Motivation to succeed or avoid failure

The term “achievement motive” was introduced in 1938 by the American psychologist G. A. Murray, who included it in the list of achievement needs. In exploring the motivation to achieve success, Murray described this need as the desire to prevail over difficulties of any nature, be they people, ideas or objects. Overcome any obstacles as quickly and independently as possible, compete and win, successfully use your abilities and thus increase self-esteem.

Today we say that motivation to achieve success is one of the types of motivation for human activity, which is expressed in the desire for success, achieving important goals, and obtaining new results.

There is another type of motivation for activity: avoidance motivation. Avoiding failures, a person consciously chooses either goals that are too easy or too difficult to achieve, and sometimes he is even ready to change the final goal. Such motivation is associated with lack of self-confidence, fear of failure, high levels of anxiety, and low self-esteem.

As a rule, this approach is also reflected in a decrease in results when determining the level of intelligence through testing. Children who follow the avoidance motive are overly sensitive to the opinions of both adults and peers; they need support and approval. They do not know how to correctly assess their strengths, they constantly worry, and stress is fertile ground for the development of neuroses.

Speed and success in solving productive problems are indicators of a person's general intelligence. As practice proves, a successful result is directly related to the level of motivation to achieve success. As we have already said, the characteristic features of this motivation are intellectual perseverance, a low level of anxiety, the desire to choose among difficult tasks that require reflection, thought, and overcoming one’s “barrier”, a reasonable reaction not only to success, but also to defeat, healthy (high, but within reasonable limits) level of aspirations. It is optimal when the motivation structure corresponds to the level of intelligence development.

However, there are also two variants of inconsistency within the structure of motivation to achieve results:

With a low level of intelligence, the predominance of motivation to achieve success or even the absence of a prevailing tendency.
With a high intellectual level, the predominance of avoidance motivation or the complete absence of a prevailing tendency. Throughout life, a person develops his motivational system. Its foundations are laid before the child is three years old, and then develop in the process of resolving various kinds of conflicts, and in this formation the main role is played first by the mother, then by other important adults in the child’s life, then by peers, and so on. Upbringing and personal experience are the basis for the formation of a person’s motivational system. By paying attention to mistakes, we form avoidance motivation in children, and by focusing attention on successes and achievements, and being interested in their plans, we create motivation to achieve success.

Motivation to achieve or avoid failure

There are also two types of intrinsic motivation: the desire to succeed or the desire to avoid failure.

Type 1 people: Their main motive is to win.

, so they are ready to take on any business and take risks. It’s bad for them not to use their chance, to miss the opportunity. But their willingness to take risks and desire to win makes them more vulnerable to mistakes, and they are less likely to think everything through to the end. It’s bad for them not to win - not to use their chance, to miss the opportunity to move forward.

Type 2 people: The main thing for them is not to lose. They strive for security. In other words, the main thing for them is to avoid failure

. They do not get involved in adventures, they will quickly say “no” to any proposal, they calculate everything in advance. But they usually work more carefully, more accurately, and plan their actions better.

Although every person cares about both success and failure, most people have a dominant motivation. It determines what you pay attention to, what you value, what your strategy is, and the emotions when you succeed or fail. This affects strengths and weaknesses both personally and professionally. How you manage your subordinates and how you raise your children depends on this. Dominant motivation affects everything.

Thus, the desire for success forces you to achieve success and not miss opportunities, to move forward without retreating. The desire to avoid failure forces a person to minimize losses. In an effort to avoid failures, we try to protect our well-being and not make mistakes.

The desire for success fills life with positivity. When we achieve what we strive for, we are overcome with positive emotions. The desire to avoid failure leads us to the need for protection. Being safe, protected, we experience restrained emotions of peace: calm, relaxation, relief, which also bring satisfaction.

