Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior. In everyday usage, the term "motivation" is frequently used to describe why a person does something. It is the driving force behind human actions.
. a specific physiological or psychological state of arousal that directs an organism's energies toward a goal. See motivation. 2. a reason offered as an explanation for or cause of an individual's behavior.
What are 3 types of motives?
Psychologists have divided motives into three types—Biological motives, social motives and personal motives! The goal here may be fulfillment of a want or a need.
Biological motivation
Biological motives include hunger, thirst, the pursuit of pleasure, and the avoidance of pain. An early attempt to specify how these motives affect animal behavior was the ambitious theory of Clark Hull. Hull borrowed from the concept of homeostasis or biological regulation.
Observations on Instinct Theory
The instinct theory suggests that motivation is primarily biologically based. We engage in certain behaviors because they aid in survival. Migrating before winter ensures the survival of the flock, so the behavior has become instinctive.
The area of the brain known as the limbic system is highly involved in emotion. One structure in the limbic system, called the amygdala, plays a particularly important role in regulating emotion. Researchers believe that sensory information about emotion-evoking events moves along two pathways in the brain.
Social motives are the psychological processes that drive people's thinking, feeling and behavior in interactions with other people.
What are the types of social motive?
Examples include affiliation, aggression, altruism, achievement, approval, power and numerous others. All these motives have many basic characteristics in common.
a. Achievement motive:
Achievement motivation refers to a desire to achieve some goal. This motive is developed in the individual who has seen some people in the society attaining high success, reaching high positions and standards.
b. Aggressive motive:
It is a motive to react aggressively when faced frustrations. Frustration may occur when a person is obstructed from reaching a goal or when he is insulted by others. Even in a fearful and dangerous do or die situation the individual may resort to aggressive behaviour. Individual expresses such behaviour to overcome opposition forcefully, which may be physical or verbal aggression.
c. Power motive:
People with power motive will be concerned with having an impact on others. They try to influence people by their reputation. They expect people to bow their heads and obey their instructions.
d. Acquisitive motive:
This motive directs the individual for the acquisition of material property. It may be money or other property. This motive arises as we come across different people who have earned a lot of money and leading a good life. It is a human tendency to acquire all those things which appear attractive to him.
e. Curiosity motive:
This is otherwise called stimulus and exploration motive. Curiosity is a tendency to explore and know new things. We see people indulge in a travelling to look at new places, new things and new developments taking place outside their environment.
III) Personal Motives:
In addition to the above said physiological and social motives, there are some other motives which are allied with both of the above said motives. These are highly personalized and very much individualized motives. The most important among them are:
a. Force of habits:
We see different people having formed different habits like chewing tobacco, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc. There may be good habits also like regular exercising, reading newspapers, prayers, meditations, etc. Once these habits are formed, they act as drivers and compel the person to perform the act. The specialty of habits is that, they motivate the individual to indulge in that action automatically.
b. Goals of life:
Every normal individual will have some goals in the life. They may be related to education, occupation, income, sports, acquisition of property, public service, social service, etc. Once a goal is set, he will be motivated to fulfil that goal. The goals people set, depend upon various factors like knowledge, information, guidance, support, personality, facilities available, aspirations, family and social background, etc.
c. Levels of aspirations:
Aspiration is aspiring to achieve or to get something or a goal. But such achievement depends upon the level of motivation the individual has. Every individual will have a goal in his life and strive to reach that goal. But the effort to attain that goal varies from one individual to another. The amount of satisfaction he gains depends upon his level of aspiration.
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