chapter 6 pt 1 Content Theories of Motivation – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing major motivation concepts, theories, and key terms from the lecture notes.

Motivation

The conscious or unconscious reasons for acting in a particular way; a psychological process in which unsatisfied needs create desires that drive behavior.

Need

Anything a person requires or desires; the underlying deficiency that sparks motivation.

Want

The conscious recognition of a need.

Content Theories of Motivation

Approaches that explain the specific internal factors (needs) that energize and direct people’s behavior.

Process Theories of Motivation

Approaches that describe how behavior is initiated, directed, sustained, and stopped through cognitive processes.

Intrinsic Factors

Motivators that come from within the individual (e.g., recognition, achievement).

Extrinsic Factors

Motivators controlled by someone else, often tangible (e.g., salary, working conditions).

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

A five-level model proposing that people satisfy physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization needs in sequence.

Physiological Needs

Basic survival needs such as air, water, food, and adequate salary for subsistence.

Safety (Security) Needs

Desire for protection against danger, job security, safe working conditions, and benefits.

Love and Belonging Needs

Need for affiliation, acceptance, and community with others.

Self-Esteem Needs

Desire for respect, status, recognition (external) and self-confidence, autonomy (internal).

Self-Actualization

The drive to become everything one is capable of becoming; growth-focused ‘being need.’

Deficiency Needs (D-needs)

Maslow’s four lower-level needs that create tension when unmet and cease to motivate once satisfied.

Being Needs (B-needs)

Maslow’s highest-level growth need—self-actualization—that continues to motivate even when fulfilled.

Alderfer’s ERG Theory

Needs model condensing Maslow’s hierarchy into Existence, Relatedness, and Growth categories.

Existence Needs

Material and physiological requirements such as pay, benefits, and working conditions.

Relatedness Needs

Desire for meaningful relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and others.

Growth Needs

Intrinsic desire for personal development, creativity, and making productive contributions.

Frustration-Regression Principle

ERG concept that unmet higher-level needs cause individuals to revert to lower-level needs for satisfaction.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

Model distinguishing Motivator factors (job content) from Hygiene factors (job context) in influencing satisfaction.

Motivator Factors

Job-content elements—achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement—that increase satisfaction.

Hygiene Factors

Job-context elements—company policies, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations, working conditions—whose absence causes dissatisfaction.

Job Content

The tasks and responsibilities inherent in a job; source of motivators in Herzberg’s theory.

Job Context

The environment surrounding a job, including policies and conditions; source of hygiene factors.

Baseline Reward

Daniel Pink’s term for adequate salary; if insufficient, it becomes a strong demotivator.

Tugs

Positive factors that attract employees to remain with an organization (e.g., meaningful work).

Shoves

Negative factors that push employees toward quitting (e.g., poor scheduling, bad conditions).