Why you need to understand the type of motivation

In principle, every person cares about both success and the absence of failure. However, one type of motivation always dominates. For example, at work we may strive for success, and at home we may strive for the absence of failures. Knowing the predominant type of motivation of a person, we can more competently build interaction with them. For example, by understanding the client’s motives, we will more accurately convey the most important information about the product or service for him, which will increase sales. To interact correctly with colleagues or subordinates, you need to understand their motivation.

Why is motivation dominant?

Motivation for success or the desire to avoid failure usually begins in childhood.

Fostering a desire for success is where achievements are greeted with enthusiasm, love and admiration, and failures are met coldly and denied attention. Children raised this way see their goals as opportunities to win love and praise.

Fostering a desire to avoid failure is when bad deeds are punished, and achievements are taken for granted, as a situation when nothing bad happened. These children set goals to avoid disapproval and stay safe.

A person’s character also influences what goals we set for ourselves. Someone who has had a calm temperament since childhood is likely to grow up to avoid failure. A person's behavior can be influenced by the culture in which he lives and the atmosphere in which he works.

People are not always the same. Even a person with one dominant motivation often switches to another if the situation or circumstances require it. If the current situation suggests only victory or defeat, suitable motivation is triggered.

Optimists and pessimists

There is another classification - optimists and pessimists . As a rule, optimists are healthier and recover faster from illness. They adapt better to change and cope with problems more easily. Typically, optimists achieve their goals more often than pessimists because they do not give up as soon as an obstacle arises in front of them.

Are there people who are motivated by possible failure? If you are motivated by the desire to avoid failure, then you cannot afford to relax. Trying not to make a mistake and preparing for possible problems, you will behave with caution and will be constantly tense. At the same time, pessimism or skepticism is cultivated - they help not to relax.

People who are determined to succeed are not necessarily happier than those who strive to avoid failure, because you can be useful with any motivation. It's best when both motivations work. People who have achieved heights in both dominants cope better with the problems of life.

What type of motivation dominates in you?

Test yourself with a motivation questionnaire. For each statement with which you agree, give yourself 1 point. Then count which meta-program you have the most points in.

Motivation “to do something”

I feel like I'm often lucky.
Sometimes I enjoy what I do so much that I feel energized and do more than I wanted to!
Rules are made to be broken.
Troubles happen to me, but I don’t pay attention to them, they only strengthen my desire to reach my goal!
I'm more of an optimist.
When I want to buy something, I choose a product based on what I want to see in it.
I rarely regret past failures because they made me who I am.
When I plan to do something, I imagine what I will have when I do it.

Motivation “from something”

I have to achieve almost everything in my life through hard work.
As a child, my parents set many rules for me.
I don't know the feeling of near success. It's either done or it's not.
Sometimes, due to carelessness, I get into trouble and worry a lot about it.
I'm rather a pessimist.
When I want to buy something, I choose a product based on something that definitely shouldn’t be there.
I used to work in a terrible place. There are also problems here, but I am glad that I will not return there again.
When I plan something, I understand what situation in the present I want to escape from.

What is important to know for managing an organization

And how to use this knowledge to manage an organization and a team. What to consider when recruiting employees. How to correctly determine the best application of their abilities and type of motivation.

The art of recruiting. By understanding how the desire to succeed or the desire to avoid failure works, you have the advantage of accurate, reliable measures of a person's strengths and weaknesses that will indicate whether he will perform well or poorly in a particular company culture.
Creativity and innovation. By setting themselves up for success, people often find it easier to find creative solutions to problems. This is due to the fact that these people take risks more easily. They are less concerned about whether an idea is well thought out and are open to more possibilities. People of the second type, on the contrary, need flawless and safe ideas. Their critical way of thinking sometimes hinders creativity. It is better to use them in routine operations.
Speed or thoroughness. The desire for success forces you to work quickly. Those who are disposed to caution and prudence work slowly. For some things you need to act quickly, while for others it is better to act slowly.
Stability or change. In general, caution and prudence make us prefer stability over change (losses are possible). But, having tuned in to the desire for success, we are ready to replace old things with new ones, quit what we are doing and do something new, because change brings great opportunities.
Negotiation. Perceiving the goal in terms of a desire to succeed helps the negotiator stay focused on his “ideal” price. But forethought makes him worry about failure or that negotiations may reach a dead end, and therefore he agrees to less favorable conditions.
Entrepreneurship. The recipe for entrepreneurial success requires a good dose of both motivations: the desire to succeed to create ideas, to take risks, to seize opportunities and to act quickly; the desire to avoid mistakes in order to evaluate ideas, analyze them comprehensively and overcome obstacles. New businesses will fail if their leaders lack the necessary balance of motivation. Without a desire to avoid failure and a realistic view of the daily routine, your ideas may never come to fruition. You can't do without people with both types of motivation who will make decisions taking into account all the details.

