Motivation from A to Z. What is motive, types of motivation

Dreaming is an ambiguous process. On the one hand, it allows us to more clearly imagine the final goal, understand what we need, and build in our heads the desired scenario of what is happening.

On the other hand, if dreams and plans are not supported by any actions, then all visualization will go to waste. In this case, all human fantasies will remain exclusively in the head and will not come true.

Only action can lead to the desired goal, and action is closely related to the concept of motivation. It is through motivation that the urge to action is born.

Motives

Based on the needs that arise, motives are formed. If a need is a certain tension caused by the need for something, but it does not yet determine the direction of the subject’s activity, then the motive acts as an incentive to action, as a desire to satisfy the need, it is the readiness of the psyche, directing towards a specific goal. Thus, motives specify ways to satisfy emerging needs. Figuratively speaking, the “input” of the motive is the need, and the “output” is the intention and motivation of a person to carry out some action or act of behavior.

How to increase motivation if you don't want to do anything

Think about what motivated you to change. It happens that you need to do things that you don’t want to do at all. In this case, ask yourself: why do you need to do this, remember the reason for which you need to overcome yourself.

Five minute rule. If you just can’t bring yourself to work for at least half an hour, devote just 5 minutes to this activity. Just start moving. As a rule, it is the hardest thing for us to start, but in the process we accept and continue to do the right thing with pleasure.

Fill yourself with energy. Think about what can make you cheerful right now, what will charge you with strength and positivity. Create a ritual for yourself before an important task, and then over time your brain will wait to complete the task.

Divide the task into simple and specific steps. This method will help overcome procrastination and trick our brains from fear of taking on such a huge task.

Think about what is stopping you from working. Maybe you're tired or want a snack. Find and eliminate the cause of fatigue and burnout. If necessary, take a weekend off.

Analyze your fears. This seems absurd. But in fact, our brain is designed in such a way that it tries to protect us from perceived dangers. And maybe a career and an athletic body don’t seem like something scary to you, but for the subconscious, such changes in life seem dangerous, since they require drastic changes, daily training and mental activity.

Find yourself a like-minded person, a mentor. It's always easier to do great things with someone who has similar interests and goals. You can motivate each other and prevent depression. In addition, when we see another person doing something that will lead him to his goal, we unconsciously do not want to lag behind and do the same

Start your day right. Plan everything in the evening. Make it a habit to start your day with your most challenging task. In the book "Get Out of Your Comfort Zone" this principle is presented as "eat the frog."

Read books and watch motivational films. And even if this is an external external motivation, you will still be inspired, which means you are determined to conquer new heights

Create the right environment. Set up your workplace in a comfortable environment. Prepare your sports uniform in the evening. Create an environment where you cannot put off an important task.

Record your progress. Don't forget to consider all your past successes and opportunities. Write them down and remember them. This will help you track how effectively you are moving forward. In addition, this method will not give you the opportunity to belittle your achievements. If you see how much you've done, it won't be difficult to motivate yourself to go further.

Reward yourself. Always make time and opportunities to celebrate your successes. If you complete the desired task or step that brings you closer to your goal, reward yourself. This could be a trip to a cafe, a necessary purchase, or a trip to your favorite place. However, remember that rewards should not prevent you from achieving your goal and roll back your efforts. That is, if you have lost 1 kg, you do not need to reward yourself with cake.

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Functions of motives

1. Incentive - reflects the energy of the motive, is associated with the emergence of a need state, which causes the mobilization of energy, and is manifested in the fact that the motive determines a person’s activity and behavior;
2. Directing – reflects the direction of the motive energy towards a specific object, which determines the choice of behavioral strategies;
3. Regulating (controlling) – the motive predetermines the nature of behavior, which depends on which motives turn out to be the most significant at any given moment in time; this function includes organizing, controlling, structuring, and meaning-forming functions;
4. Stimulating – is associated with the continuation of motivation and the implementation of intentions: the energy mobilized when a state of need arises does not disappear until the need is satisfied.

What is motive?

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A motive is an image that gives meaning to a person’s actions. It’s not for nothing that when trying to solve crimes, investigators are looking for a motive. Any conscious action is performed if a person is interested. This is what distinguishes him from animals, which are driven by reflexes and stimuli.

Motives combine two levels:

• Conservation is a person’s desire to preserve what he has;
• Achievement is a person’s desire to achieve more than he already has.

