Why Motivation?

What is motivation? How can motivation affect a person’s behavior? In order

to understand how motivation influences behavior, we must first define
motivation itself. The definition of motivation in reference to Essentials of
Understanding Psychology, “Motivation, the factors that direct and energize
the behavior of humans and other organisms” (Feldman, 2017).
A video that summarizes what motivation is by AsapSCIENCE

Motivation is incredibly important because it is the central point of behavior

which directly influences a person’s daily emotions and it also affects long term
hopes and dreams. It can have both a positive effect on our behavior or a
negative effect by the absence of motivation.

This research paper highlights the many psychological positive and negative
effects that motivation can have including assisting in achieving goals,
impacting day-to-day life, and the consequences of the absence of motivation.

Daily Life to Hopes and Dreams

Motivation can affect a person’s daily life and long-term goals. Whether a
person lives solely on a daily basis or strives for their long-term hopes and
dreams, motivation can have an influence. Motivation is the gateway to many
opportunities because it can lead us to fulfill many self-desires and goals.
Motivational quote from Imperial Mindset

Task-involvement and ego-involvement are two different types of achievement

related motivation. According to Rabideau, “Task-involvement is a
motivational state in which a person’s goal is to acquire skills and
understanding whereas the main goal in ego-involvement is to demonstrate
superior abilities” (Butler, 1999).
Task-involvement is the attitude in order to learn something new and exciting.
One example is when a person gets the motivation to read a book or learn a
new instrument. Ego-involvement is the form of motivation where a person is
influenced by their own ego to try to find self-satisfaction. An example of this is
when a person tries to win against the other teams in a competition.

Both forms of achievement motivation influence the human behavior to strive

for something that they do not already have.

Motivational Instincts and Drives

Motivation can have an emotional impact on a person’s behavior. Our daily

attitude towards life can be influenced by three different theories of motivation
which are instincts, drives and needs, and arousal levels.
A video by CrashCourse explaining the psychology of motivation in depth

According to verywellmind.com, “The instinct theory of motivation suggests

that behaviors are motivated by instincts, which are fixed and inborn patterns
of behavior” (Cherry, 2019). There are several basic human drives that
motivate behavior that are important for a human’s survival including fear,
cleanliness, and love.

The Drive theory states that humans have basic biological drives that need to
be fulfilled. There is a certain natural motivation to eat, drink, and sleep in
order to satisfy one’s behavioral emotions. A human must maintain a certain
arousal or satisfaction level in order to keep optimal behavior.

Cherry from verywellmind.com states, “A person with low arousal needs might
pursue relaxing activities such as reading a book, while those with high arousal
needs might be motivated to engage in exiting, thrill-seeking behaviors, such as
motorcycle racing” (Cherry, 2019).
All of these theories of motivation can positively influence a person’s emotional
behavior. Not reaching or fulfilling these motivational drives can have a
negative impact on a person’s emotional behavior.

Well-being and Happiness

Motivation can affect an individual’s behavior through well-being and

happiness. Of course, there are many different factors and reasons to
happiness but behavior through motivation plays an important role. There are
two frequently described types of emotions which are extrinsic motivation and
intrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic motivations arise externally from the individual and often receive
recognition from things such as trophies, money, social recognition, or praise.
Intrinsic motivations on the other hand arise internally from the individual to
fulfill personal gratification. Examples of intrinsic motivations include doing a
good deed out of the good of an individual’s heart or solving a puzzle for self-
satisfaction.
Continuum of Motivation by Barbara Bray, Kathleen McClaskey, and Sylvia Duckworth

The well-being and happiness of an individual can also be achieved with the
cognitive approach. According to Essentials of Understanding
Psychology, “The cognitive approach to motivation suggest that motivation is
the outcome of people’s thoughts, beliefs, expectations, and goals” (Feldman
2017). The amount of motivation a person has will depend on their
expectations of the circumstance that they are dealing with. For example, a
person is motivated to study for a test because they understand the concept
that studying will pay off by achieving a good grade.
There are many ways to maintain a well-being and happiness including
extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, and the cognitive approach to
motivation.

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, the importance of motivation is substantial because of its impact

on goals, emotional behavior, and happiness. It directly influences not only our
daily behavior, but our mental well-being. Motivation influences an
individual’s hopes and dreams by driving thoughts and efforts in an attempt to
eventually reach those goals.
Motivational penguin gif from themetapicture.com

The two achievement motivations are task-involvement and ego-involvement.

It affects day-to-day life positively or negatively simply by the presence or
absence of motivation. A person’s emotional behavior is considerably
influenced by three different theories of motivation including instinct theory,
drive theory, or arousal theory. Finally, the many ways to maintain a happy
lifestyle and well-being is through extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, or
the cognitive approach to motivation.