In general, every organization strives for success, but also tries to avoid failure. To understand what leadership style will work, you need to have a good understanding of the economic environment in which your company operates—is it stable or dynamic?

In a stable environment, consumers have predictable preferences.

In a dynamic environment, consumer tastes are constantly changing. To leave competitors behind, you need to quickly respond to changes and be an innovator.

To be successful you will have to excel at both innovation and defense; both in speed and accuracy.

Choosing a solution depending on your goals

How are decisions made based on the guidelines discussed above?

Success-oriented people typically make decisions based on the answer to the following question: “Why is doing X a good idea, and what will I be missing out on if I don’t do it?” If the answer is convincing enough, they act. If things don't look so rosy, they stick to their guns.
People who tend to avoid failure usually make decisions based on the answer to another question: “Why shouldn’t I do X, and what kind of trouble will I face if I do it?” If the answer doesn't scare them too much, they act. If it causes serious anxiety, they move on to something else.

There are always several ways. A person focused on the desire for success considers several alternative proposals. Those who tend to avoid failure find one solution that they think will definitely work, and stick to it. For them, every new decision is another opportunity for error.

How to make a choice? Anyone trying to avoid mistakes when making a choice prefers to compare each criterion separately. Success-minded people prefer to compare criteria as a whole in order to see the “big picture.”

New or well-tested old? Success-minded people strive to find something that is different from their past choices, because new experiences mean new opportunities to move forward. People who are cautious, on the contrary, do not like change. They prefer stability, what is familiar and traditional.

Listen to your mind or your heart? When forming their opinions, success-minded people rely more on subjective experience—their feelings. People who tend to avoid failure prefer logic and reason.

How long will it take? People who are driven to succeed are more likely to ignore potential obstacles and fail to think through the small details needed to achieve a goal, so they are more likely to underestimate how long it will take to complete a task. Those focused on preventing failures tend to assume that at every stage something might go wrong.

What are we buying? Success-minded people like new products, they love technical innovations, and they are willing to take risks. Those who are determined to avoid failure are not ready to spend money on something that does not have some history. They are more sensitive to manipulation and possible fraud.

What about political influence? People focused on what they can gain are more likely to be persuaded by political messages that offer change, improvement, and a good life. But those who care about minimizing losses are afraid of change. They will be more interested in political statements that appeal to their need to improve security and maintain the status quo.

Dangers of change? Most people are inclined to avoid failure; they usually have a strong motivation to save what they have. And the desire for success is the mood of the minority. They want changes that will improve their position in society. And, according to some estimates, there are less than 20%.

“We” or “they”, “I” or “you”? Those who are determined to avoid failure feel more dependent on others and include people important to them within the boundaries of their “I-concept”. They divide the world into “us” and “them”. And those who strive for success are more inclined to individualism; they often contrast their “I” with “everyone else.”

What happens when your opponent is unpredictable? People who tend to be cautious and cautious feel very anxious when someone does not live up to their expectations. They avoid such communication. Success-minded people are willing to communicate with a person whose qualities or actions have called into question their beliefs. They strive to understand what they were wrong about and what beliefs are correct.

