Motivation: The term "motivation" describes why a person does something.

It is the driving force

behind human actions. Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented
behaviors. It's the crucial element in setting and attaining our objectives. Motivation is one of the
driving forces behind human behavior. It fuels competition and sparks social connection. Its
absence can lead to mental illnesses such as depression. Motivation encompasses the desire to
continue striving toward meaning, purpose, and a life worth living.

Types of motivation: There are two primary types of motivation: 1) Intrinsic; and 2) Extrinsic
motivation.
1) Intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation is geared toward internal rewards and reinforcers. It involves engaging in
behavior because it is personally rewarding. This implies performing an activity for its own sake
rather than the desire for some external reward. Intrinsic motivation usually results from the self-
desire to seek out new things and new challenges, to analyze one’s capacity, to observe and to gain
knowledge. It is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the
individual rather than relying on external pressures or a desire for reward. The phenomenon of
intrinsic motivation was first acknowledged within experimental studies of animal behavior.
2) Extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation is geared toward external rewards and reinforcers. It refers to behavior that is
driven by external rewards such as money, fame, good grades, and praise. Extrinsic motivation
usually comes from the external factors, such as the motivation to win medals, receive financial
rewards, and attract attention from the media. It occurs when we are motivated to perform a
behavior or engage in an activity in order to earn a reward or avoid a punishment.

Components of motivation: There are three major components to motivation. These are described
in the following:
1. Activation: Activation involves the decision to initiate a behavior, such as enrolling in a
psychology class.
2. Persistence: Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may
exist, such as taking more psychology courses in order to earn a degree although it requires
a significant investment of time, energy and resources.
3. Intensity: Intensity can be seen in the concentration and vigor that goes into pursuing a
goal. For example, one student might pass by without much effort, while another student
will study regularly, participate in discussions, and take advantage of research
opportunities outside of class. The first student lacks intensity, while the second pursues
his educational goals with greater intensity.
Sources of motivation: There are some sources of motivation which are discussed in the
following.
1) Curiosity: It is a strong motivator of learning. Since, people adapt rather quickly to
surprising events, curiosity must be sustained in order to be a continuing source of
motivation. To keep the learners alert, instructors can employ such strategies as varying
their tone of voice, using relevant humour occasionally, etc.
2) Learning task relevance: Students are more motivated to learn things that are relevant to
their interest.
3) Goal setting: It is an important source of motivation. When individuals set goals, they
determine an external standard, to which they will internally evaluate their present level of
performance. Setting goals improves self-motivation and performance to a greater extent.
When learners set goals, they seek to gain favorable judgments of their competence or
avoid negative judgments of their competence. The recommendation to foster a learning
goal orientation runs counter to much current educational practice, which attempts to instill
learner confidence within a performance goal orientation.
4) Motive matching: It is the degree to which learning tasks meet particular students’ needs
or align with students’ values. A need can be defined as “any type of deficiency in the
human organism or the absence of anything the person requires or thinks he requires for
his overall well-being.” The instructor should be sensitive to individual’s needs for
achievement and for affiliation.
5) Self-efficacy: Motivation also comes from learner’s beliefs about themselves. According
to Bandura, self-efficacy involves a belief that one can produce some behavior,
independent of whether one actually can or not. Learners can be sure that certain activities
will produce a particular set of outcomes. These expectations are referred as outcome
expectations.
6) Other people: We are social creatures, and we care about other people’s opinions. We are
driven by the desire to earn the respect of our fellows. People prefer achievements that are
validated, recognized, and valued by other people. Approval is a prerequisite for forming
and maintaining social bonds. When people are asked what pleasures contribute most to
happiness, the overwhelming majority rate love, intimacy, and social affiliation above
wealth or fame, even above physical health.

