Motivation is the impulse that leads us to strive for a goal that excites us, regardless of the challenges we face to achieve it. When we feel motivated, carrying out our daily tasks becomes more bearable; However, when we face exhaustion or obstacles that arise, maintaining that consistency becomes more complicated. In this post, we want to talk precisely about this, what to do when motivation falls, how to revive it and, in addition, we will explore the 4 theories of motivation.
Keep reading if you also want to find that extra motivation for everyday life!
Motivation could be described as the trigger that initiates a series of actions aimed at achieving a goal desired with great intensity. It is that force that drives us to continue moving forward in difficult times and makes us get back on track when, although this is not always easy. Depending on the complexity of our goals, motivation can vary, even reaching the point of making us abandon our purposes.
What do you do when motivation disappears? Can that illusion be recovered? The answer is yes, but first, it is necessary to understand the four main theories of motivation developed by experts in Psychology.
There are many types of motivations, but, specifically, Maslow lays the foundations for all of them. As you probably already know its famous pyramid, we are not going to delve too deeply into it, but we will tell you that it is a psychological theory that describes human needs hierarchically, from the basic ones such as food and shelter to those of self-actualization, highlighting the progression towards personal satisfaction.
To give us background, Frederick Herzberg was a psychologist and management theorist, recognized for his research on motivation in the work environment. His theory, known as the Motivation-Hygiene Theory or Herzberg’s Factor Theory, emerged from a study on job satisfaction and was published in his book “The Motivation to Work” in 1959.
According to this psychologist, to be happy at work you must pay attention to two factors that influence job satisfaction and dissatisfaction: motivational factors and hygiene factors.
Motivational factors: These are related to the content of the job, such as recognition, personal achievement, responsibility, and opportunities for growth and development.
Hygiene factors: These refer to the environment external to work, such as working conditions, salary, supervision, company policies and interpersonal relationships. Herzberg argued that these factors, although they can prevent dissatisfaction, do not generate motivation on their own, since their absence can cause discomfort, but their presence does not necessarily lead to job satisfaction.
This prominent psychologist and MIT professor proposed two contrasting theories about human nature in the work environment, known as Theory X and Theory Y. While Theory clear tendency to avoid responsibilities, preferring to be directed and controlled; Theory Y adopts a more optimistic and progressive perspective on human nature.
McGregor believed that individuals are naturally proactive and seek growth and development. In short, this psychologist stated that work, well directed and distributed, can be a source of satisfaction to which employees can contribute with innovative ideas if they are allowed to do so.
David McClelland was an American psychologist recognized for his research in personality and motivation psychology. During his career, McClelland developed the Achievement Motivation Theory, also known as the Achievement Needs Theory.
According to this theory, there are three basic needs in the individual: the need for achievement (nAch), the need for affiliation (nAff) and the need for power (nPow); although he focused on the need for the logo. According to McClelland, people constantly seek to excel, achieve challenging goals and achieve success in activities, which permanently maintains motivation and the desire to strive for a goal.
All of these theoretical approaches agree that constructive feedback, setting challenging goals and performance-based rewards, are essential to maintaining motivation. Thanks to the fact that we are social beings, there will always be a reference that encourages us to grow; The important thing is to know how to choose the right one.
And you? What do you think about motivation and its sources? Which is yours?
We hope this post has helped you better understand how motivation works and how to maintain it. Be sure to read the Educa.Pro blog for more content on professional development and improvement!