Motivation refers to a psychological driving force behind desired action, willingness, and aspirations. Motivation is rooted in the French word motivation, a need which demands absolute satisfaction. These desires, wants or needs may be general, personal or can be generally inherent. A person who lacks motivation will usually lack a drive, interest, desires or even an interest in something. This person usually feels unmotivated and is often under the impression that he or she cannot do anything right.
People differ in their personalities and in the ways they perceive and respond to situations. Some people are highly motivated, while others are low in motivation. On the other hand, not all people are motivated all the time or even most of the time. It is usually only when these basic drives and behaviors are suppressed or blocked that one becomes a victim of low self-esteem and low motivation.
The concept of motivation can be applied to all behaviors and traits, as it involves the need to take some action. All behaviors then become driven. Thus motivation encompasses all human behaviors.
But there are two broad categories of motivation. On one axis, there are intrinsic motives which can be rational and extrinsic motives. Intrinsic motives are those that derive from intrinsic human needs. Intrinsic motivators are those that are "deep inside" and thus require no motivation external to the person who has them. Intrinsic motivators include those behaviors that are necessary for humans to survive.
An example of extrinsic motivation is getting things for free or getting recognition. Intrinsic motivation, however, does not require any extrinsic rewards. It is possible to be intrinsically motivated without having any external rewards. It would be, for example, getting a pat on the back from an authority figure or being praised by a superior for a job well done. While being internally motivated may sound nice, in order to be truly motivated you must have something to look forward to in return. For instance, if you love your job as a police officer, but you don't get a raise or promotion because you didn't do so well in an interview, you lack intrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivators are the key to happiness; therefore, they should be part of every person's daily life. But although many people engage in extrinsic motivators such as money, they are not as important as internal motivators. In fact, the two go hand in hand. Extrinsic motivators are what lead people to take action, while internal drives and personal satisfactions provide the satisfaction that is needed for happiness.
There are three main types of motivation: intrinsic, extrinsic, and internal. Intrinsic motivation comes from within and is commonly referred to as "the self." Intrinsic motivation comes from knowing and having a sense of what is good for us. For instance, the intrinsic motivation to eat healthy food is derived from being concerned about what we eat. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation occurs when we get external rewards for engaging in a certain activity.
People's extrinsic motivators are usually what they see as "meaningful work" or "rewarding job." They help people take action, which, in turn, will result in intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation can also come from pleasing others. For instance, a parent may give their child a small candy bar for engaging in the finest form of outdoor sports.
A second major kind of motivation is "bio-genesis," or "biological," motivation. These motives are often based on basic drives, like thirst, hunger, like flight, and so on. These drives do not need external stimuli to drive us to action. In many ways, these drives are "subliminal" - they don't come directly within our conscious awareness.
When people have strong desires, and they take action to satisfy those desires, they are said to have attained a level of extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is most common in external reward systems, like jobs and money. Strong psychological needs, like thirst, often lead to extrinsic motivation. When we think about motivation, it's important to remember that there are three distinct forms: internal, external, and intrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is a matter of basic biological instincts, and external motivation is a matter of gaining a reward through a particular process. In the case of strong desires, extrinsic motivation is most common.
Many of the drives described above are primarily biological, and are therefore part of our psychology. Motivational theory is very complex, because it attempts to explain why and how various drives motivate people. It also tries to explain why some drives are stronger than others. For instance, a person with a strong genetic desire for food would not likely be motivated to exercise and diet. But an extrinsic motivator, like money, might be much more powerful. All drives are ultimately derived from deeper needs, and they therefore all vary from one person to another.