

actions designed to satisfy them. Behaviours that help us to reduce the appropriate drive are

strengthened and tend to be repeated and those that fail to produce such effects are weakened

and will not be repeated. The problem with the drive theory of motivation is that these

behaviors are not always motivated purely by physiological needs. For example, people often

eat even when they are not really hungry.

2. Incentive Theories

Incentive theories are “pull theories” of motivation. It suggests that people are

motivated to do things because of external rewards. For example, you might be motivated to

go to work each day for the monetary reward of being paid. Behavioral learning concepts

such as association and reinforcement play an important role in this theory of motivation.

This theory shares some similarities with the behaviorist concept of operant conditioning. In

operant conditioning, behaviors are learned by forming associations with outcomes.

Reinforcement strengthens a behavior while punishment weakens it. While incentive theory

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THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

What is Motivation?

Motivation is nothing but driving and pulling forces both external and internal which resulted in the persistent behaviour directed towards achieving my particular goal of becoming priest. Motivation can be defined as an “inferred internal process that activates guides and maintains behaviour over time.” It is the force that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature. Now let us discuss various theories of motivation namely, Drive theory, incentive theory, Arousal theory, expectancy theory, instinct theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy theory, psychoanalytic theory and temporal motivation theory.

Drive Theory: Motivation and Homeostasis The drive theories of motivation perhaps apply best to some of the biological motives. According to this theory of motivation, people are motivated to take certain actions in order to reduce the internal tension that is caused by unmet needs. For example, you might be motivated to drink a glass of water in order to reduce the internal state of thirst. It helps us to restore a balanced physiological state and it is known as homeostasis. Hence, according to this theory, motivation is basically a process in which various biological needs drive us to actions designed to satisfy them. Behaviours that help us to reduce the appropriate drive are strengthened and tend to be repeated and those that fail to produce such effects are weakened and will not be repeated. The problem with the drive theory of motivation is that these behaviors are not always motivated purely by physiological needs. For example, people often eat even when they are not really hungry.
Incentive Theories Incentive theories are “pull theories” of motivation. It suggests that people are motivated to do things because of external rewards. For example, you might be motivated to go to work each day for the monetary reward of being paid. Behavioral learning concepts such as association and reinforcement play an important role in this theory of motivation. This theory shares some similarities with the behaviorist concept of operant conditioning. In operant conditioning, behaviors are learned by forming associations with outcomes. Reinforcement strengthens a behavior while punishment weakens it. While incentive theory

is similar, it instead proposes that people intentionally pursue certain courses of action in order to gain rewards. The greater the perceived rewards, the more strongly people are motivated to pursue those reinforcements.

Arousal Theory: Seeking Optimum Activation (Geen, Beatty & Arkin, 1984) This theory focuses on arousal. Arousal can be defined as the energised state, or the readiness for action that motivates a performer to behave in a particular way. Arousal varies throughout the day. It is at a lower level during our sleep and at a higher level when we are performing strenuous tasks. This theory suggests that what we seek is not minimal levels of arousal but rather optimal arousal. The arousal theory of motivation suggests that people take certain actions to either decrease or increase levels of arousal.When arousal levels get too low, for example, a person might watch an exciting movie or go for a jog. When arousal levels get too high, on the other hand, a person would probably look for ways to relax such as meditating or reading a book.
Expectancy Theory It is a “theory of motivation suggesting that behaviour is elicited by expectations of desirable outcomes.” I am doing this assignment because I would attain certain desired goals such as; I will gain useful and interesting knowledge, able to finish my introduction to psychology course successfully etc. In short my behaviour is determined by my expectancies. It is my belief that my present actions will yield various outcomes in the future. The expectancy theory of motivation suggests that when we are thinking about the future, we formulate different expectations about what we think will happen. When we predict that there will most likely be a positive outcome, we believe that we are able to make that possible future a reality. This leads people to feel more motivated to pursue those likely outcomes.

The theory proposes that motivations consist of three key elements: valence, instrumentality, and expectancy. Valence refers to the value with place on the potential outcome. Things that seem unlikely to produce personal benefit have a low valence, while those that offer immediate personal rewards have a higher valence.

Instrumentality refers to whether people believe that they have a role to play in the predicted outcome. If the event seems random or outside of the individual's control, people will feel less motivated to pursue that course of action. If the individual plays a major role in the success of the endeavor, however, people will feel more instrumental in the process.

requires more money and, hence, the individual is prompted to work more. Like physiological needs, these become inactive once they are satisfied.

c. Social Needs: Man is a social being. Hence, he is interested in social interaction, companionship, belongingness, etc.

d. Esteem Needs: These needs refer to self-esteem and self-respect. They include such needs which indicate self-confidence, achievement, competence, knowledge and independence. The fulfillment of esteem needs leads to self-confidence, strength and capability of being useful. However, inability to fulfill these needs results in feeling like inferiority, weakness and helplessness.

e. Self-Actualisation Needs: This represents the culmination of all the lower, intermediate, and higher needs of human beings. In other words, the final step under the need hierarchy model is the need for self-actualization. self- actualization is the person’s motivation to transform perception of self into reality. This refers to fulfillment.

Psychoanalytic Theory Sigmund Freud believed that humans have only two basic drives: Eros and Thanatos, or the Life and Death drives. According to Psychoanalytic theory, everything we do, every thought we have, and every emotion we experience has one of two goals: to help us survive or to prevent our destruction. This is similar to instinct theory but according to Freud these drives were buried in the unconscious part of the mind. According to this theory, everything we do, everything we are can be traced back to the two basic drives namely life and death.
Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT) It gives importance to the impact of time, and particularly deadlines, on the allocation of attention to particular tasks. It argues that the perceived usefulness and benefit of an activity increases exponentially as the deadline for completing nears. It is particularly useful

for understanding human behaviors like procrastination and goal setting. A greater amount of time before a deadline tends to reduce the motivation. The greater the individual's self- efficacy (expectancy) for completing the task, and the higher the value of the outcome associated with it, the higher the individual's motivation will be.

Conclusion

We have discussed in brief eight theories of motivation. In my discussion I have become aware that no single theory explains adequately all human motivation. But looking at all these individual theories we can have a greater understanding of varied forces that make us to take action. While no single theory can adequately explain all human motivation, surely looking at these individual theories will help us to have a greater understanding of the forces that causes us to take action. It has been an exciting study for me to know and understand the various factors that underlie and interact to promote a human behaviour.

Motivation Theories in Psychology: A Comprehensive Overview, Essays (university) of Psychology

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THEORIES OF MOTIVATION