Why do people act in one way or another, sometimes doing noble deeds, and sometimes selfish or, even worse, cruel? What drives their choice? You say – the goal? But you can go to the goal in different ways, and the person himself chooses his goals. Psychologists say that motives govern people’s behavior. Having learned the motivation of the individual, we will understand why he acts in one way or another.
Motives and motivation from the point of view of psychology
The activity of any living creature is associated with needs. This can be said about man, only his needs are much richer and more diverse than those of animals. Realizing his desire, a person seeks to satisfy it, that is, sets a goal for himself and organizes activities to achieve it.
But you can satisfy the need in different ways, and you can move towards the goal in more than one way. Let’s say you want to be successful and famous. This can be achieved in different ways: go in for sports and become a champion, write an outstanding book and become a famous writer, start your own business, beat all competitors and become famous, go on a hitchhiking trip and post your notes on your own blog.
Which path you choose depends on the motive, or rather, even on a whole complex of motives. In psychology, a motive is viewed as a circumstance that prompts us to choose one or another action. It is an energetic impulse that gives our movement a certain direction.
For example, a student aims to learn a lesson well and get an excellent grade. The motive here may be the desire to get the approval of adults (parents and teachers) or to avoid punishment for a bad grade, the need to learn new things, gain the knowledge necessary to enter a university, earn the respect of peers, finish the term well and receive the promised smartphone from the parents, etc. e. Most likely, in this situation, not one, but many incentives are at work.
Since a person’s behavior is usually governed by several motives, it is customary to talk about motivation. The problem of motivation is one of the most difficult in psychology, because a person often himself does not give an account of what motives he is guided by when doing some act. Latent motives can be associated with memories, fears, desires that are deep in the subconscious. There is no conscious access to the information stored at this deep level of the psyche, we are not aware of these motives, we only experience the experience of tension and discomfort, which we strive to overcome by taking certain actions.
So, the goal is what we strive for, and the motive is the reason why the achievement of this goal is important to us. Motivation in psychology has two meanings: a set of motives that govern human behavior, and the very process of this management.
Types of motives
The classification of motives is a difficult task, because there are many circumstances inducing action. Various directions and schools of psychology have their own classifications, and in domestic science there is no consensus on this issue. The most common and most important is the selection of 4 groups of motives.
External and internal motives
These two types of motives mean a lot not only in the choice of means and ways to achieve the goal, but also in the manifestation of the individual’s individuality.
Internal motives are circumstances associated with the person himself and with his attitude to activity. Intrinsic motives include interests, hobbies, the need for positive emotions and the desire to avoid negative ones, the desire to increase self-esteem, fulfill one’s duty, show love and care for loved ones, etc.
Intrinsic motivation is quite stable, since changes in our worldview, in the sphere of interests and beliefs, in attitudes towards others occur gradually. In the above example, when a student aims to learn a lesson well, internal motives include the following: interest in the subject, the desire to acquire new knowledge, increase self-esteem, and feel satisfaction from a job well done.
External motives are associated with circumstances that do not depend on the person and are outside of him and the sphere of activity that is influenced. This can be public opinion and the vagaries of the weather, professional responsibilities and a desire to get higher wages or avoid punishment. If, in an effort to better complete the task, the student focuses only on the assessment or encouragement of adults, if he hopes that success will allow him to beg the thing he needs from his parents, then this is external motivation.
Psychologists believe that external motives play an important role in a person’s life, since the encouragement or censure of society is very important for us. These motives are often more effective than internal ones, and they are easy to use to control a person. However, from the point of view of personal development and improvement and productivity of activity, intrinsic motivation is preferable. For example, creativity is almost exclusively about intrinsic motivation.
Positive and negative motives
Motives, like needs, are associated with emotions. In many ways, it is the desire to experience positive, pleasant feelings and avoid unpleasant ones that guides us when choosing one or another option for action. The motives for avoiding fear, anxiety, pain, punishment, etc. are negative, and those associated with the desire to get pleasure, pleasure, joy – positive.
Psychologists still cannot come to a consensus about which type of motivation is more effective. Indeed, fear can be a very powerful stimulus, as well as the desire to avoid the experience of physical and mental pain. Negative motives can induce a person to overcome obstacles on the way to their intended goal, make them work until they are exhausted, or endure communication with unpleasant people. But they destroy the human personality, destroy dignity and self-esteem. While positive motivation increases self-esteem, it provides a positive stimulus for personal development.
Motivation to achieve success
Among the various motives that drive us, the motivation for success has become especially popular lately. This is due to the understanding of success as a significant life value. Success is prestigious, it attracts not only by the accompanying material benefits and a sense of personal satisfaction. The main thing in success is public recognition, which increases the social status of a person.
It would seem that everyone has the need to become a successful person, but in fact, on the way to success there are many obstacles that seem insurmountable. The main one is the lack of motivation, of that energy impulse that would move a person from their usual comfortable place, force them to leave their comfort zone and maintain their desire to move towards the goal, overcoming obstacles.
If you have such a problem and you are not moving towards the goal, but hesitantly marking time in place, then ask yourself: “Why?” Why do you need this goal? What do you want to get when you reach the top? If you haven’t heard a clear answer from yourself, then maybe you don’t really need this goal, and it’s better to set another one? Or do you think more seriously and find those ulterior motives that can become the source of your movement?
The reason for problems with motivating success can be the remoteness of the goal. She seems to be attractive, but she is lost in such an immense distance that it seems unattainable. In this case, you need to break the path into relatively small segments and set intermediate goals. Moving from one to the other, you are sure to achieve success.
The problem of the struggle of motives
As already mentioned, at the same time a person is controlled by several motives, and often prompting him to take different actions. For example, a classic situation. Early in the morning, the alarm clock rings, which you specially set to get up early and do your morning run. But that was yesterday, and now I really do not want to crawl out from under a warm blanket, when you can sleep for another half hour. What will you choose, which motive will win? It depends on many factors, including the importance of motives, willpower, common sense, and additional incentives. For example, if you agreed to run with a friend, and he will be waiting for you.
In the given example, the situation is not so critical, but it happens that a person is faced with a very difficult choice: to save himself or to save other people, to commit a crime and achieve the goal or not to commit and refuse what he wants. The struggle of motives can become a source of a very complex and difficult internal conflict, lead to the development of neurosis or depression.
Psychologists in a situation of struggle of motives advise to rely on the rational sphere, that is, not to succumb to emotions, to think over the arguments for and against, to evaluate the pros and cons of one or another option of action. And most importantly, focus on the most socially significant motives. After all, having achieved your goal, but having lost the trust and respect of society, you will lose more than you will receive.
Despite the fact that we are not aware of all motives, it is possible to manage the motivational sphere. To do this, it is worth learning to build a hierarchy of motives, focusing on the most important and significant ones. The hierarchy of motives is associated with social values and those priorities that are in our life.
