Motivation Flashcards
Define Motivation, Motivated Behaviour and Motive
-> Motivation- the conscious or unconscious drive underlying the goal directed behaviours (both direction and intensity) that we initiate and maintain
-> Motivated behaviour- one that varies and is goal directed - that is, it will persist and may change (over time and between individuals) until a goal is reached
-> Motive- the desire which drives the behaviour; there may be multiple motives for a given behaviour
State and explain the different sources of Motivation
-> Physiological factors- drives most human behaviour and are required for our very survival due to the need to maintain homeostasis
- This needs produces biological drives (e.g., hunger, thirst, desire to sleep and reproduce)
-> Cognitive factors- desires that develop from processing and interpreting information (that is, higher-order processes)
- e.g., satisfaction of completing a cognitive task, a deep curiosity or interest in a subject, their expectations of the outcome of a behaviour, and their values and goals in life
-> Emotional factors- mainly involve us attempting to increase our experience of positive emotions (Happiness and satisfaction) and decrease/ avoid the experience of negative emotions (anger, fear and sadness)
-> Social factors- the need for affiliation and belonging will cause us to act in ways that develop and maintain relationships and group memberships/ avoid being excluded
What are the 2 model of motivation?
-> Self-determination theory - Deci and Ryan (1985)
-> Hierarchy of needs - Maslow (1954, 1970)
What does the Self-determination theory - Deci and Ryan (1985) and define self-determination
-> Edward Deci and Richard Ryan’s theory of motivation places emphasis on the idea that humans are motivated by factors beyond simple rewards for behaviour
-> Self-determination- refers to the individual’s ability to determine their own actions, and this is important in developing motivation
What are the 3 types of motivations stated in the Self-determination theory
Ordered from lower level to higher:
-> Amotivation- exists when there is a lack of motivation (either intrinsic or extrinsic)
- There is no sense of intention at all, due to the person not valuing the activity, not feeling competent, or not feeling confident that the behaviour will produce the desired outcome
-> Extrinsic motivation- exists when a person’s motivation to complete a task or achieve a goal is tied to receiving something in return, (e.g., an external reward, or avoiding a punishment)
- More self determined, but the motivation is a means to an end - when the reward is achieved, the behaviour usually stops
-> Intrinsic motivation- the most self-determined level, where the motivation is the end in and of itself - that is, the activity is valued for its own sake, as it brings satisfaction, enjoyment and self-gratification
What are the innate psychological needs that need to be met to become for self determined stated in the Self-determination theory
-> Autonomy- the need to feel in control of one’s own behaviours (particularly critical to self-determination aspect)
- This includes being able to choose and manage their actions, and to feel acknowledged by others
- undermined when one feels controlled by others, and when extrinsic motivators reduce the focus on self-management
-> Competence- the need to feel capable of mastering new skills and to attain goals
- This enables the person to experience mastery and feel that they have the skills and abilities needed to deal effectively with their environment
- therefore, a person who is appropriately matched to the task and who receives supportive feedback will feel capable and experience a sense of achievement
-> Relatedness- the need to form relationships with others and to feel a sense of belonging
- Forming connections enables the individual to receive the support and assistance required to being self determined
How does the Self-determination theory apply to psychology
-> The theory has had significant influence in both educational and workplace settings, and also has other potential applications (e.g., motivation in sport, behaviour change in health)
-> Educators and supervisors are advised to focus on:
Giving students and staff choice in their tasks (autonomy), providing supportive feedback and opportunities for success (competence) and awareness of the importance of building relationships (relatedness)
What are the strengths of the Self-determination theory
-> The three needs are generally considered to be universal, so the theory is applicable across culture and context
-> The idea that intrinsic motivation is more effective is supported by the observation that people spend more time participating in activities that they find enjoyable and rewarding
-> There is empirical evidence supporting the theory’s application in workplace and school contexts, although this may be context specific rather than broadly applicable
What are the limitations of the Self-determination theory
-> The theory tends to minimise the importance of extrinsic motivation, which is unrealistic
-> The theory is highly complex so difficult to comprehend and apply
-> The influence of the individual situation limits its application across contexts
Explain the Hierarchy of needs - Maslow (1954, 1970) model of motivation
