What is motivation, Theories of motivation and role of motivation in our studies.

Definitions:

Given below definitions covers the meanings of motivation completely:

·         Motivation is a force that drives or stimulates a person to activate or sustain a particular behavior.

·         Motivation is a psychological, biological or social state that empowers a person to do a specific action.

·         Motivation is a will or desire that acts as a fuel for an individual to do or continue a particular action that is based on wants and needs of a person.

Meaning:

We, humans engage in a variety of actions e.g.: a student studies, a man strives to have a job, a person eats fruits and so on.

All of the above actions are result of some driving force which is compelling the person to do that action.

This driving force is termed as motivation.

Like, in the above examples, getting high marks is the source of motivation due to which a student studies his books. Similarly, wish of earning money is the motive behind the person who is striving to get the job.

Every action of the person is because of some motive. As every action produces good or bad results, the goals or aim, the reward or the punishments behind the action serve as motivation that engages a person in some action. For example,

Why does a person eat?

There is hunger, a biological drive, it enforces a person to eat something.  Like-wise,

Why do you take medicines?

Because you wish to get rid of pain. So, this “relief from pain.” Or “To feel better” is a driving force that compels a person to take action i-e he takes medicine or visits a doctor.

All of the above motives are natural or innate in the individuals, apart from there, a purposeful Motivation can also be effected as inducing force that that initiates or sustains a specific behavior.

Few examples of such type of motivation are:

Awards, prizes, bonuses, appreciation certificates and even punishments. These are used to increase the productivity of work or efficiency of the action.

Similarly, in educational institutions medals, shields and other type of prizes are awarded to raise the motivation or desire of students to do better in their studies.

 

Motivation and Motives:

Two terms, “Motive” and “Motivation” are used in place of each other but there is a little difference in their meanings.

Motivation is used as generalized form while motive is term used for specification of some agents, motivating a person.

Motive is an aim, it is a goal, a want or a desire that enforces a person to engage in some action. While, motivation is a phenomenon, or a process that motivates a person.

Types of Motivation

Two major types of motivation are:

1.      Intrinsic Motivation

2.      Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation

It is a sort of motivation induces from inside of the body. It is an internal empowering state that stimulates a person to behave in a particular way.

All biological drives are included in intrinsic motivation. For example, thirst, hunger, temperature regulation, sleep etc. as you see, thirst comes from inside when your body dehydrates, cells of brain shrink and your brain induces the feelings of thirst. Similarly, when your body get tired up compels you to sleep to relax the brain and muscles. Likewise, psychological needs, curiosity and fears/ phobias are all intrinsic emotions.

In short, intrinsic motivation includes;

·         Biological drives: e.g. hunger, thirst, relief from pain, sleep, temperature regulation.

·         Curiosity

·         Internal fears e.g. fear of rejection.

·         Psychological needs e.g. need for being accepted and appreciated by others.

·          Internal desires e.g. desire to gain power or dominance.

Extrinsic Motivation

It is the external motive. The motive is induced from outside the body. The driving force which motivates an individual to perform certain action is present outside the body. The external motives also have punishing or rewarding impacts

Following motives are included in this type of motivation.

·         Incentives

·         Bonuses

·         Allowances

·         Promotion and demotion

·         Rewards and punishments

·         Merit and Distinction Certificates

·         Appreciation certificates and prizes

 

Theories of Motivation:

The five most important theories of motivation are:

1.      Incentive Theory of Motivation

2.      Drive Reduction Theory of Motivation

3.      Instinctive Theory of Motivation

4.      The Arousal Theory of Motivation

5.      Humanistic Theory of Motivation

 

Incentive Theory of Motivation

This theory resulted by researchers of many behavioral psychologists that also include B.F Skinner. The important point of this theory is; Individuals get motivation towards a particular action by external incentives that are rewards and punishment”.

This theory proposes that:

Motivation results from external incentives. External means the stimulus is from outside the body. These incentives are set for the purpose of enhancing productivity of students or workers/ employers. Incentives are the external motivation agents that may include rewards and punishments that stimulate an action in an individual.

 

Derived from Incentive Theory, according to Incentive Theory, there are following types of motivation.

1.      Motivation by Positive Incentives

2.      Motivation by Negative Incentives

Motivation by Positive Incentives

This type of motivation results from positive external motivational agent’s i-e. Rewards. These type of agents/ factors induce a feeling of pleasure and an individual gets satisfied by positive incentives. Examples include bonuses, increase in pay, achievement certificates or medals etc.

 

Motivation by Negative Incentives

This type of motivation results from negative incentives that are punishment. Negative incentives may include feeling of pain that means there is some problem; it motivates a person to take medicine or go to doctor. It may include dissatisfaction or dis-pleasure. Some examples are being dropped from class, fines imposed on breaking rules or demotion in job.

 

Drive Reduction Theory

Clark Hull presented this theory and his collaborators that also include Kenneth Spence further explained it.

The main point of this theory is;

“A particular action is done as a result of motivation induced to reduce the internal tension that is caused by biological drive”

If the biological needs of humans like hunger and thirst are not full-filled, they produce an internal tension.

