NATURE OF MOTIVATION

The concept of motivation focuses on explaining what “moves”behaviour.

In fact the term motivation is derived from the latin word “movere”,
referring to movement of activity.
Motives are the general states that enable us to make predictions about
behaviour in many different situations. In other words, motivation is one
of the determinants of behaviour. instincts , drives, needs, goals, and
incentives come under the broad cluster of motivation.
Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate,
continue, or terminate a behaviour at a given time. Motivational states
are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a
disposition to engage in goal-directed behaviour. It is often held that
different mental states compete with each other and that only the
strongest state determines behavior.This means that we can be
motivated to do something without actually doing it. The paradigmatic
mental state providing motivation is desire. But various other states,
such as beliefs about what one ought to do or intentions, may also
provide motivation. Motivation is derived from the word 'motive,' which
denotes a person's needs, desires, wants, or urges. It is the process of
motivating individuals to take action in order to achieve a goal. The
psychological elements fueling people's behaviour in the context of job
goals might include a desire for money.
Psychologists now use the concepts of need to describe the motivational
properties of behaviour. A need is a lack or deficit of some necessity.
The condition of need leads to drive.
A drive is a state of tension or arousal produced by a need. It energises
random activity.
The following are the types of motivation: –

1. Positive motivation: –

● Positive motivation is based on reward. Workers are offered

incentives to achieve desired goals. Incentives may be in the
form of higher salaries, promotions, recognition of work, etc.
Employees are offered incentives and seek to improve their
performance voluntarily.
 ● According to Peter Drucker, genuine and positive motivators are
responsible for placement, high levels of performance, sufficient
information for self-control, and worker involvement as a
responsible citizen in the plant community. Positive motivation
comes from the support of employees and they feel happy.

2. Negative motivation: –

● Negative or fear is based on motivation or fear. Fear causes

employees to act a certain way. In case, they do not act
accordingly then they can be punished with demotion or take-off.
Fear acts as a pushing mechanism. Employees do not cooperate
voluntarily; instead they want to avoid punishment.
● Although employees work to a level where punishment is
avoided, this type of motivation leads to anger and frustration.
This type of motivation usually becomes the cause of industrial
unrest. Despite the drawbacks of negative motivation, this
method is commonly used to achieve desired results. There can
hardly be any management who has not used negative
motivation at one time or another.

It is probably safe to say that the most famous theory of motivation is

Maslow’s requirement hierarchy theory. Maslow’s theory is based on
human needs. Primarily based on their clinical experience, they
categorised all human needs from lower to higher order.In short, he
believed that once the level of need given is satisfied, it does not work to
motivate man. Then, the next higher level needs to be activated to
motivate the man. Maslow identified five levels in its need hierarchy.

Physiological needs: –

● These needs are basic to human life and, therefore, include

food, clothing, shelter, air, water and life requirements. These
are related to the existence and maintenance of human life.
● They have a tremendous impact on human behavior. These
needs must be met at least partially before high levels of needs
emerge. Once physical needs are met, they do not motivate the
man.
2. Safety needs: –

● After satisfying the physical requirements, the next needs to be

felt are called the need for safety and security. These require
expression in desires such as economic security and protection
from material threats.
● To meet these needs more money is required and hence, the
person is motivated to do more work. Like physical needs, they
become inactive after being satisfied.

3. Social needs: –

● Man is a social animal. Therefore, he is interested in social

interaction, companionship, belonging, etc.
● It is because of this socialisation and belonging that individuals
like to work in groups and especially older people go to work.

4. Esteem needs: –

● These refer to self-esteem and self-respect. They include

requirements that indicate confidence, achievement, ability,
knowledge, and independence.
● Meeting the requirements of respect creates confidence,
strength and the ability to be useful in the organisation.
However, inability to meet these needs creates feelings of
inferiority, weakness and helplessness.

