Psychologists describe it as the desire that energizes and directs a behavior. It is derived from the exchange between nature and nurture. It is our motivation, and without it, we wouldn't get anything accomplished. When exploring our motivation, we focus on four different perspectives; instinct theory, drive-reduction theory, arousal theory, and hierarchy of needs. An instinct is a complex, unlearned behavior with a fixed pattern throughout a species. The instinct theory, which has since been named the evolutionary perspective, focuses mainly on genetically predisposed behaviors. Instead of explaining our behaviors, the first instinct theorists were basically just naming them. For instance, when someone was criticizing themselves, it was due to their "self-abasement instinct. When bragging, it was because of their "self-assertion instinct". Although it failed to decipher most of our human motives, it's assumption of genetically predisposed species-typical behavior was dead on. The instinct theory was quickly replaced by the drive-reduction theory, which focused on the interactions between our internal pulls and external pushes. This theory explains the idea of a psychological need creating an aroused state pushing us into doing something to satisfy that need. As the psychological need for something rises, so does the psychological drive. We are pushed by our need for maintaining a balanced internal state, or homeostasis. We are pulled by incentives; the positive or negative stimulation that is motivating us. Certain motivated actions actually boost arousal. Aron Ralston, who is famous for cutting off his own arm after being trapped under a boulder for 147 hours, is a prime example of this theory. High lev... ... middle of paper ... ...the same questions to all applicants, is able to more easily show who would be best for the job. ⦁ Organizational psychology - how work environments and management styles influence workers. Henry Murray defined achievement motivation as the desire for a significant mastering of skills. With the help of subgoals and implementation intentions, employees are able to see when, where and how they will reach their goals. ⦁ Human factors psychology - how machines and environments need to be designed to fit human abilities. ATMs are the perfect example of this; with the help of human factors psychologists, we are able to very complex machines. Through motivation we get everything accomplished. Where would we be without it? Works Cited: Myers, David G. Psychology Tenth Edition Chapter 11: Motivation and Work Pgs 402-457 TYPE or PASTE your text here...
Instinct - (Denotative) an inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimulant
Motive theory is one more way psychologists evaluate personality. The motive theory searches for reasons why people do what they do. It asks questions like what drives people. The underlying idea of the motive theory is that behavior reflects underlying needs. A need represents an unsatisfactory state of being. For instance, primary needs are biological, such as a need for air, water and food. After these basic needs are met, less important needs can be met such as friendship and even love. David McCelland and John Atkinson studied the need for achievement. The need for achievement is the desire to do things well and have pleasure in overcoming obstacles (Clark et al., 1956). The need for achievement varies depending on sex, and childhood
The author trusts that all humans have some level of motivation as long as they exist. In turn, there are several well-known classic approaches that consider motivation such as instinct, drive reduction, arousal, incentive, and humanistic approaches. It is beyond the scope of this paper to describe all in detail, but a brief synopsis of each follows: (1) Instinct approach theorists suggest that humans have many diverse instincts that are biologically determined and cause innate patterns of behaviors such as reproducing, territorial protection, curiosity, acquisition, and fight, flight or freeze to name a few (McDougall, 1908). (2) Drive-reduction theory proposes that individuals have needs that are essential for survival and this need cause a tension to act called a drive. These drives entail primary drives for physical needs such as water and food, and acquired drives realized through conditioning or experience such as the need for income or social acceptance; whereas, one must meet the need to reduce the drive to return to a state of homeostasis (Hull, 1943). (3) Theorists who support an Arousal approach believe that humans are motivated by stimulation and people develop an optimal level of stimulus tension; whereas, task performances may suffer if the level is too high such as severe test anxiety or even too low such as boredom
The author trusts that all humans have some level of motivation as long as they exist. In turn, there are several well-known classic approaches that consider motivation such as instinct, drive reduction, arousal, incentive, and humanistic approaches. It is beyond the scope of this paper to describe all in detail, but a brief synopsis of each follows: (1) Instinct approach theorists suggest that humans have many diverse instincts that are biologically determined and cause innate patterns of behaviors such as reproducing, territorial protection, curiosity, acquisition, and fight, flight or freeze to name a few (McDougall, 1908). (2) Drive-reduction theory proposes that individuals have needs that are essential for survival and this need cause a tension to act called a drive. These drives entail the primary drives for physical needs (water and food) and the acquired drives learned through experience or conditioning (need for money or social approval); whereas, one must meet the need to return to a state of homeostasis (Hull, 1943). (3) Theorists who support an Arousal approach believe that humans are motivated by stimulation and people develop an optimal level of stimulus tension; whereas, task performances may suffer if the level is too high such as severe test anxiety or even too low such as boredom (Teigen, 1994). (4) Incentive
In addition to drive-reduction, humans are motivated by incentives. Incentives are positive or negative stimuli which either attract or repel people. Incentives are learned results to actions. Good tasting food has notoriously been a positive incentive used
Depending on how motivated we are, it may further determine the effort we put into our work and therefore increase the standard of the productivity. There have been a wide variety of theories about motivation developed over the years. Several are drive-reduction theory, arousal theory, psychosocial (both incentive and cognitive) theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
I was particularly interested in the evolutionary theory of motivation. This form of motivation states that genetic mutations can alter physical traits and behavioral traits. Physical traits like these mutations in behavior traits can help an organism to reproduce. This also allows the mutation to be passed on to the next generation. This is how we as individuals are motivated to engage in behavior s that increase our genetic fitness.
