Theories of Motivation (DP IB Psychology): Revision Note

Motivation

• Motivation is what drives people to perform a behaviour, e.g.,

  • seeking food sources, shelter, a mate

  • training harder to achieve success in a particular sport

  • saving money for retirement

  • repeating pleasurable experiences

• Motivation is complex and multi-layered and differs from person to person, e.g.,

  • Why is it that some people are motivated to commit crime?

  • Why is it that some people are motivated towards self-destructive behaviours such as alcohol abuse, relationship sabotage, and hostility towards others?

  • Why is it that some people are motivated by impossible goals while others are motivated to live a quiet life?

Mechanistic motivation

• Mechanistic motivation is driven by biological and evolutionary drives

• Freud claimed that humans are driven by aggression and sex

• Hull claimed that humans are driven by sex, hunger, thirst and pain avoidance

• Behaviourists claim that motivation is driven by reinforcement (reward reduces drive)

  • E.g., finding food reduces hunger (drive) temporarily

  • The reward of eating reinforces the behaviour to search for food again later

• Mechanistic motivation operates automatically and unconsciously

  • People are not aware of it

  • It happens without conscious thought or information processing

Self-determination theory

• Unlike mechanistic motivation, self-determination theory operates at a conscious level as people are aware of what motivates them

• This theory explains motivation in terms of choice, awareness and control

• It focuses on:

  • intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

  • locus of control (LOC)

Intrinsic motivation

• Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from within the individual.

• Behaviour is driven by personal satisfaction, not external rewards

• People do things because they find them enjoyable, interesting, or meaningful, e.g.,

  • Jayne and Chris practise ice dancing for a sense of achievement

  • Mahatma spreads peace because it feels like his duty

  • Sigmund studies psychology to prove to himself that he can succeed

• People are intrinsically motivated when they

  • enjoy the process of learning or creating

  • seek personal growth or mastery

  • feel fulfilled by achievement itself

Extrinsic motivation

• Extrinsic motivation (the opposite of intrinsic motivation) refers to motivation that comes from outside the individual

• Behaviour is driven by external rewards or recognition, e.g.,

  • Jayne and Chris want to win a gold medal at the Olympics

  • Mahatma wants fame as a spiritual leader

  • Sigmund wants top grades to get into a reputable university

• People are extrinsically motivated when they

  • focus on results, rewards, or social status

  • seek approval or validation from others

  • value outcomes more than the process

Locus of control (LOC)

• Another aspect of this theory is the difference between internal and external locus of control (LOC)

Internal LOC

• A high internal LOC is evident in people who feel that they have autonomy over their lives and responsibility for their behaviour

• People with a high internal LOC tend to be confident, intelligent and achievement-orientated

• Examples of high internal LOC behaviour might include

  • accepting responsibility for not passing an exam by admitting that they did not work hard enough

  • refusing to work beyond office hours at the weekend for a tyrannical boss

• People with a high internal LOC are more likely to be intrinsically motivated

External LOC

• High external LOC is evident in people who feel that they have no autonomy over their lives and assume a lack of responsibility for their behaviour

• People with a high external LOC tend to lack confidence, feel insecure and have a high need for social approval

• Examples of high external LOC behaviour might include

  • blaming the teacher for failing an exam

  • working beyond office hours at the weekend for a tyrannical boss because they do not feel that they can say no

• People with a high external LOC are more likely to be extrinsically motivated