The 6 types of motivation according to psychology

The word motivation comes from the term motive (relative to movement) and refers to that which moves, that has the capacity to generate movement. In psychology, The different types of motivation are the drivers of human behavior. That which is capable of activating us and getting us going.

Our needs are not always the same, just as personal circumstances and resources are not always the same. Likewise, each person is different, with their order of priorities. All these factors determine the motivation process. Next, we take a brief tour of the different types.

Types of motivation

Motivation can be classified based on the position of the source that generates it, whether the stimulus is positive or negative or based on the result that can be obtained.

Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation

This It is perhaps the classification of motivation best known to everyone. and is carried out depending on the origin of the motivational stimuli. In the case of extrinsic motivation, what moves a person to perform an action is an external reward. This does not mean that it is a material reward, like money. It may also be that what motivates you is the recognition that others give you.

Intrinsic motivation, for its part, refers to the inner drive. That is to say, Intrinsic motivation is based on the satisfaction of self-actualization needs, since it is the person’s own pride and pleasure that leads him to perform an action. An example of intrinsic motivation is when a person decides to go to guitar lessons, just because, because they love that instrument. Or who studies for pleasure.

Intrinsic motivation is closely associated with learning and effective performance. People who get involved in tasks for the pleasure of doing them and improve themselves usually obtain better results, in addition to requiring less effort. In the case of extrinsic motivation, it leads people to anticipate the reward and carry out the activity without enjoying it, since they do it for a mere exchange or result.

According to Brunner (1966), intrinsic motivation can be classified also in three types:

Curiosity. It arises from the need or desire to know and explore new things.Competence. It arises from the need to control the environment, which generates interest in work and improves performance.Reciprocity. It arises with the need to respond appropriately to the demands of the situation.

Positive and negative motivation

This classification is made based on whether the reward obtained from a behavior will be positive or negative, as its name indicates. If the motivation is positive, the behavior is driven by the search for a positive, pleasant reward. For example, money or pleasure. On the contrary, Negative motivation originates when behavior is aimed at avoiding a negative outcome (e.g. pain, reprimand, etc.).

Positive and negative motivations They are usually combined with extrinsic and intrinsic to give rise to four types of motivation. Thus, an action can be driven by negative intrinsic motivation. For example, doing something to avoid feeling bad or avoiding physical harm. A positive intrinsic motivation would be, for example, doing a task because you really want to learn from it.

In the case of extrinsic motivation, positive motivation would be doing work for money.. Thus, putting on a seat belt to avoid a financial fine (and not for safety reasons) would be a negative extrinsic motivation.

Personal and secondary motivation

Finally, Motivation can be classified based on the results that can arise from the behavior. If the consequences of a behavior affect only a personal need, it will be called primary motivation. Generally, these motivations refer to basic needs such as food, well-being or self-pleasure.

If well-being is to be achieved through others or indirectly, it will be called secondary or social motivation. This type of motivation is more complex, since the rewards can vary: security, respect, belonging, recognition… Among the best-known social motivations is achievement motivation.

This type of social motivation directs behavior in a more competitive way, because it seeks to achieve a socially recognized goal. However, this competitiveness does not have to be harmful to others, since it is understood that the result will depend solely on the active subject. So, People with low achievement motivation tend to perform very easy or very difficult tasks.with which to ensure their success or the absence of failure or ridicule.

In recent years, there has been frequent talk about the need to increase our motivation, but there are as many types as there are perspectives. So, we must find what really motivates us, intrinsicallysince it will be what does not lead to greater well-being.

You might be interested…