Models of Motivation

According to the course text, motivation is a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior. Based on this definition, motivations can vary from hunger to a desire to find meaning and identify beyond self. Motivations are a combination of both biology (nature) and the context in which you live (nurture). For example, Ancel Keys, the originator of the World War II Army K rations, witnessed how semi-starved men could only think about food, ignoring social activities and sex. In addition, these men automatically began to conserve energy. Motives matter a great deal and can easily commandeer your thinking (Keys, Brozek, Henschel, Mickelsen, & Taylor, 1950).

Your motivations to pursue your degree may not be as dramatic as the example above. However, there is some need or desire that is leading you to possibly spend a large sum of money or stay up late at night to complete your course work.

For this Discussion, describe your motivation for completing your undergraduate degree and the appropriate model that aligns with your motivation. Consider barriers in your life that threaten your motivation.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review module 25, "Basic Concepts of Hunger." Focus on the four different perspectives of motivation.

Reflect on your motivation to complete your degree. Identify which model of motivation aligns with your reasons.

Review the web article "A Theory of Human Motivation." Focus on the different factors that increase motivation.

Describe your motivation for completing an undergraduate degree using one of the popular models of motivation that most aligns with you.

Identify any barriers that decrease your motivation. How can the principles of motivation be used to help you overcome your barriers?