Motivation is a state of the human being that generates the ability to activate, direct or maintain a behavior. In other words, motivation is the psychic energy that pushes us to undertake or sustain an action or behavior. In fact, it comes from the Latin motivus or motus, which means “cause of movement”.
The Fraternidad-Muprespa Prevention Consultant and UNIR professor, Iván Fernández, says that motivation is closely related to will and interest. “It has the ability to make the human being carry out actions that, a priori, he does not want to carry out, due to the future rewards that can be obtained†affirms Fernández.
One of the main classifications for motivation falls on the place from which said motivation starts, either external (extrinsic) or internal (intrinsic). The main difference between the two is that extrinsically we depend on someone external who reinforces or pressures us to achieve objectives and internally we ourselves are the ones who set our objectives.
In extrinsic motivation, guided by external incentives, an effort is made with the aim of achieving an external reward: recognition, a degree or a prize in a sports competition.
Therefore, this motivation starts from achieving something and is exercised by someone other than the person making the effort, such as a teacher, coach or family member.
In intrinsic motivation, no incentive is obtained, simply the satisfaction of achieving a result, learning or reaching a self-proposed goal. The prize is our self-fulfillment and the pressure we impose on ourselves.
In this case, we ourselves set our objectives, therefore, the actor who exerts the motivation is always present. “Motivating ourselves can be the most powerful tool to achieve success, but also the one that will require the greatest perseverance and sacrifice,” says the prevention consultant.
These types of motivation must be taken into consideration with five basic principles, because depending on our predisposition or experience, higher or lower levels of motivation will be necessary.
Our way of being and our abilities make us more predisposed to certain efforts. Our motivation is influenced by the effort required to carry out a performance. A person with high intellectual capacity will have greater motivation to study because he will see results sooner.
The reward or punishment derived from an action shapes our behavior, therefore, the consequences of our actions influence the motivation for its execution.
When a reward is obtained for an action, we tend to repeat that same action, our motivation is affected by both the reward and the punishment.
The curiosity of the human being, innovation makes motivation increase in the face of novel stimuli. The reward of discovering something new improves motivation levels.
Our experience, previous experiences, mark our motivation, so that previous successes allow us to react effectively to different stimuli.
