Types of Motivation

Quite often in life, we lack the motivation to do things. Be it to lose weight, to study, to teach, or maybe just to get up and go to work. However, more often than not, we end up going to work and doing things. How does this happen? It is because of the motivation that we find within ourselves, that is the intrinsic motivation or from around us and from external factors, i.e., extrinsic motivation. We have talked about extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation in one of our previous blogs, you can read it here.

Today, we will be looking at the types of motivation and how these types of motivation push us to do things in our day-to-day lives. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the types of motivation.

Types of Motivation

There are different types of motivation that spring from various emotions that we have. The major kinds of motivation are intrinsic and extrinsic as discussed. Studies have not been able to properly draw a line on how many types of motivation are present. However, motivation and its types have been discussed across the globe as an interesting area of study.

1. Achievement Motivation

The types of motivation are easy to understand and comprehend. Achievement motivation is a kind of motivation where the person is pushed by his/her desire to achieve something.

In the case of students, it can be a medal or rank and similarly in other situations. People who are driven by achievement motivation are usually goal-oriented and self-driven. They don’t always need the push from external sources to do things.

2.Creative Motivation

This motivation takes birth from one’s need to express themselves. Writers, artists, etc. have creative motivation. This type of motivation, again, is an intrinsic one. However, creative motivation also springs up when people see other creative works. This sparks their skills and motivates them to do better.
As teachers, you can identify if your students are creatively motivated and incorporate creative activities to keep them motivated and focused. Most often, it is a self-expression that needs to get out.

3.Physiological Motivation

This is one of the types of motivation that does not have the right definition. The human brain works in strange ways and haven’t you had this sudden urge to do something. A sudden push to study better, to finish that assignment, or to ace a lesson in class?

It might be the result of an external source that subconsciously gives you the necessary nudge, however, research has not proved anything.

A natural, physical motivation without any particular definition is called physiological motivation. Some researchers point to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to better explain this motivation. That is to say, human beings have the basic need for clothing, shelter, self-satisfaction and likewise, these needs might be the reason behind physiological motivation.

4.Reward Motivation

This is one of the types of motivation that is extrinsic in nature. The person is driven by a reward. For instance, when parents promise kids a bicycle or a PS5 if they score well in exams, that is extrinsic motivation and comes under reward motivation.

Here, it is not the sense of achievement that drives them to do better or perform better but the material reward that has been promised. Bribing your kids or students is not the right way to motivate them, rather, inculcating a sense of achievement will foster intrinsic motivation.

5.Fear Motivation

As the name suggests, fear motivation is one of the types of motivation that drives someone to study or work or do whatever it is that they should do because of the fear associated with what might happen if they don’t do it.

Why do students study for exams? Because of the fear that they would fail. Why do we get up and go to work? Because of the fear of joblessness and the nightmare of bills and what not! Jokes apart, fear is a great motivational factor that gives the necessary push. Take the current COVID scenario for instance, what motivates you to stay at home? The fear of getting affected by the pandemic!

6.Social/ Affiliation Motivation

As Aristotle rightly said, human beings are social animals. The innate tendency of humans is to fall into social groups and fit in. Acceptance and a sense of belonging is extremely important motivating factors for human beings. And hence, social and affiliation motivation is an extrinsic motivator that starts from this tendency in people to fit in.

7.Competence Motivation

This is also known as learning motivation. It is said that in this type of motivation, people want to learn and become competent and that yearning to learn and become a better version of themselves is what motivates them and not the material incentive or reward at the end of the process.
For instance, Aamir Khan from 3 Idiots is a classic example. Because, the degree, the job, or salary is not what motivated him, but, the process of learning and acquiring knowledge is what motivated him.

8.Attitude Motivation

Attitude motivation is a type of motivation that is focused on changing the person’s attitude and the ones around them. They are driven to change their perceptions and have a very optimistic attitude.
For example, motivational speakers are practicing attitude motivation. This can be considered as a subset of social motivation.

9.Expectancy Motivation

More than one of the types of motivation, this is a theory that says that a person’s behavior will be driven based on their expectations for a reward or an incentive. This might not be promised, but, as mentioned above, the expectation for a reward, motivates them to work better. This is seen in workplaces, schools, and in day to day lives. It is the faith that results in better performance.

10.Power Motivation

This is one of the types of motivation that has a two-pronged definition. One, power motivation is a kind of motivation that one person has on another. The impact of that person’s words or actions pushes the other to do better and perform well.

Another definition of power-based motivation is that people who want to be in a position of power, perform better so that they can reach and conquer heights.

Conclusion

We have discussed various kinds of motivation in this article and it is important to bring attention to the fact that rather than going behind external factors of motivation, you have to find it in yourself. If you are a teacher, make sure to convey this to your students.

Rewards and material incentives are not going to be helpful in the long run. We hope you have a super productive week and month and years ahead.

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Happy teaching, Happy Learning!