Consideration of other opportunities and traditions

Of course, ordinary people respond more to promises that they like. They are more persuaded by arguments and ideas expressed in the language of their dominant motivation.

Age keys. The older we get, the more we hold on to what we've worked hard to earn. We have more experience with pain and loss, and we have learned some things from our own experiences. Consequently, as we grow older, we become more inclined to avoid failure. Young people, on the contrary, are ready to plunge headlong into the pool, so young employees are more often motivated to succeed.
Cultural Keys . People living in close-knit communities are more motivated to be cautious and forethought. Where people are not so closely connected with each other and where “everything goes,” there is more desire for success and risks.
Career keys. Provident people are more likely to serve as administrators, accountants, and production workers. These classes require deep knowledge of rules and regulations and precise execution. They value work for stability, good conditions and high salaries. Those who crave success prefer creative work: journalist, artist, inventor. This is a job where thinking outside the box is required, where people are valued for their creativity and innovation, and where practicality is not so important.
Sports keys. The sport in which he plays can tell a lot about a person. Thus, football and basketball players, on average, are more determined to succeed than tennis players and gymnasts. Your role on a team can also reveal your dominant motivation.
Speech keys . Favorite sayings of those trying to avoid failure : “Better a bird in the hand than a pie in the sky.” (Why take risks if everything is already good), “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” (Don’t be vulnerable in the face of misfortune), “If you hurry, you’ll make people laugh.” (Take your time. Be careful.) Favorite sayings of those striving for success : “It’s a no-brainer!”, “Better late than never,” “Abandon all doubts,” “Winners are not judged.”
Values. Evidence of the desire to succeed or avoid failure is noticeable in what people value. Prudent people value traditions. Those who strive for success value movement forward, development and new experiences more.

Options for changing motivation

Changing motivation is possible, at least temporarily. And temporary switching is usually enough to make a decision or complete a task with optimal motivation.

What will happen if I do this? The easiest way to change your or someone else's motivation is to think about what will happen if you take a certain action. To set yourself up for success, a person must imagine what he will achieve in a specific situation. To get into the mindset of avoiding failure, a person must consider what he will lose if he fails to complete a task or makes the wrong decision.

From the history of the issue: how did Gerchikov’s theory come about?

So, today we will discuss the typological model of work motivation, which was developed by the Russian scientist, Doctor of Sociological Sciences Vladimir Isakovich Gerchikov (1938-2007). It should be noted that at the Department of Human Resource Management of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, to which the scientist devoted the last few years of his life, one of the classrooms bears his name.

To begin with, perhaps it is worth talking in more detail about Gerchikov himself as the author of the concept. Unlike many of his fellow sociologists, Gerchikov began his path to science not with graduate school and laborious sociological surveys, but with work in the design bureau of the powerful industrial giant of the 60-80s of the 20th century, Siblitmash, in Novosibirsk, where he was assigned to after graduating from the Moscow Machine Tool Institute.

In addition to design developments in the field of steel production, Vladimir Gerchikov communicated a lot and informally with ordinary workers, organized joint ski trips, the work of a book club, and sincerely believed that ordinary workers of industrial enterprises deserve fame and honor no less than national heroes like the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. At a minimum, because the construction of rockets and cosmodromes is carried out by thousands of ordinary workers and engineers, without whom the country’s success in space exploration and other important areas would be impossible.

Gerchikov once shared his thoughts in a factory literary magazine in the format of a poem of his own composition, which cost him his career as deputy chief designer and, in addition, disrupted the defense of his already written Ph.D. thesis.

Let us clarify for the younger generation: yes, in Soviet times, industrial enterprises could afford the luxury of publishing their own literary and artistic magazine, and not just a corporate media outlet. Moreover, some factories and even state farms (agricultural enterprises of state ownership in the Soviet period) had their own vocal and instrumental ensembles, the musicians and vocalists of which were not involved in the main production.