According to Abraham Maslow, who formed the well-known pyramid of needs, the most basic motives of a person are the preservation of life and the satisfaction of natural desires. After them, interests related to achieving social status, financial level and spiritual development appear. If a person does not feel safe, his main motive will be to preserve his life and health. Everything else will fade into the background until the threat passes. For example, in the desert, even an inveterate miser will be ready to give up his entire fortune for a sip of water. When he returns to the city, all his thoughts will again be occupied with increasing wealth.

In addition to the mentioned classification, there are the following types of motives:

• Stable – associated with basic stimuli (thirst, hunger, sex), therefore does not need regular updating;
• Unstable – refers to higher levels of Maslow’s pyramid, therefore requiring constant reinforcement;
• External – depends on environmental factors, including the opinions of other people;
• Internal - arises in the consciousness or subconscious of the person himself, regardless of external factors;
• Negative – an incentive not to perform a specific action (demotivation);
• Positive – interest in obtaining a specific result.

Any motive performs three functions:

• Inducement (or suppression, in the case of negative motivation);
• Selecting the direction of movement;
• Maintenance and control of the process.

These functions should be taken into account when setting goals, since the performer’s mood to implement the assigned task depends on them. Motives can constantly fuel interest, helping to move along a predetermined route and monitoring the quality of work.

The strength with which a motive pushes a person to act depends on several factors :

• The significance of the result for the performer;
• Achievability of the goal using accessible methods;
• Probability of obtaining results;
• Consistency with personal priorities and values.

The more of these criteria are combined in a stimulus, the more strongly it influences a person, fueling interest and desire to act. But don't overdo it. The concept of optimal motivation is known. If its level is insufficient, then it is difficult for a person to start working. When the motive is adequate to the expected efforts, performance reaches its peak. In case of excessively heated interest, it is more difficult for the performer to concentrate on the task, because he is constantly distracted by thinking about the benefits. Therefore, trying to understand the concept of “motive,” psychology introduces theories that describe this phenomenon.

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Characteristics of motives

• The stability of a motive is the duration of its preservation over time. The stability of the motive depends, on the one hand, on the stability (inertia) of the need, on the other hand, on the stability (rigidity) of the characteristics of a person’s personality, such as attitudes, worldviews, values, inclinations, interests.
• The strength of a motive is the intensity of a person’s motivation to act. The strength of the motive depends, on the one hand, on physiological factors (the strength of the tension of the need on the basis of which this motive is formed), on the other hand, on psychological factors. It is now also known that the strength of a motive is greater when the motivation is internally organized than when the motivation is externally organized.

The stimulating role of all learning motives

In order to formulate such motives for educational activities, a whole arsenal of ways to organize and carry out educational activities is used - verbal, visual and practical methods, reproductive and search methods, as well as methods of independent educational work.

Any of the methods of organizing educational and cognitive activity at the same time has not only an informative and educational effect, but also a motivational effect. In this sense, we can talk about the stimulating-motivational function of any method of teaching. Science has accumulated a large amount of methods that are specifically focused on creating positive motives for learning, initiating cognitive activity, while simultaneously helping to enrich adolescents with educational information. The stimulation function in this case seems to come to the fore, helping to implement the educational function of all other methods.

According to the latest data from widespread psychological research, motivation is considered to be the main driving force in the development of a child, allowing him to make the most of his capabilities. Only a powerful motive can help a child, while performing educational tasks, to be completely distracted from extraneous thoughts and fully concentrate on the work he is performing. Therefore, the teacher will need the practical ability to emphasize the interest of every student from the study group entrusted to him at work. He also needs to effectively communicate his plan to his students so that they have the opportunity to understand the possibilities of executing the task set before them and apply all their own skills to solve it. And in order to correctly define an educational task, the ability to convey its meaning to a teenager’s consciousness and intrigue him in achieving the result is not enough. You need to imagine the overall scope of the educational course in order to ultimately get the necessary outcome and establish contact with students.

Types of motives

The motives of different people and the different motives of the same person differ from each other not only in dynamic characteristics (strength and stability), but also in the type of needs that manifest themselves in them, the forms they take, breadth or narrowness, specific content of activity, in which they are implemented. Complex types of activity, as a rule, respond not to one, but to several simultaneously operating and interacting motives, forming an extensive system of motivation for human actions and actions. Motives can be conscious or unconscious. Based on the above, various classifications of motives have been created.

In all the diversity of motives, a special place is occupied by social motives that determine the selectivity of human behavior in society. According to the classification of social motives by G. Murray , social motives include the affiliation motive, the achievement motive, the aggression motive, the power motive and the altruism motive.

