The topic of motivation is taught in every introduction to psychology and management class but very few people understand how to apply the concepts taught. The theories come under the labels expectancy theory, self-efficacy theory, need theory and so on but to apply the ideas we need to simplify the psychology and expand the sociology.
When we are motivated we are energized to act. When we are demotivated, we are de-energized to act. We will not be motivated to take action if we are indifferent to its outcome; that is, we have to feel that we need and value the outcome that the action is connected with. A simple way to understand the psychology of motivation is to say that we are motivated when circumstances help us in our chase for something we value. We are demotivated when circumstances frustrate our chase. So if you want to motivate someone, find out what they want to chase in life and help them get closer to the prize.
There are a few important insights here. First, there is an interaction between the environment (situation) and something inside us (a need or a value). Second, we cannot reach inside someone and turn on motivation. The only thing we can do is to engineer the environment to make the race valuable and winnable and then alert the racer to start the chase.
Executing these ideas to motivate ourselves or others is not simple and requires some thoughtful action. First, we must understand the relative value that we place on various outcomes (money, learning, relationships, achievement, autonomy, etc). Second, we must find ways to affect the environment such that the right mix of outcomes is achievable and get the person we want to motivate to believe and even feel this.
What happens when we are not at all clear about what we want to chase in life? It becomes hard to make choices, we may be demotivated and, most problematically, we chase shiny objects or things others’ value and end up with an unsatisfying life. At DiscernU we use the Hogan Motives Values and Preferences Inventory and other instruments and exercises to sort through the relative weight you assign to values such as autonomy, money, achievement, affiliation, aesthetics, hedonism, growth, security, salvation, wisdom, service to others, learning, and others. The key here is to understand these values hierarchically so that you can align yourself with chasing the most critical ones and make the right trade-offs in decisions. The outcome of our process is a clear picture of your motive profile.
Lauren
7 Jul 2020I recently read–and this video confirmed–that more choice does not necessarily lead to more happiness. I know from experience that often times having too many options (which house to buy, which job to take, which honeymoon destination, which MBA program) leads to anxiety and enormous pressure to make the “right” decision, despite there being many right options. I can remember being in tears in a professor’s office, agonizing over whether to accept an internship in France or China, when in reality, both were very different but equally good options, each with its own advantages. All I could focus on was that by choosing one good option, I’d necessarily be forgoing another. I often wonder even to this day if I made the right decision, and I dwell on the “what ifs” about what could have been had I gone with the other option, which I know deep down is unproductive and doesn’t make me any happier!
Petiri
9 Jul 2020I do believe that less is more when it came to life before the 21st century. Finding ways to get back to this mantra can be helpful for the common inundation which may lead to anxiety and depression. Understanding your Value Hierarchy, becoming an essentialist, and dealing with ambiguity are all key.
Zijian
7 Jul 2020Can fear (fear to lose, fear to failure) be recognized as a motivation?
admin
9 Jul 2020yes, fear is a powerful motivator but too much can lead to burn out
qiwei
7 Jul 2020I think depression is something worth for us to worry about. I had a friend who was very depressed and she can’t really handle problems when they come together, I think sometimes she tried too hard without thinking problems clear.
Margaret
8 Jul 2020There’s a lot than can be unpacked here. I agree that often times, the more options we are presented with, the unhappier we can be when making a decision, due to the fear of loss with so many other options we could have chosen. It is much more difficult to feel confident in your decision if there are so many alternatives to consider… What I would like to discuss in class is the idea that schools don’t generally teach to navigate ambiguity. I agree that this is true -so what can schools (or even we ourselves) do to prepare ourselves to deal with ambiguity?
admin
9 Jul 2020let’s talk about this
Cristian
9 Jul 2020I totally agree that motivation is key to success, whatever that is. I also think that aside of knowing yourself and what motivates the individual, those who look in AND beyond oneself tend to find deeper motivations because not only they know what they want and what drives that motivation, but also understand that there are bigger things at play and the combination of both is really powerful. I would be very curious to understand the approach of finding those internal and external motivations throughout this process.
Marissa
9 Jul 2020The line that stood out to me in this post is “we are motivated when circumstances help us in our chase for something we value. We are demotivated when circumstances frustrate our chase.” Understanding your motive profile can be energizing, but circumstances do play an important role in that. I know in my personal career, I feel more motivated when I know my actions can lead to more responsibility and a promotion (closer to what I value, to the goals I want to achieve). When I don’t feel that there is a possibility of growth in my role, I lose energy, even doing the same actions as before, and my work product suffers. I think it’s a great note for managers who want to get the best out of their employees – understand what motivates them and work with them to achieve that.
admin
9 Jul 2020You are a high need for achievement person…chase growth, development, mastery
William
9 Jul 2020“Become an essentialist!” Very important. There are so many distractions in life.
admin
9 Jul 2020but hard to do in the environment we live in
Paul
9 Jul 2020I appreciate the explanation of why younger generations experiencing ambiguity can contribute to their anxiety. I agree that social media can have that impact which is one reason I use it with a certain amount of restraint.
Hayley
9 Jul 2020From my personal experience, motivation correlates with work ethic. During undergrad, I did a team project where we had to rank what outcome was most important to the group. The outcomes included: winning the competition, getting “A’s” on all assignments, or learning something new. This was helpful because I learned about team member’s priorities and whether we were aligned. I valued getting all “A’s” because I’ve always been a student who has strived to do well in every class.
admin
9 Jul 2020not sure I agree…people with a high work ethic will work hard to achieve goals..even if they do not connect with them passionately. Its about the win not whether they love the game. This may be good but wouldn’t it be better if people with a high work ethic were playing a game that they connected to. I have coached a lot of people who won again and again at the game presented to them and after a period of time found they were in a place that they did not value. Something to think about
Nicholas
9 Jul 2020Cannot agree more with when you know what you’re chasing…it makes the chase more motivating and worthwhile!
Jay
9 Jul 2020Having recently had to choose between two great opportunities I can relate to the anxiety related to the presence many possibilities. Even though I was in a great position to choose my destiny and was grateful to have interest in me as a candidate, the pressure to make the right decision weighed on me more heavily than I expected.
Holly
9 Jul 2020I found this blog post very interesting, there is a lot that people can relate to. However, one thing in particular that I found I struggle with is navigating ambiguity. I am very indecisive and find that too many choices stresses me out because I put too much weight into the “what if’s” of my final decision. I want to pick the “right” answer every time, not allowing myself to explore other options very easily. So, I was wondering, what is the best way to navigate ambiguity if you are someone who struggles with this?
admin
10 Jul 2020get good at conducting limited risk experiments to test out how options feel
try to fail a little every year..you will realize it is not life-ending and your really learn and do more when you lean forward and stumble occasionally
get good a probabilistic thinking and scenario planning techniques