However, let us return to the personality of Vladimir Gerchikov. During his 8 years of work at an industrial enterprise, he studied not only the organization of production itself, but also the internal life of the workforce. Communicating with workers personally, he was able to grasp the basic patterns of their labor and social behavior, to find out what and who motivates them to work more and better. This largely became the basis for his future scientific work in sociology.

Having lost his position and been refused everywhere he applied for assistance in defending his dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences, Gerchikov started from scratch in a new field for himself. More precisely, from working as a laboratory assistant in the newly formed department of social problems of industrial production at the Novosibirsk Institute of Economics. After a while, he defended his candidate's and then his doctor's dissertation in sociology.

The typological model of work motivation is the result of his many years of scientific activity in the field of industrial sociology. The Gerchikov test to determine the structure of work motivation is used by HR managers to this day [HR-Portal, 2016]. And Gerchikov’s test for personal motivation is popular on many specialized online resources [Mixtests, 2021].

The scientist did not create a personal website like Gerchikov.ru, but he left behind more than two hundred scientific works, some of which were translated into foreign languages. One of the most significant is “Human Resource Management: the employee is the most effective resource of the company” [V. Gerchikov, 2008]. It is worth noting another book that Gerchikov wrote: “Staff Motivation” [V. Gerchikov, 2005]. In this work, the scientist sets out a model of work motivation, supplemented over years of research. Many of the works that Gerchikov wrote can be downloaded for free.

Vladimir Gerchikov wrote books and co-authored with colleagues. Thus, in a team of like-minded people, Gerchikov took part in the development of a practical manual “The Social Development Service of an Enterprise,” which became a new word in HR management long before the term “HR management” came into use [A. Kravchenko, V. Gerchikov, N. Krylova, 1989].

However, the scientist who became most famous was the typological model he developed, which is often abbreviated as “Gerchikov’s types of motivation” or even shorter “Gerchikov’s motivation.” Let's look at this model in more detail.

Some recommendations and exercises

Personal motivation

People can be guided towards success by asking them to make a list of positive things that can be revealed to them.

Remember the past or think about the future. Write a short text about hopes and expectations (ideals that motivate one to strive for success) or duty and responsibility (responsibilities that motivate one to avoid failure).
Set boundaries. Framing tasks is asking people to do the same thing, but giving them different reasons why it is worth doing. To set a person up for success, he should make it clear that he is entitled to a reward for a successful decision. To motivate a person to avoid failure, threaten to fine him if the decision is unsuccessful.
Look into the other you. When tackling projects individually, people are more likely to feel independent (and more driven to succeed), and when working as a team, they rely more on each other and are motivated to avoid making mistakes.
Models matter. It is enough to think about a person with strong motivation to direct your motivation in his direction. And if you don’t personally know such a person, imagine a celebrity or role model.

Collective motivation

The motto is also important. The collective motivation of the group can be influenced through slogans in which you reflect your values and philosophy. Although a team includes people with different perspectives and perspectives, over time they come to an agreement on how to approach and perform the work based on a desire to succeed or a desire to avoid failure.

If the glass fits, drink from it . The motivation of a person who drinks good wine is the desire for success. However, the glass you drink wine from has less to do with what people want to drink, and more to do with how they consume the drink. Drinking from the best glass means supporting the goal of drinking the best wine.

Feel the alignment. By acting boldly, you are more likely to win and do not miss favorable opportunities. By acting carefully, you are more likely to protect yourself from losses and mistakes.

Two paths to persuasion . Motivational fit influences attitudes toward an idea or product through two different mechanisms, depending on how important the product or idea is.

When it's very important. When information relates to what is important, the feeling of being correct increases confidence in one's own judgment. Thus, it increases your reaction (positive or negative) to what you see and hear. And, as a result, your initial feeling or opinion only intensifies.

When it really doesn't matter. If the information doesn't matter to you, you won't weigh the pros and cons. You won't care. You simply use the “sense of rightness” as a guide to action: it is right (due to motivational fit), so it must be good. If it's wrong (motivation mismatch), it's bad.

