Motivation for activity: types and significance in human life

Motivation of personality behavior

Motivation for personal behavior is the need to excite specific nervous structures to actively protect the body from negative situations and circumstances. The level of functioning of sensory arousals in the structure of the brain affects the motivation in the behavior of the individual. For example, a saturated body will not respond to tasty food and attractive dishes. External stimuli provoke the emergence of stimuli after specific motivation of the body and form a clear model of objects necessary to satisfy one’s own needs.

The motivation for human activity lies in personal interests, desires, aspirations, hobbies, beliefs, spiritual and material values.

1. Interests are characterized by pronounced directions towards objects and objects, which lead to the stability of a person’s personal needs. The manifestation of interests consists of excessive attention to objects of lasting significance. Interests are motivational mechanisms that influence human behavior and are formed by personal needs. They have a significant impact on the formation of mental processes. According to the nature of needs, they are divided into spiritual and material interests. Depending on their stability, they can be versatile and limited, short-term and stable.
2. Desires are an irresistible need to achieve a set goal with a drawn up plan of specific actions. Desires are accompanied by personal motivation, the needs of which are the subject of a person’s own satisfaction. There is a direct connection with the emotional desire to achieve the desired result.
3. Passion is characterized by an affective, persistent desire for a certain object, which has an excessive impact on a person’s life. Passion, depending on the desires and aspirations of the individual, can be positive or negative. Negative passions provoke personality degradation and aggressive behavior. The main direction of positive passions is the achievement of goals.
4. Attraction is an obsessive craving for certain actions, objects and objects, formed in social conditions and not amenable to the natural understanding of a person. The social environment of an individual disciplines his own drives. Violation of mental processes leads to increased instinctive impulses. For example, an irresistible sexual attraction to the opposite sex arises unconsciously and is beyond a person’s control.
5. Intention is a deliberate intention or consciously made decision to achieve a specific goal with a clearly drawn up plan of action. Intentions lead to the development of motives that direct a person to certain actions and behaviors.

Classification of motives

All motives can be divided into the following groups, in accordance with their nature of occurrence: • social: the need for safety, security, recognition, public approval, etc.; • hierarchical in degree of significance (leading and subordinate motives) and time of their occurrence; • by source of occurrence: internal or external; • in relation to consciousness: conscious and unconscious.

Motives, together with needs and goals, are the main components of a person’s motivational sphere. Thanks to it, we develop, act, commit certain actions, achieve the goals set for us, improve ourselves and assert ourselves in society, and achieve self-realization in life.

In modern society, to achieve success it is important to have a broad and flexible motivational sphere. To do this, you need to develop its main components every day, learn to manage emotions, analyze your desires and be able to compare them with intentions, and also constantly expand your horizons.

Motivation for personal activity

Motive is a deliberate impulse aimed at achieving a specific goal or task, causing the individual to satisfy his own needs. The motivation of an individual’s activity develops on the basis of several motives, which are accompanied by a certain significance and are the meaning of human activity. Motives can provoke conflict in the implementation of intended goals.

The motivation of an individual’s activity is determined by attitudes characterized by readiness to commit certain behavior. Attitudes are embedded in behavioral stereotypes. Thus, the motivation of an individual’s activity is a complex of interrelated factors. Motives are often confused with goals, objectives and needs. A need is an unconscious desire to eliminate discomfort, and a goal is the result of a conscious desire.

Types (forms) of activity

Within the framework of a social studies course, there are usually four main forms of activity - play, learning, work and communication.

1. A game is a free developmental activity that a subject performs at will and for the pleasure of the process. The game usually has a clear set of rules. During play, children often prepare for adult activities - study, work, family relationships.
2. Learning (cognition) is a conscious and purposeful process of acquiring new knowledge and skills.
3. Labor is the process of interaction between a subject and the outside world, during which the former creates products necessary to satisfy individual and social needs.
4. Communication is the process of establishing and developing contacts between people, which includes the exchange of information, experiences, and emotions.

Game as a special type of activity
The purpose of the game is not the production of a material product, but the process itself, during which the child relaxes and has fun. This makes play different from other activities that have a clear goal.

Motivation for the formation of personal behavior

The motivation for the formation of personal behavior lies in the social environment of a person, his personal interests, needs, motives of behavior, attitudes, beliefs, actions, and actions taken. The social environment includes production, nature, the level of development of society, relationships with people, and public opinion. The environment has a tremendous influence on the emergence of human needs, which are formed from birth. Newborns have innate physiological and physical needs. Awareness of personal needs leads to the definition of one's own goals, interests and desires.

Developmental exercises to motivate children and adults

Developmental exercises for motivation
Own complexes serve as the main motivation for creating certain goals and completing assigned tasks:

Associations with animals. By associating himself with an imaginary character or a real object, a person will be able to achieve personal growth in a short time. The positive character traits of a favorite character evoke positive beliefs and attitudes in the individual, which lead to the emergence of new goals and objectives. Animals are powerful and wise creatures that are the main basis of nature and the surrounding world. By identifying his personality with an animal, a person motivates himself to show caution, perseverance, and determination.

