Table of Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614857” 1.Introduction PAGEREF _Toc402614857 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614858” 2.Types of Motivation PAGEREF _Toc402614858 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614859” 2.1 Incentive PAGEREF _Toc402614859 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614860” 2.2 Fear PAGEREF _Toc402614860 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614861” 2.3 Achievement PAGEREF _Toc402614861 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614862” 2.4 Growth PAGEREF _Toc402614862 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614863” 2.5 Power PAGEREF _Toc402614863 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614864” 2.6 Social PAGEREF _Toc402614864 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614865” 3.How Motivation Affects Behavior PAGEREF _Toc402614865 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614866” 3.1 Motivation increases effort and persistence in activities. PAGEREF _Toc402614866 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614867” 3.2 Motivation affects cognitive processes. PAGEREF _Toc402614867 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614868” 3.3 Motivation determines what consequences are reinforcing and punishing. PAGEREF _Toc402614868 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614869” 4.How Emotions affects Behavior PAGEREF _Toc402614869 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614870” 4.1 Negative Ways Emotions Affect Behavior PAGEREF _Toc402614870 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614871” 4.2 Positive Ways Emotions Affect Behavior PAGEREF _Toc402614871 h 5

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614872” 4.3 Direct Ways Emotions Affect Behavior PAGEREF _Toc402614872 h 5

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614873” 4.4 Indirect Ways Emotions Affect Behavior PAGEREF _Toc402614873 h 6

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614874” 4.5 Emotional Empathy Affecting Behavior PAGEREF _Toc402614874 h 6

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614875” Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc402614875 h 7

HYPERLINK l “_Toc402614876” References PAGEREF _Toc402614876 h 8

Introduction HYPERLINK “http://www.lifehack.org/articles/tag/motivation” Motivation is generally defined as the force that compels us to action. It drives us to work hard and pushes us to succeed. Motivation influences our behavior and our ability to accomplish goals.

There are many different forms of motivation. Each one influences behavior in its own unique way. No single type of motivation works for everyone. People’s personalities vary and so accordingly does the type of motivation, that is most effective at inspiring their conduct (Weinstein & Ryan, 2010).

Types of Motivation2.1 IncentiveA form of motivation that involves rewards, both monetary and nonmonetary is often called incentive motivation. Many people are driven by the knowledge that they will be rewarded in some manner for achieving a certain target or goal. Bonuses and promotions are good examples of the type of incentives that are used for motivation.

2.2 FearFear motivation involves consequences. This type of motivation is often one that is utilized when incentive motivation fails. In a business style of motivation often referred to as the, “carrot and stick,” incentive is the carrot and fear is the stick.

Punishment or negative consequences are a form of fear motivation. This type of motivation is commonly used to motivate students in the education system and also frequently in a professional setting to motivate employees. If we break the rules or fail to achieve the set goal, we are penalized in some way.

2.3 AchievementAchievement motivation is also commonly referred to as the drive for competency. We are driven to HYPERLINK “http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/6-simple-steps-to-make-progress-towards-achieving-a-goal.html” achieve goals and tackle new challenges. We desire to improve skills and prove our competency both to others and to ourselves. Generally, this feeling of accomplishment and achievement is intrinsic in nature.

However, in certain circumstances be motivation for achievement may involve external recognition. We often have a desire or need to receive positive feedback from both our peers and our superiors. This may include anything from an award to a simple pat on the back for a job well done.

2.4 GrowthThe need for HYPERLINK “http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/42-practical-ways-to-improve-yourself.html” self-improvement is truly an internal motivation. A burning desire to increase our knowledge of ourselves and of the outside world can be a very strong form of motivation. We seek to learn and grow as individuals.

Motivation for growth can also be seen in our yearning for change. Many of us are wired by our personality or upbringing to constantly seek a change in either our external or internal environment or knowledge. We view stagnation to be both negative and undesirable.

2.5 PowerThe motivation of power can either take the form of a desire for autonomy or other desire to control others around us. We want to have choices and control over our own lives. We strive for the ability to direct the manner in which we live now and the way our lives will unfold in the future.

We also often aspire to control others around us. The desire for control is stronger in some people than others. In some cases, the craving for power induces people to harmful, immoral, or illegal behavior. In other situations, the longing for power is merely a desire to affect the behavior of others. We simply want people to do what we want, according to our timetable, and the way we want it done.

2.6 SocialMany people are motivated by social factors. This may be a desire to belong and to be accepted by a specific peer group or a desire to relate to the people in our sphere or in the larger world. We have an innate need to feel a connection with others. We also have the need for acceptance and affiliation.

A genuine and passionate desire to contribute and to make a difference in the lives of others can be another form of social motivation. If we have a longing to make a contribution to the world around us, it is generally a sign that we are motivated by social factors.

The real importance of understanding the different types of motivation is in our ability to determine which form of motivation is the most effective for inspiring the desired behavior in either others or ourselves. None of these styles of motivation is inherently good or bad, the positive or negative outcome is truly determined by the way they are used.

How Motivation Affects Behavior

3.1 Motivation increases effort and persistence in activities.Motivation increases the amount of effort and energy that learners expend in activities directly related to their needs and goals. It determines whether they pursue a task enthusiastically and wholeheartedly, on the one hand, or apathetically and lackadaisically, on the other. Furthermore, motivated learners are more likely to continue a task until they’ve completed it, even if they are occasionally interrupted or frustrated in the process. In general, then, motivation increases learners’ time on task, an important factor affecting their learning and achievement (Schwartz, 2010).

