MOTIVATION & WELLBEING - Psychology

Motivation

The driving force(s) responsible for the initiation, persistence, direction, and strength of goal-directed behaviour.

Sources of Motivation

• Physiological

• Cognitions

• Emotions

• Social

Physiological Motivation

Comes from uncontrollable urges, relative to homeostatic regulation of bodily physiological functions. E.g. control of temperature, pain level, food/drink intake and sleep.

Cognitive Motivation

Refer to mental events, such as thoughts, beliefs, expectations, plans, goals, strategies and self-concept. Motivation involves the person’s way of thinking. E.g. as students engage in a task, they have in mind some plan or goal, they harbor expectations that they will cope well.

Emotional Motivation

Are considered motivational states because they generate bursts of energy that get our attention and cause our reactions to significant events in our lives. Emotions generate an impulse to cope with the circumstances at hand. Together with emotion, motivation is part of a core psychology phenomenon referred to as affect (feelings, bodily responses, sense of purpose and expressive behaviours)

Social Motivation

Humans need meaningful social contact, and the motivation for such contact is crucial to the maintenance of a healthy sense of adjustment and a sense of identity. Any threat to this basic human need to form and maintain interpersonal relationships can have serious negative psychological consequences.

Who were the theorists and what year was Self Determination Theory created?

Deci and Ryan (1985)

What are the innate psychological needs that drive human motivation?

• Autonomy

• Competence

• Relatedness

What happens when these needs are met/not met?

When these needs are met → Intrinsic motivation → better well-being, creativity, and performance.

When these needs aren’t met → extrinsic motivation → lower well-being, reduced creativity, and poorer outcomes.

Motivation according to SDT

Continuum ranging from “non-self-determined to self-determined”

Extrinsic Motivation

a drive to behave in certain ways based on external sources and it results in external rewards. Sources include grading systems, employee evaluations, awards & accolades, and the respect & admiration of others.

Intrinsic motivation

comes from within. These are internal drives that inspire us to behave in certain ways, including our core values, our interests, and our personal sense of morality.

Amotivation

is when an individual is completely non-autonomous, has no drive to speak of, and is struggling to have any of their needs met.

Psychological needs for motivation

Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are highly influential determinants of our behaviour, and both drive us to meet the three basic needs identified by the SDT model.

Autonomy (SDT)

People have a need to feel that they are the masters of their own destiny and that they have at least some control over their lives; most importantly, people have a need to feel that they are in control of their own behaviour.

Competence

Another need concerns our achievements, knowledge, and skills; people have a need to build their competence and develop mastery over tasks that are important to them.

Relatedness (connection)

People need to have a sense of belonging and connectedness with others; each of us needs other people to some degree (Deci & Ryan, 2008).

Strengths of SDT

• Extensively researched with robust evidence across multiple domains

• Studies consistently show autonomy – supportive environments lead to higher well – being, life satisfaction, and positive emotions compared to controlling environments.

• Research demonstrates that intrinsically motivated individuals show greater persistence and better performance than those with extrinsic motivation.

Limitations of SDT

• Deci and Ryan (2000) note that SDT might not be able to identify the individual differences in the basic psychological needs.

• SDT research does not focus on adolescents.

Who created Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? What year was it created?

Abrham Maslow, 1943

What are the organised set of needs?

• Physiological

• Security

• Love & belonging

• Self - esteem

• Self actualisation

What is the priority of needs?

Maslow proposed that lower – level needs must be met before higher – level needs can become a priority. Once a need is fulfilled, attention moves to the next level. Meeting our basic needs first allows us to focus better, attend to details, and think more creatively.

What are physiological needs?

Are the essential requirements for human survival

Examples of Physiological needs

Water, shelter, food, clothing, sleep and medical care.

What are security needs?

Refer to the human need for safety, stability and protection.

Examples of security needs

• Personal safety

• Financial security

• Social and emotional safety

• Stability and predictability

What happens when security needs are met?

