MOTIVATION

Definition:
Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides, and maintains
goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes us to act, whether it is
getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain
knowledge.
Motivation is the processes that accounts for an individuals intensity,
direction, and persistence of efforts towards attaining a goal.
Motivation is Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy
in people to be continually interested in and committed to a job, role, or
subject, and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal.
"The term motivation refers to factors that activate, direct, and sustain goaldirected behavior... Motives are the "whys" of behavior - the needs or wants
that drive behavior and explain what we do. We don't actually observe a
motive; rather, we infer that one exists based on the behavior we observe."

Meaning of Motivation
It is the driven force which will initiate the employee to work up to their
efficient level. It is generally assumed that well motivated employees will
perform better than that of other employees. It is the process of stimulating
people to actions to accomplish the goals.
Examples: success, recognition, job-satisfaction, team work, etc
Motivation is a psychological feature that arouses an organism to act towards
a desired goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal-directed
behaviors. It can be considered as a driving force; a psychological one that
compels or reinforces an action toward a desired goal.
For example: hunger is a motivation that elicits a desire to eat.
Types of Motivation

There are two types of motivation;

1) Intrinsic (internal) motivation

2) Extrinsic (external) motivation
Intrinsic(internal) motivation:
Intrinsic motivations are those that arise from within the individual, such as
doing a complicated cross-word puzzle purely for the personal gratification
of solving a problem. Intrinsic motivation involves engaging in behavior
because it is personally rewarding; essentially, performing an activity for its
own sake rather than the desire for some external reward.

Examples of actions that are the result of intrinsic motivation

include:

Participating in a sport because you find the activity enjoyable

Solving a word puzzle because you find the challenge fun and exciting

Playing a game because you find it exciting in each of these instances,

the person's behavior is motivated by an internal desire to participate in an
activity for its own sake.
Extrinsic(external) motivation:

Extrinsic motivations are those that arise from outside of the individual and
often involve rewards such as trophies, money, social recognition or praise.
Extrinsic motivation occurs when we are motivated to perform a behavior or
engage in an activity to earn a reward or avoid punishment.

Examples of behaviors that are the result of extrinsic motivation

include:

Studying because you want to get a good grade

Cleaning your room to avoid being reprimanded by your parents

Participating in a sport to win awards

Competing in a contest to win a scholarship

In each of these examples, the behavior is motivated by a desire to gain a
reward or avoid an adverse outcome.
Experiences:
Researchers have arrived at three primary conclusions with regards to
extrinsic rewards and their influence on intrinsic motivation:

1.

Unexpected external rewards typically do not decrease

intrinsic motivation. For example, if you get good grade on a test because
you enjoy learning about the subject and the teacher decides to reward you
with a gift card to your favorite pizza place, your underlying motivation for
learning about the subject will not be affected. However, this needs to be
done with caution because people will sometimes come to expect such
rewards.

2.

Praise can help increase internal motivation. Researchers have

found that offering positive praise and feedback when people do something
better in comparison to others can improve intrinsic motivation.

3.

Intrinsic motivation will decrease, however, when external

rewards are given for completing a particular task or only doing
minimal work. For example, if parents heap lavish praise on their child
every time he completes a simple task, he will become less intrinsically
motivated to perform that task in the future.

Bibliography:
Maslow, H. A. (1987). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper and Rowe.
Schachter, S., & Singer, J. E. (1962). Cognitive, social, and psychological
determinants of emotional state. Psychological Review, 69, 379-399.
McClelland, D. C. (1987). Human motivation. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Mandler, G. (1984). Mind and body: Psychology of emotion and stress. New York: W.
W. Norton. Mandler, G., & Sarason, S. B. (1952). A study of anxiety and learning.
Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 47, 166-173.

Zuckerman, M. (1994). Behavioral expressions and biosocial bases of sensation

seeking. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Frederick, Peter J. "Motivating Students by Active Learning in the History
Classroom." Perspectives 31 (1993): 15-19.
Deci, Edward L. "Effects of Externally Mediated Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation."
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 18 (1970)
Sakurai, Shigeo. "The Effects of Four Kinds of Extrinsic Rewards on Intrinsic
Motivation." Psychologia 33 (1990): 220-229.

Link:
http://psychology.about.com/od/motivation/f/difference-betweenextrinsic-and-intrinsic-motivation.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
http://www.leadership-central.com/types-of-motivation.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation
https://www.ems1.com/ems-management/articles/1890181-2-typesof-motivation-explained/

Author
Maslows hierarchy of needs theory:
Achievement motivation theory by Atkinson
Herzbergs theory of motivation and hygiene factor