What is MOTIVATION?

Motivation is what makes us alive, active, and acquisitive. It is a product of several drives, needs, and wants to vie against each other to be fulfilled within a short span of life.

Alive = Drive

 

Motivation is not merely a function of choosing a goal to fulfill our needs and wants. Motivation is a process of elimination of several goals to select a single goal out of many goals

Several X Single

 

All living beings should interact with the environment around them to survive.

No Interaction = Death

 

Such an interaction is to reach something and/or withdraw from something in the environment

Reach &/or Withdraw

 

That something in the environment becomes the goal to be approached or avoided

Approach X Avoid

 

The environment is both conducive for living and/or dangerous for survival

Conducive X Dangerous

 

The organism’s purpose is to receive what is essential for living and/or reject what is dangerous for survival

Receive X Reject

 

Moving towards or away from the goal is more significant than the goal itself

Towards x away

 

When we choose one goal, we also choose to discard all other goals

Choose &Discard

 

Whether we reach the goal or not, there is always displeasure because of not choosing other goals

Reach = Displeasure

 

This displeasure is called frustration and the greater the number of choices the higher the level of frustration

Choice = Frustration

 

Initially, there is a state of imbalance in the physiological, psychological, or social condition of the individual

Imbalance x Condition

 

The imbalance may occur due to scarcity or abundance in the system as per the individual standards

Scarcity or Abundance

 

These standards are set by the individual according to the interaction with the environment

Standards = Interaction

 

The standard is inversely related to the level of satisfaction in the individual

Standard X Satisfaction

 

The higher the standard, the lesser the amount of satisfaction, and vice versa

Higher X Lesser

 

The state of imbalance energizes us to seek out solutions to restore the balance in the condition

Energize to Restore

 

These solutions are the goals that are readily available in the environment

Solutions = Environment

 

Achieving the goal by choosing or avoiding the goal brings equilibrium to the individual

Achieving = Equilibrium

 

This energized state continues to pressurize the individual until the goal is achieved

Energize = Pressurize

 

Once the goal is achieved, the satisfaction obtained is compared to the expectation from the goal

Satisfaction = Expectation

 

If there is compatibility between the two, then the cycle of motivation ends

Compatibility = Ends

 

This whole process is known as motivation and the process is cyclical

Process = Cyclical

 

To know more about the Motivation Cycle, See ‘Can we live without Goals?’

To know more about how motivation leads to stress, See ‘Types of Distress and how to overcome them?’

Choosing Needs, Wants, and Aspirations

Aspiration and Achievement

Choosing Independent Goals

IS STRESS NECESSARY FOR SURVIVAL?

E = MC2 in Psychology

Light your own L A M P

Motivation

Stress

 

64 Nava Vidya or 64 New Skills