What is Motivation and Why is it Important?

Motivation is an internal force that pushes us to achieve goals and leads to some sort of action.  Feelings that motivate us can be either extrinsic or intrinsic in nature, and are often deep-rooted in our personalities.  The process of learning is heavily influenced by one's motivation to learn, and, yet, motivation itself is based upon experiences we have learned during our lifetime.   Though we may be unaware of the factors which motivate us to certain actions, nearly every action we take requires some type of motivation (Ormrod, 2008).

The two types of motivation are intrinsic and extrinsic, meaning we are either motivated by internal or external factors.  Activities motivated by intrisic motivation are the things we do because they make us feel good about ourselves.  Examples of intrinsic motivators are pride, curiousity, fulfillment, and pleasure.  Extrinsic motivation focuses on performing activities because of the things we hope to gain by doing the activity.  Examples of extrinsic motivators are grades, money, awards, recognition, and punishment (Habib, 2008).

Why, you may ask, is motivation important?  Motivation boosts morale and pushes us to perform tasks and aim for goals we might otherwise feel no need to do  (Naseem, n.d.).  Motivation is one of the basic human needs that keeps us alive and functioning on a daily level.  Without any sense of drive, we would not have food, shelter, or any of the other necessities needed for survival.  Motivation is a fundamental concept, but motivation can also be very complex (Ormrod, 2008). 

A personal example of motivation:
My husband was complaining about work one night, and that work was not enjoyable or internally rewarding for him.  I reminded him that there was a reason they called it "work" and that the reason he did it was not for enjoyment but for the monetary reward.  Our clash of opinions on the subject of his career choice showed his intrinsic motivation for his career (the sense of purpose and enjoyment), while my opinion focused on the extrinsic motivation for his career (the paycheck he received each week).  In the end, he did not find his job intrinsically rewarding, and he was motivated to return to school and pursue a different degree.




References:

Bell, B. (n.d.). Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation with examples of each type of motivation. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from psychologyandsociety.com: http://www.psychologyandsociety.com/motivation.html'

Habib, Z. (2008, January 10). External motivation. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from articlesgratuits.com: http://www.en.articlesgratuits.com/external-motivation-id2283.php

Naseem, I. (2008, June 25). Importance of motivation. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from ezinearticles.com: http://ezinearticles.com/?Importance-of-Motivation&id=1276292

Ormrod, J. (2008). Human learning (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Motivation. (2010). Retrieved April 20, 2010, from bing.com: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=motivation&FORM=BILH#