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What Is Motivation?

By David Johne


The two major non-psychological theories of motivation have been propounded by Plato in ancient times and by Machiavelli in the medieval times. Their focus is on the different types of desires of human beings to perform various activities. Some of the modern researches support the theory of Machiavelli, known as Machiavellianism, while the theory of Plato is termed as tri-partite theory of soul.

Intrinsic or internal and extrinsic or external motivations are two major theories in motivating people. People having intrinsic motivating attitude have internal interest or enjoyment in performing each task, without any pressure or influence from external factors, such as desire for name, fame, power, position, money, or other types of rewards. This intrinsic motivating approach is highly useful to students.

Even though motivation is basically psychological, it has also got its roots in other spheres like behavioral aspects, cognitive powers, and social areas. Still, it is basically rooted in the fundamental impulse in optimizing the well-being of the organism, minimizing physical or mental pain, and maximizing pleasure. It originates from several essential or indispensable needs or requirements, such as eating, resting, sex, sleeping, companionship, intellectual activities, physical exercises, healthy life, etc.

Push and pull motivations also work on several occasions. A typical example is the tourism industry, where push motives are purely internal, such as rest and recuperation, relaxation, or even escapism. On the other hand, the pull motivations are climate of a tourist destination, such as a summer place in winter or a cooler place in summer. Cultural images, landscapes, scenic beauties, and other attractions also act as pull motivators.

In contrast, Machiavellianism theory is the employment of duplicity and cunningness in general conduct or statecraft. Machiavelli proposed this theory of motivation in his treatise, Il Principe or The Prince. Psychologists use the principles of Machiavelli to explain the tendency of people to remain unemotional, detached from morality, and manipulate others.

An example of such unconscious or conscious motivation is marriage or wedding. A person having genes that desire multiple partners would marry and then break up, rationalizing the behavior with a false conviction 'I loved the other person at that time'. As such, it is a deep subject in psychology that should be studied and analyzed carefully.




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