We see the correspondence (that's all). People themselves regularly create alignment with their motivations by paying attention to those aspects of the message that are closest to them.

The match is fair. Motivational congruence creates a sense of fairness because it prevents the person who hears bad news from thinking about what “could” have happened or “should” have been done.

Do as they do. A person's motivation can be increased by allowing him to work the way he likes. People with a strong drive to succeed will have multiple answers to a given question and will want to start testing their ideas as soon as possible. They will make mistakes that could have been avoided if they had not been so eager to advance. But it will not be possible to make them work differently. If they feel pressured, they will lose enthusiasm and efficiency.

People inclined to caution and prudence will check in advance whether misunderstandings, pitfalls or someone else's excessive slowness will interfere with him. Such people often work better if something interferes with them.

Choose the right incentive. It is important to choose an incentive that will increase or maintain the right motivation. Descriptions that create motivational congruence increase the value of the offer, and people express greater intent to take advantage of the offer.

What a pleasure it is to get things done . When people are led by the right leader, they value their job more and are less likely to want to change it. They are more loyal, their productivity is higher, there is less staff turnover in such an organization, and this helps to increase the company's profits.

When employees are driven by a desire to succeed, their performance increases when their manager praises them for their achievements. If the dominant motivation of employees is to avoid failure, criticism will increase their results. There is no need to invent reasons to encourage or criticize employees - the words should always be true.

Six tools of influence

Robert Cialdini named 6 tools of influence that help direct human behavior in the right direction.

Mutual exchange. People feel indebted to those who have done something good for them.
Commitment and consistency. It is very important for people to honor the commitments they have publicly made.
Social proof. We choose what other people choose—both things and actions.
Sympathy. It is much easier to influence a person who likes you.
Authority. It is easier to convince a person if you are a recognized expert or authority figure.
Deficit. People value what is scarce or rare.

Conformity is good for your health. It is important to correctly formulate the words addressed to a person so as to create compliance with motivation. If the opponent does not believe that he is taking a big risk, it is better to use language that corresponds to the desire for success and focus on winning.

Help fund social initiatives. To convince your audience, you first need to write down your arguments. Then find keywords in them that correspond to the desire for new achievements or avoidance of failure (success, moving forward or prevention, protection, deterioration). Work through each sentence so that they all point in the same motivational “direction.”

Motivational message and influence on purchases

How to influence people's purchases using the right motivational message.

Conformity will make you really want. Motivational congruence at the moment we watch an ad has an impact on our intentions. By feeling a motivational fit from the advertisement, we feel more passionate about the product and simply must buy it.

5 out of 5 consumers preferred compliance. Matching advertising framing to the audience's sentiment or the motivation the product is intended to support improves brand perceptions. By making people feel that one brand is better than the others, we will make them choose it.

Reaching new audiences through relevance. Proposals for the “young and invulnerable” should emphasize gains, benefits and rewards.

Addressing different cultures through conformity. Advertising that creates a motivational fit for those raised in one place will not work in another.

Compliance drains wallets. People are willing to spend much more if they make a decision at the moment of motivational fit.

Creating Motivational Match

Creating motivational fit can be divided into three stages.

1st stage. Understand your motivation. Start with a question:

What does my audience want?
What is her motivation regarding this issue?
what is its purpose?

Two different motivations will require different formulations that will create motivational congruence in different audiences.

2nd stage. Develop appropriate material. It is important to determine exactly what you want your audience to do—what actions and what the motivation for those actions or decisions is—the desire for success or the avoidance of failure, or either.

3rd stage. Use expressions that create motivational congruence.