Meeting these needs increases well – being, reduced anxiety, and enhances confidence for individuals to pursue higher – level needs.

What is love & belonging?

Focus on developing meaningful relationships, feeling a sense of belonging, and being part of a community.

Examples of love & belonging

Family, friends, romantic, peers, community and co – workers.

What is the importance of love & belonging?

Fulfilling love and belongingness needs is vital for emotional well – being, self - esteem, and a positive self – concept.

What is self - esteem needs?

Involve the desire for

• Respect

• Recognition

• Status and prestige

• Achievement

• Independence and Autonomy

What happens when self - esteem is met?

Meeting esteem needs is important for developing a strong sense of identity and supporting well – being.

What is self actualisation?

Includes the highest level of human needs. These are focused on

• Personal Growth

• Pursuit of Passions

• Self – Expression & Creativity

• Purpose and meaning

• Reaching Full potential

Needs that shape our behaviour

According to Maslow, we naturally focus on what matters most at the moment, be it hunger, a need for safety, or other essentials.

Only when our basic needs are fulfilled can we pursue higher – level needs like social connections and achievement.

Strengths of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs

• The theory emphasises the importance of addressing basic needs to support overall wellbeing and positive psychological development.

• Maslow’s theory has had a lasting influence on psychology and other fields, including business and education.

Limitations of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs

• Subjective Methodology: Maslow’s biographical analysis (based on a small, primarily Western sample) risks researcher bias and limited generalisability.

• Cultural Bias: critics argue the hierarchy reflects Western, individualistic values and does not always apply uniformly across cultures.

• Lack of Empirical Rigor: testing self – actualisation and proving a strict stepwise sequence is challenging, making parts of the theory more speculative than scientifically proven.

• Rigid Progression: real – world examples show people often meet higher – order needs (like belonging or creativity) even when some basic needs remain unmet.

Real world application of Maslow’s Hierarchy

• Workplace organisations and employee motivation: to enhance performance, the organisational culture and HR strategies must address and fulfill the needs of employees.

• Nursing: nurses must assess and address the spectrum of patient needs – physical, mental, emotional, and social (Toney – Butler & Thayer, 2023).

• Education: before a student’s cognitive needs can be met, they must first fulfill their basic physiological needs.

What year was Maslow’s expanded hierarchy of needs created?

1970

What additional needs were added?

• Cognitive needs

• Aesthetic needs

• Transcendence needs

What are cognitive needs?

this centres on knowledge. People generally want to learn and know things about their world and their places in it.

What are aesthetic needs?

this addresses the appreciation of beauty and form. People might fulfill this need through enjoying or creating music, art, literature, and other creative expressions.

What are transcendence needs?

Maslow believed that humans are driven to look beyond the physical self in search of meaning. Helping others, practising spirituality, and connecting with nature are a few ways we might meet this need.

Characteristics of self actualisation?

Don’t need all 15 and not all self-actualised people will display them.

·       They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty.

·       Accept themselves and others for what they are.

·       Spontaneous in thought and action.

·       Problem-centered (not self-centered).

·       Unusual sense of humor.

·       Able to look at life objectively.

·       Highly creative.

·       Resistant to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional.

·       Concerned for the welfare of humanity.

·       Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience.

·       Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with a few people.

·       Peak experiences.

·       Need for privacy.

·       Democratic attitudes.

·       Strong moral/ethical standards.

How many people did Maslow study to find the characteristics of self actualisation?

18 people

Behaviour leading to self actualisation

1. Experiencing life like a child, with full absorption and concentration.

2. Trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths.

3. Listening to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead of the voice of tradition, authority or the majority.

4. Avoiding pretense (“game playing”) and being honest.

5. Being prepared to be unpopular if your views do not coincide with those of the majority.

6. Taking responsibility and working hard.

7. Trying to identify your defenses and having the courage to give them up.

What is wellbeing?