5. Self-Actualization needs: –

● This level represents the culmination of all lower, intermediate

and higher needs of humans. In other words, the last step under
the needs hierarchy model is self-realisation. It refers to
fulfilment.
● The term self-realisation was coined by Kurt Goldstein and it
means that what is probably good becomes real. In fact,
self-realisation is the motivation to change one’s perception of
oneself in reality.
RATIONALE:
Understanding motivation gives us many valuable insights into human
nature. It explains why we set goals, strive for achievement and power,
why we have desires for psychological intimacy and biological sex, why
we experience emotions like fear, anger, and compassion.
Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs was an early and influential
model in this field. Published in his 1943 article, ‘The Theory of Human
Motivation’ and made popular in his 1954 book, "Motivation and
Personality," it can still help us to support and motivate team members
today. Taking into consideration ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’, there are
five levels into which needs are categorised. This could imply that
motivation arises from these needs, and hence there could be factors
affecting motivation.
Psychologist and philosopher Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
was first published in 1943, but it still has practical application in today's
workplaces.
It provides us with a framework for supporting and enabling our team
members to feel healthy, happy and fulfilled.
These needs remain stagnant, and the question arises that the
motivation that comes out of these needs also remain stagnant.
Even though this theory is associated with needs, this study will help to
explore whether these needs affect motivation or not.
METHODOLOGY:
AIM:
The aim of this study is to explore the nature of motivation..

RESEARCH QUESTION:
Do various factors affect motivation?

OBJECTIVE:
To study how various factors affect motivation, to study the regularity of
motivation.

HYPOTHESIS:
There are factors affecting motivation.
There is irregularity in the feeling of motivation.

POPULATION:
This research was conducted among friends and family, from a varied
age range of adolescents, working adults and senior citizens. These
were mostly from Maharashtra.

SAMPLE:
This study included responses of 13 people from the age range of
adolescents, working adults and senior citizens from Maharashtra.
Non-random sampling was used for this study.

INCLUSION CRITERIA:
People from Maharashtra ranging from ages 14 years to 80 years were
included in this research.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
People with major mental disorders (eg. depression) were excluded from
this research

RESEARCH DESIGN:
Non-random sampling, qualitative method was used for this particular
research. A structured interview method, with a self designed
questionnaire was used.
PROCEDURE:
The aim of this study was to explore the concept of motivation. The
objectives were to study the factors affecting motivation and the
regularity of the feeling of motivation. After deciding the subject, aim,
objective research question for this study, a self-designed questionnaire
was prepared and given out to 13 people. After the collection of data, it
was analysed and the findings were recorded.

TOOLS:
Tools used:
Self designed, semi structured questionnaire.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION:
Responses received: 13
Response 1:
1) Motivation for me is the feeling that a result may not be good
enough, so I need to put in more effort to get the desired result.
This is motivation to me.
2) No
3) To feel motivated, I watch something which makes me feel guilty
so I get charged to do something.
4) Families disgrace, loss of interest
5) Talking to a friend, taking a break
6) Yes, completely
7) Yes

Response 2:
1) Motivation to me is the power booster I need to do any task or goal
I feel like I couldn't do or achieve very easily.
2) No
3) To feel motivated I look at times when everyone thought there was
no chance for me out of the difficult situations, but I still overcame
the difficult situations and proved everyone and even myself
wrong.
4) Unavoidable obstacles, self criticism.
5) Achievements of the past,obstacles of the past.
6) Yes
7) Yes

Response 3:
1) Motivation to me is a driving force that makes me work
toward the goal.
 2) No
3) Study, take breaks.
4) Being sad, frustrated.
5) A good reward later, the promise of being stress free/ happy.
6) Yes
7) Yes

Response 4:
1) Motivation for me is always the end goal that i look forward to
and whether the work i do now, if it has value later on i get
the motivation to do it.
2) No
3) To feel motivated I tend to break all the work into parts and
start with the basic easy things and then the main- also
considering every small part as an achievement.
4) Fear of judgement breaking, overthinking.
5) Retrospecting thoughts, breaking down why I feel
demotivated or anxious one by one and taking a break.
6) Yes
7) Yes

Response 5:
1) Motivation is the act or process that prompts a person to reach
one’s goal or cause.
2) No
3) I would like to be in the company of people or a group who are
optimistic and fun loving.
4) Negative thinking, people who demoralize me.
5) Friendly optimistic surrounding and soothing music.
6) Yes
7) yes

