What Are the Sources of External and Internal Motivation for People鈥檚 Actions
What are the sources of internal and external motivations for people’s action?
Xu Zhijun 24087
Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Motivation is the reason of people starting, directing and maintaining activities， not the result (Zimbardo, Johnson & Weber, 2000).The reason why people take action can be different; basically there are two big aspects: internal and external motivation. Internal motivation is to do something for your own sake. It can be your personality interest or the value which you pursue; it’s very similar with intrinsic motivation. The external motivation is to do something for other’s sake. It sounds similar with extrinsic motivation, but it is a different concept which I will present precisely. I suggest if people want to change or maintain some particular behaviors, the best way is to transfer the external motivation into internal motivation.
According to Maslow’s humanistic theory (1943), there is a pyramid of needs wait people to fulfill. The first level: biological aspect, needs for food, water, oxygen, rest, sexual expression, release from tension. People look for food to eat when they are hungry or they are under big pressure, food can help them release the tension at the moment. And people choose dance, sing or talk to their close people to release their tension as well. People sleep when they are tired. People have sexual life because they have sexual drive. Each organism seek a state of balance – homeostasis. (Hull, 1943, 1952). The second level is safety. It means needs for security, comfort, tranquility, freedom from fear. When facing threaten, may hurt, people will automatically try to avoid. Seeing a sharp blade falling down, people will evade. Anthony Robin said, “I’m scared, so I have to take action right now – run to the direction which I want.” The third level is attachment. It means needs for belong, to affiliate, to love and be loved. Human are social animals, that’s the reason people don’t want loneliness.
Xu Zhijun 24087
Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Motivation is the reason of people starting, directing and maintaining activities， not the result (Zimbardo, Johnson & Weber, 2000).The reason why people take action can be different; basically there are two big aspects: internal and external motivation. Internal motivation is to do something for your own sake. It can be your personality interest or the value which you pursue; it’s very similar with intrinsic motivation. The external motivation is to do something for other’s sake. It sounds similar with extrinsic motivation, but it is a different concept which I will present precisely. I suggest if people want to change or maintain some particular behaviors, the best way is to transfer the external motivation into internal motivation.
According to Maslow’s humanistic theory (1943), there is a pyramid of needs wait people to fulfill. The first level: biological aspect, needs for food, water, oxygen, rest, sexual expression, release from tension. People look for food to eat when they are hungry or they are under big pressure, food can help them release the tension at the moment. And people choose dance, sing or talk to their close people to release their tension as well. People sleep when they are tired. People have sexual life because they have sexual drive. Each organism seek a state of balance – homeostasis. (Hull, 1943, 1952). The second level is safety. It means needs for security, comfort, tranquility, freedom from fear. When facing threaten, may hurt, people will automatically try to avoid. Seeing a sharp blade falling down, people will evade. Anthony Robin said, “I’m scared, so I have to take action right now – run to the direction which I want.” The third level is attachment. It means needs for belong, to affiliate, to love and be loved. Human are social animals, that’s the reason people don’t want loneliness.
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