The Wonder of Motivation

Few stop to wonder what differentiates man from other forms of life. It cannot be nutrition, because all living beings need it. It cannot be pleasure instinct, for all animals need it. If we look at it deeply, it is the need for self-actualisation.

In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-actualisation is defined as “the desire for self-fulfilment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualized in what he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming”. It is the highest level to which one can motivate oneself to.

Maslow’s hierarchy defines the levels at which different kinds of motivations are effective. They are physiological, safety, belonging, esteem and self-actualisation. Fulfilment at each stage requires appropriate motivational methods.

The dictionary defines motivation as “The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behaviour”. Thus motivation depends upon a goal, a reason, or a purpose. It is of two fundamental types: extrinsic and intrinsic.

Extrinsic motivation is more common in less developed human thought processes. In this, the person is subject to certain external conditions (called ‘motivating factors’). These may be either incentive-providing (money, food, pleasure or something else) or deterring (fear, pain, or humiliation). The trouble with this form of motivation is that when the external factor is gone, the motivation is gone. Some other studies have also shown that extrinsic motivation weakens inherent intrinsic motivation and dampens the human spirit.

Intrinsic motivation is a higher though process. In this, the subject is motivated by the self. Usually this develops if the subject can see that the desired results can be controlled by internal factors (such as effort), or if the subject develops a passionate interest in the achieving. The highest form of intrinsic motivation is self-motivation.

There are several theories of motivation other than Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

To understand how to motivate people, we must understand the reasons for lack of motivation.

Motivational theories are applied everywhere, from home to business to schooling to national-level decision making.

For instance, I am motivated to write this blog because I get satisfaction in voicing my opinion over the internet. In short, understanding human motivation is very important to understand the success or failure of human societies.

Regardless of the reader, I would tell everyone that self-motivation is what every one of us must aim for, and move higher up Maslow’s hierarchy.