Response 6:
 1) Motivation to me is an adrenaline rush that pushes you to do
something and at the same time enjoy what you are doing.
2) No
3) Nothing
4) Getting no result, demotivating surroundings
5) Having a set goal and action plan, music.
6) Yes
7) Yes
Response 7:
1) Motivation to me is to inspire someone else to make their goal.
2) No
3) Being in the company of people who inspire me
4) Discouragement, laziness
5) Good friends, positivity
6) Yes
7) Yes
Response 8:
1) Motivation to me is doing all my activities and living a normal,
happy life,with a positive approach.
2) No
3) Yoga, music.
4) Failure, bad treatment from loved ones.
5) Success, love, good friends
6) No
7) Yes
Response 9:
1) Motivation to me is a tool to improve my lifestyle
2) Yes
3) I approach my well wishers to offer their suggestions that help me.
4) Negativity, failure
5) Achieving the desired target, encouraging comments of well
wishers.
6) No
7) Yes

Response 10:
1) Music
 2) No
3) Reading books, reassurance
4) Failure, comparison
5) Self confidence, support from near ones
6) Yes
7) yes
Response 11:
1) For me, motivation is guiding myself
2) No
3) Music, energising myself
4) Social media, self doubt
5) Music, loved ones
6) Yes
7) yes
Response 12:
1) Motivation is the process that initiates and maintains goal oriented
behaviour
2) No
3) Surround myself with positive thoughts and set new goals.
4) Negativity, lack of confidence.
5) Goals, learning new things
6) Yes
7) yes
Response 13:
1) Motivation to me is going an extra mile to prove myself.
2) Yes
3) I tend to vent out everything that I'm feeling, and try to look at the
positive side of things.
4) Negativity, fake people
5) Money, family
6) Yes
7) yes
Nature of Motivation: Most of the responses correspond to what
motivation means to the individual and what evokes the feeling of
motivation in them. These have ranged from motivation being defined as
a drive to fulfil needs to being a feeling that initiates a goal oriented
action.

Regularity of Motivation: Majority of the responses indicated that the

feeling of motivation is not constant in human beings.

Factor Affecting Motivation: After analysing the data collected, it is

evident that when an individual is feeling demotivated,he/she engages in
activities that are liked by them. Factors that affect motivation were
found to be materialistic, example-money. Usually individuals felt
demotivated emotionally, for example- when near ones hurt them, when
goals are not achieved, etc. As mentioned in Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs, affection is one of the basic human needs, which comes in at the
tertiary or third level of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Pyramid under the title
'social needs'.
An individual's personality also affect motivation. This can be explained
based on self-esteem needs and self-actualization needs that come in at
the fourth and fifth level respectively, in Maslow’s Need Hierarchy
Pyramid.

LIMITATIONS:
The main limitation in my research was the small sample size due to
which the data cannot be generalised.
SUMMARY:
To summarise, the aim of this study has been to establish that motivation
is in fact dependent on various factors. Motivation is not constant, the
personality of an individual affects their motivation level. Motivators
usually include the activities based on their likings. Similarly, individuals
engage in activities of their likings and positive environments when
feeling demotivated.

CONCLUSION:
➔ Motivation is a driving force/reason for acting and/or behaving in a
certain way.
➔ The feeling of motivation depends on certain biological and
psychological motives and is not constant in 90% of individuals.
➔ Surrounding people/company and environment affect the
motivation of an individual in a large way.
➔ Nature of motivation can be positive or negative
➔ It is need based
➔ It differs from one person to another as the needs of every
individual are not the same.
➔ Lack of motivation can be caused by not achieving desired
results/behaviour, unpleasant surroundings/company.
➔ This lack is usually filled up by engaging in preferred activities like
hobbies. Communicating with appropriate people also helps regain
the feeling of motivation.
➔ Reflection on past failures as well as success also proves to be
beneficial to motivate an individual.
➔ The way a person regains the feeling of motivation in themselves
is different for every individual based on personal likings/dislikings
and choices or reinforcement.
➔ Motivation is an inner feeling that makes a person excited to do
more work.
 ➔ A person’s feelings or desires motivate him to perform a particular
task.
➔ A person has unsatisfying needs that impair his balance.
➔ A person proceeds to fulfil his dissatisfied needs by conditioning
his energies.
➔ A person has passive energies that are activated by channelling in
actions.

APPENDIX:
Interview questions:
1. What is motivation to you?
2. Is the feeling of motivation constant in you?
3. What do you do to feel motivated when feeling otherwise?
4. What are the 2 things that demotivate you?
5. Enlist 2 things that motivate you?
6. Do you think nature/personality affects motivation?
7. On the contrary, do you think motivation affects nature/personality?

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological
Review, 50(4), 370–396.
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https://boh.pitt.edu