Human psychologist who proposed humans are motivated to fulfil a hierarchy of needs, with basic physiological needs first and later needs becoming increasing psychological to reach their full potential
-> He did a biographical analysis of figures who he felt had reached self-actualisation and identified many common personality traits hence developing the Hierarchy of Needs (a tiered list of physical and psychological needs, which we are motivated to satisfy)
What are the 2 types that Maslow divided the Hierarchy of needs (1954) into and what does each type consist of
D-needs (deficiency needs)- motivators by way of their absence (required for survival) but one met they cease to motivate us
-> Physiological needs (Basic)- basic biological requirements for health and energy (absence threatens survival)
-> Safety needs (Basic)- both physical and emotional safety (the security to be ‘yourself’), (absence causes anxiety)
-> Belongingness and Love needs (Psychological)- nee to connect with others to receive and give love (absence causes isolation)
-> Esteem needs (psychological)- both self esteem (feeling confident, independent) and respect from others (recognition, appreciation), (absence causes feelings of inferiority)
G-needs (growth needs)- once met, these needs acts as motivators for people to continue to fulfil them (when met, greater happiness and fulfilment experience which acts to increase motivation)
-> Self-actualisation- represents individuals peak functioning and ‘being all they can be’ which leads to positive wellbeing and increased sense of maturation (absence causes restlessness and feeling of incompleteness)
- Maslow stated that while everyone is capable of and strives to be self-actualizing, few people ever do
However, we may experience moments of self-actualization, through what is called peak experiences or transcendence experiences (a transient feeling of profound joy, love and connectedness with the world)
- ‘Peakers’ can use transcendence experiences for personal growth and seek to have them often which leads to them having a deeper sense of meaning in life whereas non-peakers think life is meaningless
What are behaviours that lead to self-actualisation
-> Experience life mindlessly
-> Listen to ‘impulse voices’
-> Work hard for wants in life
-> Listens to yourself and expresses different unpopular opinions
-> Make the growth choice, not the fear choice in decisions
-> Take responsibility for actions and decisions, and be honest rather than a poser or game-player
-> Set up conditions so peak experiences are likely
-> Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses, and give up your defences
What are characteristics of a self-actualised person
-> Creative, spontaneous, value privacy
-> Self-confident, lack the need to be ‘popular’, accepting of reality, self and others
-> Have frequent peak experiences and see the journey as being as important as the outcome
-> Have deep and loving relationships and gratitude for the everyday
-> Work hard to be as good as you can at the things you want to do in life
State and explain Maslow’s expanded hierarchy of needs (1970) model
-> Knowledge and Understanding (g-needs)- it comes above esteem needs, about gaining knowledge through sensory experiences, satisfying curiosity and increasing comprehension which leads to a better understanding of life
-> Aesthetics/ beauty (g-needs)- above Knowledge and understanding, it consists of searching for and appreciating beauty (both physical beauty but also order and grace)
-> Transcendence (g-needs)- above self actualisation (highest on hierarchy), it is a need to connect to a higher reality beyond normal human experiences, fulfilling needs for unity and connectedness with the universe
What are the applications of the Hierarchy of needs - Maslow (1954, 1970) model of motivation theory
-> Widely applied in education: students cannot easily learn (level 4) if they have not eaten (level 1), feel unsafe (level 2) or don’t feel a sense of belonging (level 3)
-> Most schools in australia have systems in place to satisfy these basic needs)
-> Also increasingly applied in business settings, where programs to help employee satisfy lower level needs (e.g., health insurance, counselling, social events) are thought to increase productivity
-> Used to inform health care, particularly in terms of satisfying needs beyond physiological (e.g., reassuring patients, providing spiritual services)
What are the strengths of the Hierarchy of needs - Maslow (1954, 1970) model of motivation
-> Acknowledges the importance of, and provides a framework for, people to achieve personal growth
-> In opposition to most theories at the time, focuses on the inherent goodness of humans and studied health rather than unhealthy psychological development
What are the limitations of the Hierarchy of needs - Maslow (1954, 1970) model of motivation
-> Small sample with very high bias (only those Maslow felt were self-actualized, mostly US based) and all data collected highly subjective.
-> Oversimplified model which conceptualises needs as independent and ordered (although Maslow himself did not present it this way).
-> The results are not generalizable (even beyond the biassed sample) as the needs of each individual are expected to vary.
-> Overly positive – do people always strive for a higher level?
- E.g. in countries where basic needs are met, why are so many divorced, depressed, hopeless, selfish?