1. The affiliation motive is a conscious need for close and trusting relationships with people or one person. The affiliation motive can manifest itself in two forms: fear of rejection and desire for acceptance.
2. The achievement motive is a person’s desire to achieve high results in the activity performed. This motive is expressed in the form of a desire to achieve or in the form of a fear of failure.
3. The motive of aggression is an internal urge to cause any harm to another person.
4. The motive of power is the desire to dominate and subjugate other people to one’s will despite resistance on their part.
5. The motive of altruism appears as a conscious need to provide selfless help to other people and care about them.

The concepts of “motive” and “motivation” from a psychological point of view

The concepts of “motive” and “motivation” from a psychological point of view

Among the variety of reasons that determine human activity, a special place is occupied by the needs and motives of behavior and activity.

Everyday psychology understands motives as everything that acts as internal incentives for activity or behavior. With this view, the motives can be various needs, interests, aspirations, desires, attitudes, ideals, etc. In other words, the consciousness of an ordinary person, focused only on finding out the reasons for the behavior of another person, does not think about the variety of psychological reasons that give rise to real behavior or human activity. He is interested in what the other person wants to do or achieve, or why he wants to do this particular thing or achieve this particular thing. It seems to an external observer that, having identified an object needed by another, he knows the true reason for behavior (and activity) and can manipulate his activity. Such a strategy in relation to another, of course, has a place to be, but it is adequate only in typical and repeating situations. Moreover, it is believed that needs are the source of the generation of motives, bearing in mind that the object of the need is the motive. [43]

A deep understanding of the mechanisms of motive formation is provided by humanistic concepts in psychology. This direction is focused on the study of a harmonious personality that reaches the pinnacle of personal development, the pinnacle of “self-actualization.” Among these concepts, the ideas of Maslow, who developed the “hierarchy of needs,” stand out.

Rice. 2. Hierarchy of human needs according to A. Maslow

It consists of the following steps:

1. physiological needs - these are lower needs controlled by the organs of the body, such as breathing, food, sexual needs, and self-defense;

2. the need for reliability - the desire for material security, security in old age, etc.;

3. social needs - the satisfaction of these needs is not objective and difficult to describe: one person is satisfied by few contacts with other people, in another person this need is expressed very strongly;

4. the need for respect, self-esteem - respect, prestige, social success - groups are required to satisfy these needs;

5. the need for personal development, for self-realization, for self-realization, self-actualization, for understanding one’s purpose in the world.

Maslow identified the following principles of human motivation:

1. motives have a hierarchical structure;

2. the higher the level of motive, the less vital the corresponding needs are, the longer their implementation can be delayed;

3. Until the lower needs are satisfied, the higher ones remain relatively uninteresting. From the moment of fulfillment, lower needs cease to be needs, that is, they lose their motivational power;

4. as needs increase, readiness for greater activity increases. The opportunity to satisfy higher needs is a greater stimulus for activity than satisfying lower ones [35].

In foreign psychology, a number of features of the nature of motives (needs) have been identified, which include such heterogeneous mental phenomena as attraction and desire; an irritant appearing in the form of a stimulus; preference for one stimulus over another; voltage, etc.

In general, all these ideas are united by an attempt to consider motives from a functional point of view, that is, the function of motivation, which leads to a failure to distinguish between needs and motives. These studies are based on a model of biological needs and their satisfaction, which is then transferred to humans. So, for example, the training process from a psychological point of view is not an adaptation of a person, there is nothing to adapt to, but there is a manufacturing process, the production of complex motor systems, with the help of which interaction with the enemy is then carried out. Of course - and this does not require proof - from a physiological point of view, the body adapts to those extreme loads that are only a necessary condition for preparing a person for competitions. In other words, only a highly and psychologically motivated athlete can consciously “force” his body to adapt to the extreme conditions dictated by training.

In Russian psychology, the study of motives occupies a leading place, and the problem of motivation and motives is one of the core ones in psychology. B.F. Lomov O.

