Definition of Motivation
A process that guides or initiates a behavior in a way so as to achieve its goal is called motivation. Though some might think motivation is a personal trait, present in some and absent in others, motivation is an internal process involving biological, social, emotional and cognitive forces that provokes a behavior.
Motivation is that factor which makes us take an action, or in other words helps to describe why a person does something. For instance, let’s consider an example of a boy who invests a lot of time practicing sport, because he is motivated to win the tournament and contribute to his institution’s popularity. Or a girl who studies all night to score highest marks in her exams.
A person who works hard might be highly motivated than that who doesn’t work that hard- shows his lack of motivation.
In other words, Motivation is a force that directs an individual to behave in a specific way. The ability to develop strategies to achieve certain goals or desires is a result of the magnitude of motivation that an individual possesses.
Importance of Motivation
Motivation is an important factor to help an individual pursue his goals and desires. But that’s not all what motivation is about- It helps you go beyond your requirements and be more innovative and creative. Motivation keeps an individual’s behavior riveted and persistent in achieving his/her aim.[large]
Process of Motivation
An individual feels deficient about something in his life and wishes to fills up that gap, which is where the process of motivation begins. For instance, the process of motivation requires the following elements:
A motive
A motive or a need could be anything that can compel one to behave or act in a certain way. These are the needs or wants of an individual to satiate what he perceives to be deficient in life.
Behavior
A sequence of activities or actions that a person does in order to attain certain goals is the behavior.
Goals
in order to correct the imbalances or deficiencies caused by motives, there are certain solutions or goals that are need to be attained.
Dynamic nature of Motivation
A human being is undergoing a constant process of growth, which means his needs keeps on changing as per the requirement of his/her age or the environment he is exposed to. Hence, motivation varies along the needs. These changes might involve internal or external factors. The failure to attain a need may induce a state with following consequences:
Rationalization
it is a state in which an individual excuses oneself and justifies the situation.
Aggression
it is that state in which an individual manifests behavior of anger and frustration, and often leads to unsocial recourse.
Regression
A state in which an individual settles in, accepting the failure of a particular need, and on contrary tries for something else.
Withdrawal
It is state of disassociation, in which an individual disconnects from every aspect of the need he has failed to attain.