83. Motivation

Motivation is a desire to achieve a goal, combined with the energy to work towards that goal. Students who are motivated have a desire to undertake their study and complete the requirements of their course. Motivation is the set of reasons that determines one to engage in a particular behavior. The term is generally used for human motivation but, theoretically, it can be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation. According to various theories, motivation may be rooted in the basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or a desired object, hobby, goal, state of being, ideal, or it may be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism, morality, or avoiding mortality.

Sometimes a distinction is made between positive and negative motivation. Positive motivation is a response which includes enjoyment and optimism about the tasks that you are involved in. Negative motivation involves undertaking tasks because there will be undesirable outcomes, eg. Failing a subject, if tasks are not completed. Almost all students will experience positive and negative motivation, as well as loss of motivation, at different times during their life at University.

Intrinsic motivation occurs when people engage in an activity, such as a hobby, without obvious external incentives. This form of motivation has been studied by social and educational psychologists since the early 1970s. In work environments, money may provide a more powerful extrinsic factor than the intrinsic motivation provided by an enjoyable workplace. In terms of sports, intrinsic motivation is the motivation that comes from inside the performer. That is, the athlete competes for the love of the sport. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the performer. Money is the most obvious example, but coercion and threat of punishment are also common extrinsic motivations. In sports, the crowd may cheer the performer on, and this motivates him or her to do well. Trophies are also extrinsic incentives. Competition is often extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity.

Self motivation is the ability to satisfy a desire, expectation, or goal without being influenced to do so by another person. Self motivation is the key to a paradigm shift or behaviour changes amongst individuals. Many motivation courses or peak performance training mainly address this aspect but the cumulative effect is temporary and the key factor always is the presence of a constant reminder. As mentioned in these ways of life, self motivation is the act of calling an eternal "energy". By learning how to focus one's mind on his tasks, one can achieve much more with less strain than if one were unfocused, or distracted. A familiar term, "mind over matter", comes into play here; if the mind is in control of itself, the body will have better control over its own realm. So, in short, self motivation is finding a way of transforming the energy within into energy without, allowing for one to accomplish difficult tasks, or express ideas more thoroughly.