All researchers of motive are united by a single methodological position, the essence of which, to summarize, is as follows. Objecting to the mechanical confusion of needs and motives, domestic psychologists proceed from the fact that the motivational sphere (its composition, structure, dynamics) and its development must be studied through the disclosure of connections and relationships of a person’s personality with other people and society. In his life, a person masters and objectively implements a whole system of relationships, to the objective world, to the people around him, to society and, finally, to himself. In other words, the meaningful characteristics of a motive can be revealed not in the “organism - natural objects” system, but only in an inherently socio-psychological system of human relations and interactions. [43]

Thus, the main function of motives, in the most general form, is that motives motivate and direct activity. Leontiev correlates the very concept of “activity”, first of all, with the concept of motive. “A motive is something that characterizes an activity, what motivates an activity, certain types of activity, or a separate specific type of activity.” Along with these basic functions, Leontiev, relying on numerous studies by foreign and domestic psychologists, also identifies the meaning-forming function of motives, which is “crucially important for understanding the structure of the individual’s consciousness.” As a result, a motive is a functional structure of a personality, reflecting the social significance of phenomena of the objective world in the form of personal meaning [31].

The term "motivation" represents a broader concept than the term "motive". In modern psychology, it has a double meaning: it denotes a system of factors that determine behavior (this includes needs, motives, goals, aspirations, and much more), and a characteristic of the process that stimulates and maintains behavioral activity at a certain level. Motivation, thus, can be defined as a set of reasons of a psychological nature that explain human behavior, its beginning, direction and activity [36].

The goal of physical education is not only the formation and strengthening of motivation for exercise, but also its inclusion in a person’s everyday life, in the system of personal values.

In the literature, life values ​​are considered as a system of ideals, value concepts and attitudes of the highest dispositional level of self-regulation of an individual, one way or another determining short-term and long-term programs of human behavior and activity in the world around him [7, 20, 24].

The study of values ​​in social psychology began to be carried out in the 70s and was aimed at studying the characteristics of motivation, regulation of social behavior, and social forecasting [24, 25, 45, 28].

The motivational structure of the individual forms a “model of what should be”, the way of behavior of each individual person. A number of researchers attribute it to one of the forms of existence of human values, along with social ideals and their objective embodiment in the actions or works of people, as a force that encourages a person to this embodiment [6, 9, 14].

A simplified diagram of mutual transitions between the forms of existence of values ​​looks like this: social ideals are assimilated by the individual and begin to stimulate his activity as “models of what should be”, during which the objective embodiment of these models occurs; objectively embodied values, in turn, become the basis for the formation of social ideals, etc. along an endless spiral [2, 4].

Values ​​play a leading role in choosing alternative courses of action [49]. A.G. Zdravomyslov classifies methods of value-semantic orientation and identifies them as the most important factors influencing a person’s choice in significant life situations. In his opinion, the formation and formation of value-semantic formations occurs mainly in the form of activity - in an individual way of value-semantic orientation. With the help of this method, in individual indicative acts (choice of motives, goals, actions), personal values, fixed in claims, motives, and beliefs, are realized.

He identifies three types of value-semantic orientations: situational, conformal and worldview.

The worldview method ensures the inclusion of deep, meaningful life values ​​in the structure of internal choice.

The conformal method makes it difficult to use values ​​in acts of internal choice, realizing values ​​accepted by others even if they are not subjectively approved).

The situational method involves taking into account in acts of internal choice the characteristics specified by the situation. Here, the subject’s insufficient readiness to correlate the external signs of the situation with personal values, the system of which has not yet been formed (hierarchy, orderliness, and generality are weakly expressed in it) [12].

Thus, the formation of the motivational structure of the individual, as the objective embodiment of his internal choice, is directly influenced by the system of values, and therefore by the basis on which it is formed: fashion, social learning, education, etc., i.e. those values ​​that society offers a person [1, 29, 32].

Some authors distinguish between actual values ​​and reflective value concepts present in consciousness, which do not fully correspond to really significant values ​​[19, 22].

Values ​​must be considered as the basis of motives for behavior. Everything in a person is one; it is impossible to completely separate feelings and thoughts, will and values ​​[3].

The process of values ​​formation can be represented as follows: a person develops needs, which are subsequently transformed into interests and motives; they form an extensive motivational system, which then “transforms” into values, which in turn influence the further formation of needs [16].

They are inextricably linked with the life goals of the individual and are their integrative indicator [7].

Physical culture is a special area of ​​culture that arose and developed simultaneously with universal human culture and is its organic part. It satisfies social needs for communication, play and entertainment, in some forms of personal self-expression through socially active, useful activities.

Physical culture is a carrier of values ​​and a sphere of education of life values, taking into account the specifics of activity in this area [67, 69, 58]. And also a place for the application of such life values ​​as family well-being, an interesting life, happiness, self-esteem, etc. [41].

