Motivation

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY NOTES (Motivation)

SESSION #3: MOTIVATION

Date: 23 October 2025

Learning Objectives

  • Define the concept of motivation

  • Explain the challenges in studying human motivation

  • Distinguish between needs and goals

  • Differentiate between primary and secondary needs

  • Discuss the role of self-image in the concretization of a need

  • Indicate possible reactions to frustration of a need

  • Distinguish between push and pull conceptions of motivation

  • Explain the dichotomy of positive and negative motivations

DEFINITION OF MOTIVATION

  • Motivation refers to the driving force behind actions, encompassing:

    • Impetus: What initiates action (e.g., "I should study")

    • Direction: The target of the action (e.g., "Study this course instead of another")

    • Intensity: The effort put into the action (e.g., 30 mins vs. 3 hours)

    • Persistence: Continuation of the action despite obstacles (e.g., continuing after failing a test)

COMPLEXITY OF MOTIVATION

  • Motivation is complex: Rarely driven by a single reason; influenced by a mix of needs, emotions, identity, and context.

  • Observational Challenges: Motivation is invisible; its effects are visible through behaviors such as buying or aiming for goals.

  • Example of Variation in Behaviors from Similar Motivation:

    • Desire to 'feel better' can lead to different actions: one might exercise; another might seek comfort food.

  • Example of Same Behavior from Different Motivations: Studying may stem from enjoyment or fear of failing.

NEEDS VS. GOALS

Definitions

  • Needs: Basic underlying requirements that people strive to satisfy (e.g., food, safety, belonging)

  • Goals: Specific actions or strategies chosen to fulfill those needs (e.g., selecting a restaurant or a brand).

PRIMARY VS. SECONDARY NEEDS

  • Primary Needs: Biological, universal, and conscious (e.g., hunger, thirst).

  • Secondary Needs: Psychological, learned, social, often unconscious (e.g., approval, belonging, identity).

  • Example: Joining a running club may satisfy different needs: fitness (primary) vs. social connection (secondary).

ADAPTATION AND HABITUATION

  • Adaptation: Adjustment to levels of satisfaction prompts raising goals.

  • Habituation: Repeated behaviors become automatic, reducing conscious motivation.

  • Example of stages:

    • Need: feeling lonely

    • Goal: scrolling through TikTok to relax

    • Repetition: doing this nightly

    • Habituation: opening TikTok automatically without thought.

MARKETING AND NEEDS

  • Marketers do not create needs: Their role is to activate and direct existing needs towards specific goals.

    • Needs are inherent (biological or psychological).

    • Marketing amplifies the visibility and urgency of these needs, guiding consumers to specific goals.

IDENTITY AND CONSUMPTION

  • Identity influences consumption in four fundamental ways:

    • Ideal self-concept (who I want to be)

    • Avoided self-concept (who I don’t want to be)

    • Social perception (how others see me)

    • Online curation (self-presentation in digital spaces)

    • Products owned often symbolize these aspects of identity.

DYNAMICS OF MOTIVATION

  • Motivation is dynamic; needs can change based on feedback and context.

  • Success influences goals; it can either reinforce or elevate them, while failure may lead to downgrading or replacement of goals.

  • Substitution: In case of failure, consumers often create new goals that fulfill the same needs, akin to Maslow's hierarchy concept.

REACTIONS TO FRUSTRATION

  • If goals aren’t met, frustration ensues.

  • Healthy reactions to frustration include:

    • Substitution: Finding alternative ways to satisfy needs. - Other reactions, albeit less successful:

    1. Aggression

    2. Rationalization

    3. Regression

    4. Withdrawal

    5. Projection

    6. Identification

  • Aggression: Rationalizing frustration through external means.

  • Rationalization Examples: Such as dismissing the goal's worth or attributing poor outcomes to external difficulties.

TRIGGERS OF MOTIVATION

  • Motivation can be triggered by internal (push) and external (pull) factors.

  • Internal triggers: physiological changes, inherent needs (e.g., hunger), personal goals.

  • External triggers: exposure to products, social media influence, and advertisement visibility.

POSITIVE VS. NEGATIVE MOTIVATION

Types and Uses

  • Positive Motivation: Driven by the desire to gain something desirable.

    • Example phrase: “I want this”

    • Marketing application: Focus on ideal outcomes (e.g., happiness enhancers)

  • Negative Motivation: Driven by the desire to avoid something undesirable.

    • Example phrase: “I don’t want that”

    • Marketing application: Highlight potential risks (e.g., health warnings).

PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEW ON MOTIVATION

  • Motivation extends from the conscious to the unconscious, influenced by deeper, often hidden drives.

  • Freud’s contribution:

    • Id: basic instincts

    • Superego: moral standards

    • Ego: negotiating between the two.

    • Symbolic expressions of these hidden motives appear in consumption behavior.

HIERARCHICAL VIEW OF MOTIVATION

Maslow's Hierarchy

  • Five levels:

    1. Physiological need

    2. Need for safety

    3. Social need

    4. Need for recognition

    5. Need for self-realization

  • Example Stress Testing: A case study of coffee consumption across these levels.

  • Limitations of Maslow:

    • Individuals do not always progress through levels in a linear fashion.

    • Different rewards can address multiple needs simultaneously.

Alderfer's ERG Model

  • Three levels defined:

    1. Existence: Basic survival and security needs

    2. Relationship: Connection and belonging

    3. Growth: Identity development and personal advancement

  • Alderfer's model allows for regression and simultaneous fulfillment of different needs, acknowledging individual variability, contrasting with Maslow's rigidity.

APPLICATIONS IN MARKETING

  • Brands target different motivation levels according to consumer positioning.

  • Marketing strategy must shift based on consumer contexts – from basic existence needs to growth-oriented identities.

  • Starbucks Example: Selling various levels of need, from a caffeine boost to social belonging and lifestyle representation.