Feeling happy and content in one’s life.

Who created subjective wellbeing? What year?

Diener, 1984

What is subjective wellbeing?

It has been defined as “a person’s cognitive and affective evaluations of his or her life”

Components of SWB

• Life satisfaction (LS)

• Positive affect (PA)

• Negative affect (NA)

What are the cognitive components of SWB? Why?

Life satisfaction is considered a cognitive component because it’s based on evaluative beliefs (attitudes) about one's life.

What are the affective components of SWB? Why?

In contrast, PA and NA assess the affective component of subjective well-being and reflect the amount of pleasant and unpleasant feelings that people experience in their lives.

What do individuals with high SWB experience?

Individuals are said to have high SWB if they experience LS and frequent PA (e.g., joy, optimism) and infrequent NA (e.g., sadness, anger).

What do individuals with low SWB experience?

individuals are said to have low SWB if they are dissatisfied with life, experience little joy, and frequently feel negative emotions such as anger or anxiety (Diener et al., 1997).

Who created psychological wellbeing? What year was it?

Ryff, 1989

What is psychological wellbeing?

is a holistic state of positive psychological functioning, characterized by the realization of one’s true potential and a meaningful, self-directed life.

Components of psychological wellbeing

• Purpose in life

• Autonomy

• Personal Growth

• Enviromental mastery

• Positive relations with others

• Self - acceptance

Purpose in life

the extent to which respondents felt their lives had meaning, purpose, and direction

Autonomy

whether they viewed themselves to be living in accord with their own personal convictions

Personal Growth

the extent to which they were making use of their personal talents and potential

Environmental Mastery

how well they were managing their life situations

Positive relations with others

the depth of connection they had in ties with significant others

Self - acceptance

the knowledge and acceptance they had of themselves, including awareness of personal limitations.

Autonomy - High scorer

is self-determining and independent; able to resist social pressures and act in certain ways; regulates behaviours from within; evaluates self by personal standards

Autonomy - low scorer

is concerned about the expectations and evaluations of others; relies on judgements of others to make important decisions; conforms to social pressures to think and act in certain ways

Environmental Mastery - high scorer

Has a sense of mastery and competence in managing the environment; controls complex array of external activities; makes effective use of surrounding opportunities; able to choose or create contexts suitable to personal needs and values

Environmental Mastery - low scorer

has difficulty managing everyday affairs; feels unable to change or improve surrounding context; is unaware of surrounding opportunities; lacks sense of control over external world

Personal growth - high scorer

has a feeling of continued development; sees self as growing and expanding; is open to new experiences; has sense of realising his or her potential; sees improvement in self and behaviour over time; is changing in ways that reflect more self-knowledge and effectiveness.

Personal growth - low scorer

Has a sense of personal stagnation; lacks sense of improvement or expansion over time; feels bored and uninterested in life; feels unable to develop new attitudes or behaviours

Positive relations with others - high scorer

Has warm, satisfying, trusting relationships with others; is concerned about the welfare of others; capable of strong empathy, affection, and intimacy; understands give and take of human relationships

Positive relations with others - low scorer

has few close, trusting relationships with others; finds it difficult to be warm, open, concerned about others; is isolated and frustrated in interpersonal relationships; not willing to make compromises to sustain important ties with others

Purpose in life - high scorer

Has goals in life and a sense of directedness; feels there is meaning to present and past life; holds beliefs that give life purpose; has aims and objectives for living

Purpose in life - low scorer

lacks a sense of meaning in life; has few goals or aims, lacks sense of direction; does not see purpose in past life; has no outlooks or beliefs that give life meaning

Self-acceptance - high scorer

Possesses a positive attitude toward the self; acknowledges and accepts multiple aspects of self including good and bad qualities; feels positive about past life

self-acceptance - low scorer

feels dissatisfied with self; is disappointed with what has occurred in past life; is troubled about certain personal qualities; wishes to be different than what he or she is