"Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate, continue, or terminate a behavior at a given time."
The factors that drive and sustain behavior, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, goal setting, self-regulation, achievement goals, and others.
Theories of Motivation: This topic covers the different psychological theories of motivation such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory, and Self-Determination Theory.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: This topic explores the differences between internal motivation, where an individual is driven by personal satisfaction or interest, and external motivation, where an individual is driven by external rewards or punishments.
Goal Setting: This is the process of setting clear and measurable objectives to motivate yourself or others to achieve success.
Expectancy-Value Theory: This is a motivational theory that suggests an individual's motivation is driven by both their expectancy of success and the value they place on the outcome.
Self-efficacy: This is the belief in one's ability to complete a task or achieve a goal, which is a key factor in motivation.
Attribution theory: This theory explains how individuals explain the causes of their own and others' behavior and the role this plays in motivation.
Emotion: Emotions such as excitement, fear, and hope play a significant role in an individual's motivation to take action.
Feedback: Regular feedback can be a critical element in motivating individuals by providing them with clear goals, tracking their progress, and acknowledging their achievements.
Personal values: People are more likely to be motivated when the task is aligned with their values and beliefs.
Expectation management: Individuals are motivated when they believe that their efforts will lead to valuable rewards, for this reason, managing expectations of rewards is an important part of motivation.
Intrinsic Motivation: Motivation that comes from within a person, driven by their own interests and enjoyment of the task itself.
Extrinsic Motivation: Motivation that comes from outside a person, driven by rewards or punishments.
Achievement Motivation: Motivation to excel or to reach a standard of excellence.
Competence Motivation: Motivation to master new skills and to be effective in one's chosen pursuits.
Social Motivation: Motivation to interact and bond with others.
Power Motivation: Motivation to control or influence others and situations.
Fear Motivation: Motivation to avoid negative consequences.
Curiosity Motivation: A desire to learn and explore new and interesting things.
Conformity Motivation: Motivation to fit in with a group or society.
Growth Mindset Motivation: Motivation to learn and grow, even in the face of challenges or failure.
Self-determination Motivation: Motivation to make choices and pursue goals based on one's own values and interests.
Control Motivation: Motivation to have autonomy and influence over one's environment.
Coercive Motivation: Motivation to do something out of fear of punishment or negative consequences.
Positive Reinforcement Motivation: Motivation that arises from the promise of tangible or intangible rewards for desired behavior.
Negative Reinforcement Motivation: Motivation that arises from the removal of unpleasant stimuli or situations.
Punitive Motivation: Motivation that comes from the threat of punishment for undesired behavior.
"Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-directed behavior."
"This means that we can be motivated to do something without actually doing it."
"The paradigmatic mental state providing motivation is desire."
"But various other states, such as beliefs about what one ought to do or intentions, may also provide motivation."
"Motivation is derived from the word 'motive', which denotes a person's needs, desires, wants, or urges."
"It is the process of motivating individuals to take action to achieve a goal."
"The psychological elements fueling people's behavior in the context of job goals might include a desire for money."
"Content theories... aim to describe what goals usually or always motivate people."
"Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs... posit that humans have certain needs, which are responsible for motivation."
"Behaviorist theories try to explain behavior solely in terms of the relation between the situation and external, observable behavior without explicit reference to conscious mental states."
"Motivation may be either intrinsic if the activity is desired because it is inherently interesting or enjoyable."
"Motivation may be... extrinsic if the agent's goal is an external reward distinct from the activity itself."
"It has been argued that intrinsic motivation has more beneficial outcomes than extrinsic motivation."
"Motivational states can also be categorized according to whether the agent is fully aware of why he acts the way he does or not, referred to as conscious and unconscious motivation."
"Motivation is closely related to practical rationality."
"Failing to fulfill this requirement results in cases of irrationality, known as akrasia or weakness of the will, in which there is a discrepancy between our beliefs about what we should do and our actions."
"In the field of business, a central question concerns work motivation, for example, what measures an employer can use to ensure that his employees are motivated."
"Motivation is also of particular interest to educational psychologists because of its crucial role in student learning."
"Specific interest has been given to the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in this field."