Understanding Motivation: Theories and Concepts
Classified in Psychology and Sociology
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Key Motivational Theories
Theory X and Theory Y
- Theory X: Focuses on physiological needs, safety, and security needs.
- Theory Y: Focuses on love (social) needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.
ERG Theory
- Existence Needs: Encompass physiological and physical safety needs.
- Relatedness Needs: Encompass interpersonal safety, love, and esteem needs.
- Growth Needs: Encompass self-actualization and self-esteem needs.
McClelland's Need Theory
Manifest Needs: Learned or acquired needs that are easily perceived.
- Need for Achievement: Encompasses excellence, competition, challenging goals, persistence, and overcoming difficulties. People with a high need for achievement perform better.
- Need for Power: Concerns the desire to influence others, change people or events, and make a difference in life. Categories include socialized power and personalized power.
- Need for Affiliation: The urge to establish and maintain warm, close, intimate relationships with others.
New Ideas in Motivation
- Eustress, strength, and hope.
- Positive energy and full engagement.
Equity Theory
A social exchange process approach to motivation that focuses on the interaction between an individual and the environment. It is concerned with the social processes that influence motivation and behavior.
Adams' Theory of Inequity
A situation in which a person perceives that they are receiving less than they are giving, or vice versa.
Expectancy Theory
People expect certain outcomes of behavior and performance. People believe that there is a correlation between the effort they put forth, the performance they achieve, and the outcomes they receive.
- Valence: The value or importance one places on a particular reward.
- Expectancy: The belief that effort leads to performance.
- Instrumentality: The belief that performance is related to rewards.
Motivational Problems and Moral Maturity
Causes of motivational problems:
- Disbelief in a relationship between effort and performance.
- Disbelief in a relationship between performance and rewards.
- Lack of desire for the rewards offered.
The moral maturity of a person should be considered in order to understand altruistic, fair, and equitable behavior.
- Moral Maturity: A measure of a person's cognitive moral development.