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Motivation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

4.1.2 Employee Recognition Programs 4.2 Drugs 4.3 Education 4.3.1 Indigenous Education, Learning, and Motivation 4.3.2 Self-Determination in Education 4.3.3 Physical activity in Education 4.3.4 Healthy sleeping habits in Education 4.4 Business 4.5 Games 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading

Types of theories and models

motivational theories A class of theories about why people do things seeks to reduce the number of factors down to one and explain all behaviour through that one factor. For example, economics has been criticized for using self-interest as a mono-motivational theory. [3] Mono-motivational theories are often criticized for being too reductive or too abstract.

Conscious and unconscious motivations

A number of motivational theories emphasize the distinction between conscious and unconscious motivations. In evolutionary psychology, the "ultimate", unconscious motivation may be a cold evolutionary calculation, the conscious motivation could be more benign or even positive emotions. For example, while it may be in the best interest of a male's genes to have multiple partners and thus break up with or divorce one before moving onto the next, the conscious rationalization could be, "I loved her at the time". [4] Freud is associated with the idea that human beings have many unconscious motivations that cause them to make important decisions because of these unconscious forces, such as choosing a partner.

Non-psychological theories
Platonic theory of motivation
In The Republic, Plato advances a tri-partite theory of the soul, which consists of three parts: reason, spirit and appetite. All parts of the soul have desires, however not all desires are the same. Desires take many different forms and have many different responses or results.[5]

Machiavellianism
Machiavellism argues that human beings are motivated to seek power and status above all. Modern research argues that people who are high in this trait do indeed seek power and money, and are willing to use others as instruments towards that end.

Psychological theories and models

Rational motivations
The idea that human beings are rational and human behaviour is guided by reason is an old one. However, recent research (on Satisficing for example) has significantly undermined the idea of homo economicus or of perfect rationality in favour of a more bounded rationality. The field of behavioural economics is particularly concerned with the limits of rationality in economic agents.
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