To complete the exercise, you will need to choose an animal, characterize its positive and negative qualities, imagine yourself in the place of an imaginary character and strive to achieve your goal. It is recommended to choose the image of a strong lion or a cute rabbit. You should be in this image for at least 5 minutes and try to overcome in a short period of time the difficulties that the animal faces in reality. After completing the actions, you should analyze your own feelings and emotions, determine the tasks that you managed to implement.

Realizing your own mistake . Every person makes mistakes in life, but not everyone manages to admit them. In preschool institutions, teachers often make comments to children about performing various actions and actions. Teachers point out significant mistakes made by students when completing tests, and analyze complex tasks step by step. It is precisely these actions of adults that motivate children to complete difficult tasks.

Developmental exercises for motivation should be carried out several times a week. To do this, it is worth imagining a difficult situation, identifying the positive and negative aspects of the current situation, and correcting your own mistakes.

External and internal motivation in human life

Both external and internal motivation play an important role in a person’s daily life. Extrinsic motivation is characterized by the receipt of a stimulus from the outside, that is, a person primarily engages in some kind of work in order to receive reward, praise or recognition in society. A striking example of the external motivation of a working person is wages, provided that the work itself does not arouse his interest and does not bring much pleasure.

According to theories of human motivation, its internal appearance is in no way connected with external circumstances and a person chooses a certain activity primarily because it brings him pleasure. For example, he draws not to win a competition, but to get positive emotions. These two types of motivation in the life of an ordinary person are closely related and often the same activity is supported by several motives.

Myths about motivation

A person’s motivation consists of various factors, which is why a lot of useless advice has appeared. The main myths include the following:

• Writing down your goals will definitely lead to great results. It is believed that speaking out and recording tasks absolutely guarantees success, as this increases concentration on plans.
• You need to make every effort. Following this advice, it is easy to burn out without calculating your capabilities. And instead of systematically completing a task, the result is a half-finished project in a short time, which a person is no longer able to implement.
• You need to visualize success. Visualization is simply a useless tool unless it is backed up with action. This may inspire a person in the short term, but overall it will not be an effective tool for achieving long-term goals.

Theory of motivation: features of the content direction

The emphasis in this direction of motivation for a person is on the analysis of human needs and methods of their systematization. The influence of internal emotional-volitional impulses on the formation of personality behavioral characteristics is studied. These principles of the theory of motivation were adhered to by Maslow, Herzberg, McClelland, and Alderfer.

1. Maslow's theory. The most important thing in this theory of motivation for any person is that needs are formed into groups, between which a strict hierarchy is observed. This theory of human motivation can be illustrated using a pyramid, at the base of which are basic physiological needs, and the top of the pyramid is the achievement of self-actualization.
2. Alderfer's ERG theory. According to this theory of human motivation, all needs can be classified into one of 3 groups (existence, connections and growth). The difference between this theory of human motivation from Maslow's theory is that Maslow recognized only a unidirectional movement from lower to higher needs;
3. McClelland's theory. If you study this theory of motivation, you can see that throughout life a person can acquire the needs of achievement, participation and dominance, and one of them has a strong influence on his character and behavior;
4. Herzberg's theory. This theory examines the influence of material and intangible factors on the development of personality and its activities. This theory of human motivation is widely used by managers of firms and enterprises to optimize the work of employees;

Ways to motivate yourself

It's important to start with the right motivation because a good start can create momentum that can be maintained for a long time. Here are some tips:

Start small

This is one of the most important motivation tips. Don't start big. It's better to generally start with a ridiculously easy goal and then work your way up.

For example, if you want to play sports, you may think that you need to do intense workouts of an hour or more from day one. No—take small steps instead. Just practice for 2 minutes. It may sound stupid, but it works.

Continue in the same way for one week. You can increase the load, but just stick to a comfortable minimum. It's so easy that it's impossible to fail. In a month you will exercise for 15-20 minutes, and in six months you may become an avid athlete.

Set one goal

People start with too many goals and try to do too much. This drains energy and motivation. This is perhaps the most common mistake.

You can't maintain energy and focus—the two most important things—if you're trying to achieve two or more goals at once. Only heads of state and large corporations can do this. You must choose one goal and focus on it completely.

Motivation according to Maslow

The problem of personal motivation was actively studied by Abraham Maslow. In his works, he argued that man is a creature who always wants something. If he satisfies one of his needs, then after that he will want to satisfy another. And you can notice this in other people (if you don’t notice this in yourself).

A striking example is the constantly unabating whims of a woman. First, they want to find at least some men with whom they can build relationships. Then they become dissatisfied with the qualities of the men who appear, whom they begin to remake. Then various whims of “I want” and “give” arise when a man becomes ideal.

Having satisfied one desire, a person moves on to satisfy another goal. Moreover, first a person must satisfy the needs of his body, then - desires associated with overall self-satisfaction, and then - the goals that a person consciously sets in order to somehow improve his life.

For example, a person will not think about love if his life is threatened. Also, he will not be able to think well of people if he hates them.

A. Maslow created a pyramid that clearly shows what needs a person satisfies first in order to be able to move to the next level. If the needs of the first levels are not satisfied, then the person will not be able to achieve the goal at the next levels (he will have to satisfy the primary desires first).