3.2 Motivation affects cognitive processes.Motivation affects what and how learners mentally process information. Attention is critical for getting information into working memory. Motivated learners also try to understand and elaborate on material—to learn it meaningfully—rather than simply “go through the motions” of learning in a superficial, rote manner.

3.3 Motivation determines what consequences are reinforcing and punishing.The more learners are motivated to achieve academic success, the more proud they will be of an A and the more upset they will be by an F or perhaps even a B. The more learners want to be accepted and respected by their peers, the more meaningful the approval of the “in-group” will be and the more painful the ridicule of classmates will seem. To a teenage boy uninterested in athletics, making or not making the school football team is no big deal, but to a teen whose life revolves around football, making or not making the team may be a consequence of monumental importance.

How Emotions affects Behavior4.1 Negative Ways Emotions Affect BehaviorNegative emotions, such as anger, jealousy and depression, can affect our behavior negatively. However, positive emotions can also negatively affect our behavior, such as allowing ourselves to be abused by someone because we love them, or indulging in unhealthy activities because they make us happy. When a particular emotion is stirred and becomes intense, our point of view becomes distorted. We focus on the emotion, and the stimuli that triggered it. It becomes amplified in our minds, and so, at that time, our reaction to it almost seems rational, because it is the only information we deem important enough to process. This subsequently motivates our behavior in a variety of ways. For example, fighting when we are angry, withdrawing from participation and responsibilities when depressed, or enduring a bad relationship when we still love someone.

4.2 Positive Ways Emotions Affect BehaviorThe affect emotions have on our behavior is not all negative, however. In fact, the reason for emotions is to help us cope with life. For example, when we feel fear, we flee to protect ourselves. When we feel love for our children, we try to take care of them better. When we feel angry, we fight to defend ourselves or what belongs to us. These things are in place to ensure not only our personal survival, but the survival of our species. If there was nothing we felt passionate about in life, we would have had little motivation to act, and perhaps would not have become the dominant, diverse, creative and practical creatures that we are today (Yee, 2006).

4.3 Direct Ways Emotions Affect BehaviorAutomatic responses are one way our emotions affect our behavior. Sometimes, our feelings stimulate our brains to process certain information very quickly, or process it in a certain way. If that information is processed while disregarding facts, common sense or other considerations, it could result in a quick or poorly analyzed final action. This is when emotions directly affect our behavior. For example, punching someone for insulting you, ducking and running when you hear a gunshot, or rushing into the arms of an attractive, sweet-talking stranger. These actions are often impulsive rather than premeditated. These usually result in behavior that is counter-productive, if not destructive.

4.4 Indirect Ways Emotions Affect BehaviorEven though, when emotionally aroused in some way, many of us will briefly think of the same automatic responses, few people will act on them. Most of the time, our behavior is indirectly affected by our emotions. Rather than an instinctual action, the cognitive processing that takes place results in a decision-making process, adaption and assimilation of information and, eventually, a learning experience. For example, when someone insults us, we might think about hitting the person, but many of us will choose not to do so, though we may engage in a conscious response that our brain allows, such as insulting the person back. We will cognitively process the encounter and the emotional stimulation, decide that we do not like the person, and seek to avoid that person in the future. Further, this may motivate us to stop going to a particular place where that person might be found. It becomes a domino effect from a single emotional response.

4.5 Emotional Empathy Affecting BehaviorEven further, emotions provide us with the ability to empathize with others. Because of this, we can predict emotional responses, which also affects our behavior, which is why people will usually try to evoke a positive response rather than a negative one. For this reason, few of us go around insulting others at random, cutting lines in the grocery store or stealing each other’s goods, because we wish to avoid evoking and dealing with a negative response in others. On the other hand, trying to be a nice person by complimenting others, being polite and following rules, is a behavior that is motivated by desiring a positive emotional response from other people (Weinstein & Ryan, 2010).

Conclusion

A common misconception is that motivation is something people “carry around” inside of them—that some people are simply motivated to do something and others are not. In fact, learners’ immediate environments can have dramatic effects on their motivation to learn and achieve. Such environment-dependent motivation is known as situated motivation. Certainly extrinsic reinforcement and punishment steer learners toward certain activities and behaviors and away from others. Yet environmental factors play a significant role in intrinsic motivation as well. For instance, presenting an unexpected, puzzling phenomenon may pique learners’ natural curiosity and interest in a topic. And providing scaffolding and guidance for challenging tasks may entice learners to tackle the tasks strictly for the pleasure and the sense of competence they bring.

References

Grant, A. M., & Gino, F. (2010). A little thanks goes a long way: Explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior. Journal of personality and social psychology, 98(6), 946.

Schwartz, S. H. (2010). Basic values: How they motivate and inhibit prosocial behavior.

Yee, N. (2006). Motivations for play in online games. CyberPsychology & behavior, 9(6), 772-775.

Weinstein, N., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). When helping helps: autonomous motivation for prosocial behavior and its influence on well-being for the helper and recipient. Journal of personality and social psychology, 98(2), 222.