Motivation

Motivation Profiles Paper Motivation Profiles Everyone has goals that they strive to achieve through out life. It requires a certain degree of motivation in order to obtain these goals. Motivation is the activation of goal-orientated behavior. Although we all are motivated to reach a certain goal, we are not always motivated in the same way. MCA Advertising currently has an opening for a promotion. Ella, Marcelo, and Masoko are three of the company’s best employees. They are all striving towards the same goal. However, each person is motivated differently. Only one will be granted the promotion in the end. Ella’s motivation can be accounted for by biological theories of motivation. The sub theory of drive-reduction describes how humans are motivated by basic biological needs, such as food, water, and shelter. Humans have internal biological needs, which motivate us to perform in a certain way. A prime example would be the internal feeling of hunger or thirst, which motivates us to eat and drink. Ella grew up in a low-income society where her family never knew when they would have enough money to eat a meal daily. She has taken with her the fear of going back to where she grew up. Ella is worried that with out a promotion she may loose her house and then will not be able to afford food. Psychosocial theories of motivation include incentives, attributions, and expectancies. Marcelo is motivated by the incentive theory. The incentive theory has an external goal that has the capacity to motivate behavior. Marcelo grew up in a large family. He has always felt the need to vindicate his status and prove his worthiness. If Marcelo were to get the job it would improve his social standing. He would be satisfied and feel worthy to his peers. Masoko is motivated by the interactionist theory. The interactionist theory deals with a person’s understanding of society based on individuals that they meet. A person’s perspective changes every time they interact with in individual, shaping and changing the opinions and views of both parties. Masoko is friends with a guy who just received a promotion at another company. He sees the success and power that his friend has from attaining the promotion, and it motivates him to strive in gaining his own promotion. Different forces drive each of their motivations. Emotions greatly effect how we are motivated. There are four theories of emotion, the James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, facial-feedback, and Schacter’s two-factor. These theories are all competing on how we become emotional. The James-Lange theory proposed that an event or stimulus causes a physiological arousal with out any interpretation or conscious though. The emotion is felt only after the person interprets the physical response. The Cannon-Bard theory, on the other hand suggests that the given stimulus causes both a physiological and emotional response at the same time. Neither response causes the other. The facial-feedback explanation of emotion focuses on the expressive side of emotions. Facial expressions relate and intensify emotions but can also cause or initiate the emotions themselves. The Schachter’s two-factor theory takes a more cognitive approach. The event causes emotional arousal, but the person should identify the reason for the arousal before labeling the emotion. We have to look to external cues to understand our emotions. Ella’s motivation of biological forces can be linked to the emotional theory of James-Lange. Ella’s physical exposure to basic human needs has generated an emotional response and in turn a deep seeded motivation for success. Marcelo grew up in a large family and felt pressure to show his worth. The Cannon-Bard theory states that Marcelo not only has an emotion tied to his motivation but also actually feels less important as a person unless he meets his goals. Masoko is motivated by interactionist factors. Schachter’s two-factor theory can most easily describe Masoko’s response. Masoko is emotionally stimulated by his friend’s success, however, he must identify what of his friend’s status is it that truly motivates him. Only after Masoko identifies what he truly is motivated by can he then determine what emotion is behind said motivation. The company then decided to hire Sam. Sam is just as qualified for the position as the other three. Sam is motivated on the biological, psychosocial, and interactionist level. He is motivated to attain the promotion more than the others because he is new to the company and doesn’t feel that he will be stepping on anyone’s toes. He is motivated by all aspects, which could indeed put him in the lead for the promotion. Motivation greatly effects the decisions and choices we make to attain goals. How we motivate ourselves will aide in achieving those set goals. Different forces motivate each person; because Sam is motivated by all of the theories of motivation he has a greater advantage of being granted the promotion over the others. Sometimes we let our emotions get the best of us when we should be focusing in on other areas. References Carpenter, S., & Huffman, K. ((2008)). Wiley Plus. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.