Sources of Motivation Paper
Sources of Motivation Paper
PSY/355
Motivation Defined Sometimes people have to ask themselves questions such as why do I want to do that, what is it that I need that is going to take to get me from point A to point B, and how do I keep doing what I need to do to accomplish the set task or goal? Many times people wonder what causes an individual to act in a certain way. The word motivation is used in everyday language and can be defined in various ways but, in general, it is referred to as the internal course of action that triggers, directs and maintains the individual’s behaviors toward a particular goal or event (Ferguson, 2000). Hence, this paper defines motivation, addresses a few sources of motivation, gives an idea about how human motivation and behavior are linked together, as well as look at how motivation is displayed in behavior.
Sources of Motivation Motivation can originate from internal sources, described as biological and psychological variables, and from external sources, such as incentives and goals (Deckers, 2010, pg.1). For example, a biological factor in the motivation to eat would be that the individual got something to eat because his or her stomach was growling or experiencing stomach pangs. A psychological factor in the motivation to eat would be that an individual ate too much because he or she used food as a way to cope with his or her feelings of depression or loneliness. An environmental factor in the motivation to eat would be that the sight and smell of food triggered the hunger and eating such as the smell of a freshly baked loaf of banana nut bread. An external factor to becoming motivated to cook one’s own freshly baked bread is having the goal to learn how to bake the bread and then market it in a way to bring in extra income. In addition to biological, psychological and environmental variables to motivation, it is also said that motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic. According to Ferguson, internal
PSY/355
Motivation Defined Sometimes people have to ask themselves questions such as why do I want to do that, what is it that I need that is going to take to get me from point A to point B, and how do I keep doing what I need to do to accomplish the set task or goal? Many times people wonder what causes an individual to act in a certain way. The word motivation is used in everyday language and can be defined in various ways but, in general, it is referred to as the internal course of action that triggers, directs and maintains the individual’s behaviors toward a particular goal or event (Ferguson, 2000). Hence, this paper defines motivation, addresses a few sources of motivation, gives an idea about how human motivation and behavior are linked together, as well as look at how motivation is displayed in behavior.
Sources of Motivation Motivation can originate from internal sources, described as biological and psychological variables, and from external sources, such as incentives and goals (Deckers, 2010, pg.1). For example, a biological factor in the motivation to eat would be that the individual got something to eat because his or her stomach was growling or experiencing stomach pangs. A psychological factor in the motivation to eat would be that an individual ate too much because he or she used food as a way to cope with his or her feelings of depression or loneliness. An environmental factor in the motivation to eat would be that the sight and smell of food triggered the hunger and eating such as the smell of a freshly baked loaf of banana nut bread. An external factor to becoming motivated to cook one’s own freshly baked bread is having the goal to learn how to bake the bread and then market it in a way to bring in extra income. In addition to biological, psychological and environmental variables to motivation, it is also said that motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic. According to Ferguson, internal
References: Ferguson, E. (2000). Motivation: A Biosocial and Cognitive Integration of Motivation and Emotion. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Incorporated. Deckers, L. (2010). Motivation: Biological, Psychological, and Environmental. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/. Reeve, J. (2009). Understanding motivation and emotion. (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/.