Approaches to motivation: Throughout history, psychologists have proposed different

approaches to explain what motivates human behavior. The following are some of the major
approaches of motivation.
a) Instinctive Approach
Freud’s theory of motivation was based on instincts. In his last book, outline of psycho-analysis,
he asserted that Eros (life) and the death instinct are the ultimate cause of the motivation in
behavior. In fact, life instinct, the urge for self-preservation dominates the earlier scenes of one's
life. When life instinct stops, death instinct comes into operation.
For example, the lover who has failed in his love affair may think of committing suicide freed
maintained that from birth onwards human beings experience sex gratification and sex motive,
therefore, is the ultimate sole motive that works in energizing the human behavior.
b) Drive-Reduction Approach
Behaviorists put forward the need and drive reduction theory by emphasizing that need in the form
of stimulation gives birth to a drive or motive which in turn produces motivation.
Watson and Skinner emphasize that needs and drives work as stimuli to evoke responses in the
form of motivation behavior. However, the importance of needs and drives in controlling and
guiding the motivational behavior of humans is beyond question.
c) Arousal Approach
Arousal theory of motivation explains that a person is in energized state of complete a task. Arousal
maintains or increases excitement. It varies in between individuals and throughout the day from
low levels to high levels.
For example, a low level of arousal is optimal while reading an interesting novel or talking with a
friend. A higher arousal will be better if an individual is competing in a serious analytical issue.
d) Cognitive Approach
Cognitive psychologists with the help of their goal-oriented theory highlighted the role of cognitive
factors in producing human motivation. According to this view, human behavior is purposeful with
a certain end or goal in view.
An individual, who aspires to reach a goal, is helped by his cognitive abilities for the development
of a desirable drive or motive. The cognitive view of motivation was first brought into focus by a
philosopher-psychologist William James (1842-1910) who emphasized that the concept of
motivation was necessary to bring the "psychomotor gap" between ideas and actions.
e) Incentive Approach
The incentive theory is one of the major theories of motivation and suggests that behavior is
motivated by a desire for reinforcement or incentives. Incentive theory suggests that our actions
are influenced by outside incentives. It is different as the individual does not desire to reduce the
stimulus, but instead becomes attracted to it. Incentive theory of motivation shift emphasize from
the internal "pushes" to external "pulls." They state that motivation acts by making goal objects
more attractive.
f) Self Actualization Approach
In 1954 psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed that a motivational behavior may satisfy many
needs at the same time implying that an act is multi-motivated. Hierarchy of motives explains the
sequential level of motives according to their importance or requirement.
Maslow's Hierarchy of need range from physiological need such as hunger and thrust through self-
actualization. He believed that we naturally strive to travel up through his hierarchy.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory of motivation which states
that five categories of human needs dictate an individual’s behavior. Those needs are physiological
needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.
Maslow's theory presents his hierarchy of needs in a pyramid shape, with basic needs at the bottom
of the pyramid and more high-level, intangible needs at the top. A person can only move on to
addressing the higher-level needs when their basic needs are adequately fulfilled.
1. Physiological needs: The first of the id-driven lower needs on Maslow's hierarchy are
physiological needs. These most basic human survival needs include food and water, sufficient
rest, clothing and shelter, overall health, and reproduction. Maslow states that these basic
physiological needs must be addressed before humans move on to the next level of fulfillment.
2. Safety needs: Next among the lower-level needs is safety. Safety needs include protection from
violence and theft, emotional stability and well-being, health security, and financial security.
3. Love and belonging needs: The social needs on the third level of Maslow’s hierarchy relate to
human interaction and are the last of the so-called lower needs. Among these needs are friendships
and family bonds—both with biological family (parents, siblings, children) and chosen family
(spouses and partners). Physical and emotional intimacy ranging from sexual relationships to
intimate emotional bonds are important to achieving a feeling of elevated kinship. Additionally,
membership in social groups contributes to meeting this need, from belonging to a team of
coworkers to forging an identity in a union, club, or group of hobbyists.
4. Esteem needs: The higher needs, beginning with esteem, are ego-driven needs. The primary
elements of esteem are self-respect (the belief that you are valuable and deserving of dignity) and
self-esteem (confidence in your potential for personal growth and accomplishments). Maslow
specifically notes that self-esteem can be broken into two types: esteem which is based on respect
and acknowledgment from others, and esteem which is based on your own self-assessment. Self-
confidence and independence stem from this latter type of self-esteem.
5. Self-actualization needs: Self-actualization describes the fulfillment of our full potential as a
person. Sometimes called self-fulfillment needs, self-actualization needs occupy the highest spot-
on Maslow's pyramid. Self-actualization needs include education, skill development—the refining
of talents in areas such as music, athletics, design, cooking, and gardening—caring for others, and
broader goals like learning a new language, traveling to new places, and winning awards.