Motivational speaker and former college football coach, Lou Holtz,
once said, “Motivation
determines what you do” (Holtz, 2012). Motivation is an important component of
behavior. Motivation has biological, cognitive and social aspects (McGraw-Hill,
2011). Motivation comes by way of different sources and has different effects
on people. Motivation is one reason why a person accomplishes what, or behaves
the way that, he or she does.
Motivation Defined
Motivation is “all the processes that initiate, direct, and
sustain behavior” (Wood, Wood, & Boyd, 2011, p.337). Motivation is
comprised of many aspects which are used to develop theories, or approaches, to
explain the reasons for people’s behavior. These aspects include biological,
cognitive and social (McGraw-Hill, 2011). Psychologists believe that motivation
is comprised of three components, activation, persistence, and intensity. Activation
consists of the first steps to achieving a goal. Persistence is the continued
effort to achieve a goal. Finally, intensity is the focused energy and
attention applied to achieving a goal. Activation, persistence and intensity
are all involved in defining motivation.
Sources of Motivation
Wood, Wood, & Boyd explains motives as being needs or
desires that direct behavior toward a goal (2011). Motives can be intrinsic or
extrinsic. Motives can come from primary drives or social motives. According to
Deckers, the two basic sources of motivation are internal and external (2010).
Internal sources may be biological variables or psychological variables.
Biological variables pertain to characteristics of the brain or body, also
called primary drives. Primary drives are unlearned motives. Examples of these
are hunger or thirst. Psychological variables can include emotions or a
person’s past experiences. Self – esteem is an example of a psychological
variable. When a person has a desire to behave a certain way because it is
satisfying is intrinsic motivation. An example is playing a game just for fun.
However, extrinsic motivation is the desire to behave a certain way to gain an
external reward. An example is playing a game for money. The money is the
reward and becomes the motivator for playing the game well. External sources
include environmental variables. Examples of external variables are jobs,
bonuses, money, etc. Social motives are learned through experience and
interactions with others.
Relationship between Motivation and Behavior
Motivation
is the force behind behavior. Motivational sources are what push or pull a
person to behave a certain way (Deckers, 2010). Hunger is a basic human need.
When a person feels hunger, it usually pushes them to eat. After eating, the
hunger need is fulfilled. Hunger is the motivational variable that pushes the
person towards the goal of fulfillment of a need. Motivational factors can be
different for each person and the same factor can cause two people to behave
differently. For example, two people both have the desire to have money. Person
A, in order to fulfill that desire, gets a job. Person B, on the other hand,
decides to steal money. Both had the same motivational desire. However, the two
used the motivation to commit two different behaviors.
Motivation Exhibited in Behavior
Motivation
has a crucial role in behavior (Pessoa, 2009). Motivation is evident in most of
the behavior around us. A student who wants good grades is motivated to study
more. A woman who wants a man’s attention is motivated to dress and present
herself in a way to draw the attention. A man desiring money is motivated to
work harder. While these examples show positive motivation and behaviors, it
can also be negative. A man who wants a woman’s attention may behave negatively
to attempt to gain it. A person desiring more money may resort to illegal
methods to obtain it. Motives drive a person to behave in a way to help him or
her accomplish a goal, or fulfill a need.
Conclusion
Motivation directs the behavior of humans in order to
accomplish a goal. The sources of motivation can come from several different
aspects. While some are motivated for internal reasons, others may be motivated
for external reasons. Motives are the underlying component for the behaviors we
exhibit. Understanding the sources of motivation is important in order to
understand the behaviors.
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