The concept of motivation in psychology

In modern science, the concept of motivation is considered in two main aspects:

1. Motivation as a mental property is the entire set of factors that determine, organize and direct human behavior (a system of needs, motives, goals, intentions, ideals, beliefs, etc.).
2. Motivation as a process is a process of stimulation and determination, inducing human behavior and maintaining behavioral activity at a certain level at any given moment in time.

Basic Myths About Motivation That May Confuse You

You can motivate yourself only with money. There is some truth in this, but we must remember that money follows a goal. Instead of putting money first, think about why you need it. Having answered this question for yourself, you will understand that your goal is not the number of banknotes, but what you can buy with them: expensive clothes, travel, modern technology.

You don't have to have a high IQ to motivate yourself and achieve success. Scientists say that a high IQ does not guarantee great achievements. You may be very smart, but without proper motivation and discipline, you will not achieve the results you need.

Fear is a good motivator. In the short term, fear can actually be the driving force to start doing something. The threat of punishment, dismissal or a fine will help you get started with the desired task. However, constantly expecting fear and failure can undermine your mental health. So try to use positive reinforcement.

It all depends on innate abilities. Columbia University psychology professor Carol Dweck in her book “The Flexible Mind” argues that focusing on innate talents kills motivation, the author calls this a fixed mindset. Focus on the effort you put into the things you want to do. Based solely on developing your willpower, discipline and perseverance. This position will give the greatest effect in motivation, since it eliminates the belief that everything is predetermined and there is no point in trying to move forward.

Types of motivation

There are several different classifications of types of motivation. The most common classification in the literature is that the following types of motivation are distinguished:

• Intrinsic (internally organized, dispositional) motivation is motivation determined by internal reasons: the psychological properties of the subject, his needs, attitudes, interests, drives, etc.
• Extrinsic (externally organized, situational) - motivation caused by reasons external to the subject: living conditions, circumstances of the current situation.

In its “pure” form, motivation is rarely purely intense or extrinsic. As a rule, human behavior is determined by a combination of external and internal reasons, closely intertwined.

According to another classification, a distinction is made between positive and negative motivation of human behavior: an important feature of human motivation is its bimodal, positive-negative structure. These two modalities of impulses (in the form of striving for something and avoidance, in the form of satisfaction and suffering, in the form of two forms of influence on the personality - reward and punishment) are manifested in drives and directly realized needs - on the one hand, and in necessity - on the one hand. another.

The motivation of an activity determines its effectiveness: the most effective activity is one that is conditioned by internal and positive motivation.

What is motivation and how does it differ from motive?

Let’s take a closer look at what is behind such a word as “motivation” and why, thanks to it, we can achieve almost any goal. Motivation is a system of internal and external motives that force a person to act in a certain way.

Motivation is directly related to our interests and needs, so it is individual in nature. It would seem that a sea voyage will bring a lot of joy to one person, while another will not have the motivation to earn a ticket, because he has no desire to swim in the sea. Therefore, saving for such a trip will most likely not bring results. The key concept of motivation is motive. This is the object towards which human activity is aimed.

That is, it is a certain human need, a certain reason for actions and decisions. However, motive is different from needs and goals because it is directed toward something that may not be directly conscious. For example, chocolate or cake will become a reason not to start a diet. And a new phone will become a motive not to accumulate and invest money, because the need for immediate satisfaction of desire in the form of a new phone is much more pleasant than the interest from investing in the long term, although we want to live on passive income.

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Motive is the reason, goal is the result. The goal is 20% per annum from the investment portfolio, the motive is to travel and not deny yourself anything. To better understand your motivation and understand its root cause, answer the following questions:

1. What makes me do something I don't want to?
2. What needs and desires do I have?
3. What do I expect from my goal, what results do I want to get?
4. Is the end goal really meaningful to me and am I willing to sacrifice anything for it?

How does motivation influence human behavior?

The motivation process includes:

1. Assessing life dissatisfaction, identifying needs.
2. Formation of goals to satisfy them.
3. Developing actions to help achieve the goal.

A powerful psychological phenomenon—motivation—passes through all these stages.

Motivation encourages us to take action and motivates us to act. If we clearly understand what and how we need to do to achieve a goal, motivation occurs in an easy and inspired form. However, if our goals are not supported by a positive feeling, we need to include a motivating stimulus in the motivation process. For example, the desired item or actions of other people, as well as promises made, inevitable circumstances, etc.