When it is discovered that a worker can fulfill the requirements of their job, but are experiencing shortcomings in doing so, many times it is believed that worker motivation may be the root of the problem (Laird 95). What, though, is work motivation? According to Laird (2006), “motivation is a fundamental component of performance “ and “is the reason that someone chooses to do some things and chooses not to do others”. In other words, work motivation is what energizes workers to the level of output required to fulfill a task, directs their energy towards the objectives that they need to accomplish, and sustains that level of effort over a period of time (Steers et al., 2004). In essence, worker motivation is what gets the job done. Employee motivation has always been a central problem in the workplace, and, as an individual in a supervisory position, it becomes ones duty to understand and institute systems that ensure the proper motivation of your subordinates. Proper motivation of employees can ensure high productivity and successful workflow, while low worker motivation can result in absenteeism, decreased productivity rates, and turnover. A large body of research has been produced regarding motivation, and much of this research is applicable to the workplace. Due to the nature of man, motivation varies from individual to individual, and, because of this, there is no one system that is the best for ensuring worker motivation in every organizational situation, and, as a product, many theories have been created to outline what drives people to satisfactorily complete their work tasks. Throughout the course of this document, the three main types of these motivational theories will be outlined and examples of each as well...
These scientist attempted to understand motivation with instincts that are found both in human and in animals. Sometimes instinct can be related to aggressive behaviors. In reality instinct can be related to curiosity, running away, aggressiveness, and gathering possessions proposed by William McDougall in 1908.There are also cases where drive-reduction theory connects to internal physiology and outward behavior causing an organism that has a need, like hunger, to lead into psychological tension that motivates the organism to act, fulfilling the need and reducing tension. Drive-reduction theory also has two drives which are primary drives that involve needs of the body, while acquired (secondary) drives are learned through experience. Homeostasis also includes into the drive-reduction theory which causes the tendency of the body to maintain a steady state. Also, the need for affiliation (nAff) helps and individual have a friendly social interaction and relationships with others as well as to be thought as something great with
for a lot of people it is money that drives them this is not always
Motivation is best defined as the needs, wants, and beliefs that drive an individual. It is the basis of what people work for and keeps them doing things they otherwise would never do. People act in a whole new manner when they are motivated by something. Motivation gives them a whole new perception of the task at hand. Motivation is not always positive though, and it does not always just come from one place, for example, your boss. Motivation can be negative by not receiving something, and contrary to popular belief it is not always money that motivates people to do what they do. People have different needs, wants, and desires and the finding what is most important to those individuals is the key to motivation. People and companies have used countless techniques and approaches to motivate others and employees, but what works for one person does not necessarily work for the other.
Motivation can be one of the greatest and most important aspects inside a workplace, as it enables employees to find their incentive to work harder and achieve different types of goals. Motivation can be identified and accomplished by elaborating a job design that helps keep employees happy considering the different environmental factors of the integrative framework when applying organizational behavior. A formal definition states that job design “refers to any set of activities that involve the alteration of specific jobs or interdependent systems of jobs with the intent of improving the quality of employee job experience and their on-the-job productivity” (Kinicki 168). Job designs help structure jobs and the different tasks needed to accomplish
Motivation is the process of getting someone to act on a particular situation. According to (Adelhardt, S, K. 2015, December 2) lack of motivation in the workplace is the most problematic subject for all managers, because it leads to decreasing productivity, performance and yet it increases the chances of employee resignation. Many employers suppose that managers these days are struggling to motivate their employees due to lack of significantly vital experience as well as knowledge in the employee engagement developing process. One of the successful strategies that managers can use to increase employee inspiration is by offering an attractive remuneration and benefits to their employees. Remuneration and benefits such as an extrinsic bonus
Motivation is perhaps the most crucial element of a child’s education. According to Michael B. Brown, Ph. D at East Carolina University, an academically motivated student is a child that “wants to learn, likes learning-related activities, and believes school is important” (Brown, 1998). Thus a motivated student and a smart student are not categorically equivalent. While the correlation between intelligence and achievement is higher than the correlation between achievement and any other factor, the relationship is not perfect. For instance, 10 students with identical IQs will demonstrate variability in achievement on similar and dissimilar learning tasks (Andrews, 2003).
“You do a task to the best of your abilities and watch the aftermath pay off,” my