The Different aspect of Motivation
Priscilla Lopez
Posted in: Opinion on 10/21/09 at 6:07 PM PST
What is motivation and how can this mechanism help you succeed in life? Motivation is the activation of goal-oriented behavior that helps us with our everyday lives. Motivation can also be internal or external. Internal motivation has been researched by social and educational psychologists since the early 1970s. This kind of motivation has been explained by Heider's attribution theory, Bandura's work of self-efficacy, and Ryan and Deci's cognitive evaluation theory.
For most students at Los Angeles Harbor College, the motivation is most likely to be internal. Many of us who want to go far and succeed in college attribute our education results to internal factors by the amount of effort we put in our studies. Students also believe in our main motivation in reaching our desired goals in life. Last but not least, individuals are also interested in mastering a topic (major and/or minor) in college instead of just learning and trying to get good grades. Internal motivation comes from within one's self and to be successful for one's happiness.
External motivation comes from the outside of one's self. For most people, money is the most common example, but coercion and punishment are also motivations as well. For example, in competitions the competitors are motivated by the audience, trophies, and the idea of competition itself. Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards lead to over-justification and a reduction in intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation can also weaken motivation as well.
The last kind of motivation is understood as a subset of emotional intelligence which is called Self Control. Desires and faith is described as a deficiency or need that helps activate the behavior to achieve one's goals. To me, Self Control and Intrinsic Motivation are the best kinds since the goals we want to accomplish are for us and our happiness. Money shouldn't be the main motivation, because money can only make you happy for a short limited time.
For most students at Los Angeles Harbor College, the motivation is most likely to be internal. Many of us who want to go far and succeed in college attribute our education results to internal factors by the amount of effort we put in our studies. Students also believe in our main motivation in reaching our desired goals in life. Last but not least, individuals are also interested in mastering a topic (major and/or minor) in college instead of just learning and trying to get good grades. Internal motivation comes from within one's self and to be successful for one's happiness.
External motivation comes from the outside of one's self. For most people, money is the most common example, but coercion and punishment are also motivations as well. For example, in competitions the competitors are motivated by the audience, trophies, and the idea of competition itself. Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards lead to over-justification and a reduction in intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation can also weaken motivation as well.
The last kind of motivation is understood as a subset of emotional intelligence which is called Self Control. Desires and faith is described as a deficiency or need that helps activate the behavior to achieve one's goals. To me, Self Control and Intrinsic Motivation are the best kinds since the goals we want to accomplish are for us and our happiness. Money shouldn't be the main motivation, because money can only make you happy for a short limited time.
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