• Physiological needs come first: protection, satisfying hunger and thirst, sex, reproduction, etc.
• In second place, a person directs all his efforts to providing himself with protection: a home, getting rid of fears, eliminating failures, etc.
• At the third level, a person thinks about his place in society and the need for love.
• At the fourth level, a person directs all his efforts to receive approval, respect, recognition, and achieve success.
• At the fifth level, a person can expand his horizons with new knowledge, research, skills, and training.
• At the sixth level, an individual can already think about the aesthetic components of his life: beauty, harmony, order.
• At the seventh level, a person can finally improve himself, develop his personality, set new good goals, etc.

The multiplicity of needs and desires leads to the fact that a person can perform certain actions that indirectly satisfy some of his desires. For example, an individual may eat not only because of hunger, but also to improve his mood. And some people engage in sex to gain power over others, to gain sympathy, to feel needed.

Types of motives in psychology

Psychologists identify a large number of types of motives, dividing them into several categories. It is not easy to create such a classification, since there are a lot of circumstances that guide a person; Each direction of psychology and each school has its own system. However, the most widespread division of motives into four groups.

Internal and external motives

These types are important not only in terms of the choice of means and ways to achieve the goal, but also for the self-realization of human individuality. Internal motives are such as interests, hobbies, the need for positive emotions and avoidance of negative ones, the desire to increase self-esteem, etc. These circumstances are related to the person himself and his attitude to his activities.

External motivation is circumstances that do not depend on a person and his desires and lie outside his personal sphere. These may be motives such as public opinion, a change in weather, the desire to get a higher grade or avoid punishment, etc.

External and internal motivations can work simultaneously, or they can act separately. For example, a student diligently does his homework. He can do this both because he is interested in the topic, and in order to get a good grade, please his parents, brag to his friends, etc.

External motivation plays a fairly large role in human life, since most people need a certain socialization. Such motives are often more effective than internal ones; this is the same “kick in the ass” without which some people will not do anything at all. However, for personal development, internal motives are still the most preferable. Only with their help can you do your work truly productively. All creative activity is based primarily on internal motivation.

Positive and negative motives

Like needs, drives are associated with emotions. A person in his actions can be driven by the desire to receive pleasure, pleasure, and then this is a positive motivation, or he can also be driven by the desire to avoid punishment, pain, fear and other negative experiences, and then this is a negative motivation.

Researchers cannot yet definitively say which of these motives are more effective in achieving a goal. Negative motivation can encourage one to overcome obstacles, endure minor inconveniences, and work until exhaustion; but it also destroys a person who will never truly love or understand his business. Therefore, positive motives still seem more preferable.

Sustainable and unstable motives

Stable motivations are those that are based on human needs and do not require any additional reinforcement. Such motives have existed for quite a long time. Unsustainable motivation changes quickly. Thus, the internal motivations of the individual are stable, since changes in worldview, interests, and tastes occur rarely and gradually. External motivation, on the contrary, is unstable, since the demands of society, the mood of others, and the weather outside change quickly.

Achieving success

This is a separate type of motivation that has become relevant recently. Modern society sets a person up for success from childhood. It is not prestigious to be unsuccessful; success brings with it material well-being, public recognition, and other benefits. Success increases a person's social status.

It would seem that every person wants to achieve success. However, in reality, there are many obstacles on the way to achieving it, which sometimes discourage the desire to achieve success altogether. One of the reasons for this is a person’s lack of understanding of why he needs to achieve this goal. It happens that the set goal is too far away and gets lost among the many obstacles that arise; in this case, it is advisable to break the achievement of this success into several intermediate goals.

Often achieving great success involves leaving the so-called comfort zone. This means sacrificing something small in order to get something much bigger in the end; the ability to take risks, endure small troubles with the expectation that these problems will be more than compensated for when success is achieved. And this is where many potentially successful people give up.

Often the “comfort zone” is presented as a physical, mental, ideological or spiritual space in which a person feels good and comfortable, he does not suffer and, it would seem, is provided with everything he needs. In fact, psychologists understand something different by this concept. For some people, the “comfort zone” is associated precisely with suffering, inconvenience, pain, and leaving this zone can relieve suffering and bring happiness. But a person does not want to make this exit; he feels “good” when he feels bad. What is the reason for this paradox?

This situation is perfectly illustrated in the famous play “Dragon” by E. Schwartz, based on which a film was made in the late 80s. The inhabitants of the fairy-tale city come to terms with the fact that a terrible dragon has established dictatorial rule over them, who sets his own rules and, in particular, regularly demands that the most beautiful girls in the city be given to him. When a brave knight appears and kills the dragon and gives the inhabitants freedom, they immediately... elect a new dictator who makes them suffer in the same way. It turned out that the residents could not make an effort to learn to live without any dictators and suffering: in their minds, freedom, thinking, responsibility and hard work seem to be even greater suffering than the insane rules of this or that dictator, which one can get used to. The dragon freed people from the need to think and gave them, albeit unfair and deceitful, but a simple and understandable picture of the world, which was enough to learn by heart.