Ten methods of a good proposal:

Write a text with an emphasis on winning or losing.
Emphasize why or how. A story about why it is worth doing what you are calling for, or how to do it.
Use adjectives or verbs.
Emphasize how to achieve success or avoid failure.
Emphasize change or stability.
Don't miss your chance or be careful.
Emphasize feelings or arguments.
Gesture or act reserved. Expressing enthusiasm, you gesticulate a lot - the desire for success. By expressing caution, you behave more restrained - avoiding failure.
Emphasize parts or the whole. Those who are determined to succeed prefer to compare products or options, carrying out a holistic processing of the available information. Careful people prefer attributional processing—learning one criterion for each product and then moving on to the next.
Allow the correspondence to move. People easily confuse where their feelings come from. So if they have experienced a motivational match before listening to your message, it will create a feeling of “rightness” in them.

What comes first - the level of intelligence or the type of motivation?

Probably, the level of intelligence is genetically primary, since it determines better performance, self-confidence in the process of accumulating positive experience, greater balance and emotional stability and, as a result, motivation to achieve rather than avoid. Children with a low level of intelligence are more likely to encounter failures and are haunted by difficulties, so the expectation of failure gradually leads to the formation of a fear of experiencing failure again.

If we consider this primacy of intelligence and the type of motivation in a specific situation, the picture is somewhat different: children with the motivation to achieve success are actively passionate about the solution, but those motivated by avoidance experience fear, lack of confidence in their abilities, worry - and are predictably doomed to failure. Thus, we can talk about a functional system consisting of two subsystems: motivational and ability.

Children with motivation to achieve a goal need less external control or do not need it at all, since they have their own “internal control” over behavior. And children who avoid failure need an external feedback regulator, external control. They also need emotional control.

Once again about love

The book’s authors’ approach to how dominant motivation affects romantic relationships is very interesting. Anyone who is determined to succeed is sure that his feelings are mutual, he prefers the rapid development of the novel. The one who avoids failures, on the contrary, will hesitate, it is much more difficult for him to take the first step. The question arises, which pairs are better?

Hurricane romance - both strive for success. Such people enter into relationships by leaps and bounds. On the one hand, they help each other develop and become better. But, on the other hand, one of the partners may not appreciate this or reason: “Everything is fine, I don’t need anyone to improve me.”

A leisurely romance - both strive to avoid mistakes. The authors call such a novel “an electric train with all stops.” The partners warm up slowly, but subsequently they are especially devoted to each other. They adapt better to each other and are willing to make sacrifices so that their partner can achieve something. Yes, they don’t pour out their feelings in public, but they don’t care much about that.

Divide and conquer - one strives for success, the other wants to avoid failure. He is a pessimist, she is an optimist. It would seem like a disaster, but the strongest alliances are obtained when people have different dominant motivations. In such a couple, everyone is responsible for the things that he knows how to do best. At the same time, he knows that his partner will do the rest. The family life of such couples is in greater balance. Children learn the meaning of optimism and realism because parents take into account the point of view of both striving for success and avoiding failure.

Let's unite!

As I said in the previous article about “end-to-end” and “included” time, there are no right or wrong meta-programs. Exactly the same here.

Yes, pessimism does have a negative impact on motivation. But optimism does not always enhance it either. More precisely, optimism works well for people who are motivated by results. And it doesn't work at all for people who are motivated to avoid failure.

It is much better to perceive these 2 different motivations as 2 methods of achieving the same goal. The truth is that you can't ride on inspiration or safety alone. It is more effective to combine both methods.

And if you are working in a team, then you simply need to unite people from both “camps”. There is only one very important condition: you need not to pit them against each other, but to reach an understanding that people from different “camps” are uniting to achieve a common goal.

Moreover, research shows that the best couples (those that bring the most pleasure and satisfaction to the partners) are made up of people with 2 different motivations!

What motivates you? Maybe you have working methods? And what type are you? Share in the comments.

Lyudmila Prima personal achievement coach

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Summary

Loss aversion theory states that people react more strongly to a loss than to a gain. However, they do not understand that fear of loss is a phenomenon of desire to avoid failure.

People who are focused on future achievements are much more sensitive to gains than to losses.

You can more effectively influence almost everything you do by working with what matches your motivation, using your strengths in a way that benefits you, compensating for your weaknesses.

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