Psychologists have been wondering for a long time
what is motivation
and why some individuals find it easier to sustain it, while others quickly lose it. Some of the earliest were evolutionary theories likening all human motives to the spread of one's genes. Today, however, the concept has evolved considerably and motivation is most often defined as
autodetermination.
or
self-regulation.
. The first concept captures the person as an active individual with the potential for action, the sources of which are located both in the environment in which he lives and inside the person (drives, emotions).
The following needs are considered by the creators of self-determination theory (Deci, Ryan 2000) to be the three main "motivators" of action, leading to happiness and satisfaction with life: -
need for competence
- feeling of self-efficacy in the environment, sense of relevance and meaning of one's actions -
need for autonomy
- The feeling that I am the cause of events -
need for relationships
- interaction with other people, a sense of attachment, experiencing concern, help and care, and interest from other people. These are so-called intrinsic aspirations, based on internal, proactive goals, directed at learning and development. Such motivation is the strongest and correlated with a sense of happiness. However, there is also a second type of aspiration, external, which reduces the sense of satisfaction with life, because people focused on external rewards (such as money) tend to constantly expand their efforts. They are insatiable over and over again. Accordingly, Deci and Ryan distinguished four regulatory styles that affect the level and type of motivation. Which one is closest to you? A
External adjustment
- activity is the result of a desire to avoid unpleasant consequences or gain a reward (I will earn money; I will pass to the next class) B
Introjection
- as in approach A, motivation comes from pressure, from pressure, but it is not external, but comes from within the individual (I want to feel pride; avoid shame) C
Identification
- activity is a means to an end, not the end itself (I'll do my homework to learn; I'll exercise to lose weight) D
Integration
- the activity itself is the goal (I exercise for pleasure) It's easy to guess that integration is the style that gives the most satisfaction, is characterized by the highest motivation, and people who follow it achieve the best results. People for whom activity itself is the goal feel less negative emotions, which are a key "demotivator" in the theory of
self-regulation.
. One of the first modern concepts of self-regulation is Carver and Scheier's model. The essence of the process is the mutual coordination of the lower level of the organization (automatisms, avoidance/pursuit of objects) with the higher level (goals, correction of actions). Self-regulation can be too low or too high and both types do not lead to well-being. Insufficient self-regulation is poor monitoring and involves a weakened focus of attention on actions. People fail to achieve their goals because there is a lack of congruence between what they want and what they do. Sometimes they even completely lose sight of the goal and abandon it. Interestingly, self-control is very significantly reduced by the presence of people, e.g. a person losing weight is likely to consume significantly more calories in company than when alone. There is also the phenomenon of
"abstinence breakdowns.
" when, for example, we eat a piece of cake during a prolonged period of dieting and after a while we take another small piece, because, after all, nothing bad will happen and there is nothing to overdo. Unfortunately, at some point we crave a third piece and there is a loss of control, and the power to resist temptation weakens and we begin to succumb to the impulse. We eat the third piece. Such action, after the breakdown of abstinence, has been called
snowball effect.
. A person is unable to restrain his actions, because after a long period of abstinence, the delivered wake-up call interrupts the decided commitments. Why does this happen? Why does a slimming person eat cake, while one who wants to maintain a youthful appearance smokes cigarettes and won't even go out for a walk? Here are some reasons for the breakdown of self-control:
Anticipate that the energy expended by the act of self-control will be too high (it will bring more pleasure to eat a cookie than to refrain from it)
A sense of lack of benefit from controlling the impulse ("Nothing will happen if I light one cigarette")
Overgeneralization - applying one solution to all problems ("Since I managed not to order a cake last time at coffee, it will be the same today with a colleague at a meeting")
Willingness to believe in a miracle, to believe that self-control is possible in a completely different situation (Willingness to quit smoking at a very stressful time in an individual's life)
Willingness to control what does not lend itself to control ("I will exercise to look like a 20-year-old").
Reaching for unproven remedies (ingesting "weight loss" pills)
Use of negative imperatives ("I won't eat sweets anymore" instead of: "I eat healthy")
Excessive self-regulation is also not positive. It can lead to disorders such as workaholism or anorexia. A golden mean must be maintained in everything. Emotions play a special role in the process of self-control. Motivation researcher Gross detailed two strategies for regulating emotions:
expression suppression.
and
cognitive reinterpretation.
. Suppression only leads to behavioral inhibition (which can end in the aforementioned abstinence breakdown and snowballing effects), while reinterpretation reduces both the expression and experiencing of emotions, making it easier to maintain self-control. People who are more aware of their emotions are better able to cope with temptations, leading to stronger motivation. They will be aware, for example, that when they feel sad or angry they have a greater desire to reach for sweets. Just monitoring one's temptations and when they are getting stronger is already a very valuable aid to maintaining motivation and self-control. Motivation is an extremely complex phenomenon by which I mean fascinating. The sheer multiplicity of approaches attempting to describe it already testifies to this. Each person will be characterized by a different style of regulating motivation, as well as emotions. Each person has a unique set of experiences behind him or her that have influenced it, so unfortunately, there are no universal super measures to help motivation, as completely different motives will work on everyone. It is worthwhile to start paying more attention to one's behavior and feelings. The key not only to strong motivation, but also to a good life, is to know yourself. And that should be the first step.
Author: Martyna Wrona - Marchel
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