Drive is that state of tension which is induced by the biological needs. As mentioned above hunger and thirst are states of internal tension.

According to Drive Reduction Theory, a person is motivated to an action in order to reduce the biological drive or or state of internal tension. For example; if you feel hunger pangs in your stomach, you are motivated to eat something. Similar is the case with thirst, thirst motivates you to have some water.

According to Sigmund Freud, if the biological needs are not met like water, food, sex, relief from pain internal state of tension is produced that motivates a person to reduce that tension.

Instinctive Theory of Motivation

A psychologist William McDoughall presented this theory and later modified by other psychologists like Sigmund Freud. The basic assumption of this theory is given below:

“These are inborn instincts that motivate a person towards certain action”

According to this theory, motivation results from inborn instincts present in human beings.

What is an instinct?

It is an inherited trait. Here, it means a tendency to act in a specific way that is transmitted to a person from his parents. It is an unlearned behavior passing from generation to generation.

For example, birds are not learned to build nest that is an inborn instinct. Similarly, a new born child has an inborn instinct of sucking to get nourishment.

This theory suggests, the human behavior is driven because of these inborn instincts. These instincts act as fuel that motivates a person towards certain behavior.

A psychologist William James suggests that fear, love, shyness, curiosity, anger and modesty are all included in human instincts. These are the pre-programmed sets of behavior present in humans that motivate person for some action. Behavioral changes can be considered as an instinct response. For example, curiosity (an instinct characteristic) motivates towards an exploratory behavior.

 

The Arousal Theory of Motivation

This theory states that specific "arousal" levels direct motivation, which represents mental alertness. People have variable levels of optimal arousal that results in motivation for actions to reach that optimum level.

Typically, moderate levels of arousal give maximum motivation. When the arousal level lowers, the person is demotivated until the arousal reboosts.Very high level of mental alertness-arousal also results in demotivation. For example, if a person feels frustrated in doing some activity or work, start a new and more challenging task to achieve the goals, this results from motivation but very challenging or difficult work will result in decrease of performance/ motivation.

This is known as Yerkes-Dodson Law.

Assumptions of Theory

1.      Too high or too low arousal will decrease performance.

2.      Moderate or low levels of arousal are efficient for difficult tasks.

3.      Easy can be performed at any level of arousal.

4.      Experts can give better performance in public or in groups but novices perform better when they are alone.

How to achieve optimal arousal/ motivation?

The key to achieve optimal level is to identify arousal threshold first. Second step is to experience that level to maximize the level of motivation. Accept challenges but don't let the challenges maximize your mental alertness i-e keep balance. Take your task easy from time to time.

 

 Humanistic Theory of Motivation

Humanistic Theory of motivation is based on the concept of cognitive reasons behind certain actions. It includes the Maslow's Theory of Hierarchy of Needs. It represents five levels of Need, each level with different motivation.

According to Maslow, a person moves to next level of need only when the previous one is met.

·         First, basic needs of life termed as physiological needs. It includes air, water, food, homeostasis, sex etc.

·         After fulfilling physiological needs, safety and security of body, resources, employment, health and property needs arises.

·         Once the safety needs are met, a person is motivated to satisfy the needs of family, friendship and love.

·         Next level of motivation is fulfill the needs of self-esteem, achievement, respect and confidence.

·         Last level of needs as mentioned by Maslow is need of creativity, reality acceptance, morality and problem solving.

 

 

Motivation vs. Emotion

Motivation and emotion although linked with each other are different terms. As written above, motivation is something that compels a person to certain behavioral change while emotion is subjective state, we often call it as a feeling.

·         Both emotion and motivation can lead to a certain behavior.

·         Emotion can itself acts as a motivator sometimes, like being fearful is an emotion that motivates a person to take action to leave or reduce that stressful situation.

 

Drives and Motives:

Drives are basically biological, including thirst, sleepiness, hunger etc. these are induced from outside of the body.

Motives are socially or psychologically driven factors. These are external agents including praise, awards, approval etc.

 

Motivation in Education

Curiosity and motivation to learn more and more are the inborn characters of human beings but these decrease with the growing age. Education is a factor that leads humans to life-long learning process. Both internal and external motivation is required to sustain the learning process in an enjoyable way.

The innate agents of motivation enable humans to grasp the experiential and intellectual novelty and encourage them to pass the challenging circumstances with the motive of being successful. In education students need to have the will power that associates them with academic activities. The interest and contribution of students to the learning environments show the student’s motivation level. The students having high level motivation level often work efficiently with external motivation while students with low motivation level need the rewards to feel academic activities enjoyable.

 

According to Malone and Lepper (1987) there are seven factors that endorse motivation.

1.      Challenge

2.      Curiosity

3.      Control

4.      Fantasy

5.      Competition

6.      Cooperation

7.      Recognition

Absence of motivation is a significant barrier to success in academics and it usually produces the feelings of frustration, reduces the productivity, and effectiveness.