Needs Motivation

Needs Motivation

This paper is based on a personal goal seeking to restore motivation within myself to achieve the set goals.

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation is evident when people engage in an activity because they find it interesting and derive spontaneous satisfaction from doing it (Judge, 2005). When people are intrinsically motivated they behave with a full sense of volition and choice; they experience an activity as satisfying in its own right. Intrinsic motivation is a type of autonomous motivation. Competence and autonomy are fundamental psychological needs that must be satisfied if people are to be psychologically healthy and function effectively, and people will be intrinsically motivated only to the extent that they feel competent and autonomous (Deci, 2005).

In contrast, extrinsic motivation is most often evident when an activity is uninteresting and satisfaction comes not from the activity itself but rather from the extrinsic consequences to which the activity leads (Deci, 2007). Extrinsic motivation can be either autonomous or controlled. The clearest examples of extrinsic motivation are rewards and punishments. In other words, when people are extrinsically motivated the desirable consequences derive not from the activity's being interesting or personally important to them but rather from its being instrumental to some extraneous consequences they desire.

Self Determination

Self-determination theory proposes that extrinsic motivation varies in the degree to which it is autonomous depending on the degree to which it has been internalized. Activities that are not interesting (i.e., that are not intrinsically motivating) require extrinsic motivation, so their initial enactment depends on the perception of a contingency between the behavior and a consequence such as the manager's approval or a tangible reward (Judge, 2005). When so motivated, the activity is said to be externally regulated—that is, initiated and maintained by contingencies external to the person (e.g., I work hard because I will be rewarded for doing so). This is the classic type of extrinsic motivation that was found to undermine intrinsic motivation, and it is the prototype of being controlled—that is, of being pressured to behave, think, or feel a particular way.

Individual Characteristics

Broadly conceived, this category encompasses all characteristics of individuals that have an impact on career success. Empirical research has examined individual difference variables, including cognitive ability, personality, and motivation; demographic variables, such as age, race, gender, and family structure; and acquired characteristics, such as skills and work experience. Some of these characteristics, such as gender and race, are biologically determined, although their impact on career success may have more to do with social processes than biology. Individual differences such as cognitive ability and personality are thought to have a biological or genetic substrate. They are viewed as relatively fixed by adulthood (Deci, 2005). Still other characteristics are learned or acquired, can change over time, and may be the outcome of specific decisions and choices on the part of the individual.

Cognitive ability or intelligence is defined as the person's current capacity to perform mental tasks. Intelligence reflects how much information an individual is capable of processing and how quickly a person ...