Hi guys, i was just chatting with weijie moments ago and somehow we delve into the topic of motivation. And since i was privileged enough to have gone through some lessons about it during my pti course, i thought i might just share with you guys a little about what i've picked up myself.
So what is motivation about?
Motivation is defined as...
-the direction and intensity of one's effort (Sage, 1977)
-an individual's drive, desire, commitment and persistence to undertake a task (Singer, 1984)
So why learn about motivation?
Because motivation affects many of our decisions in life --- be it studies, relationships and even bboying! Having a good understanding of motivation can hopefully teach us to channel our drive and efforts effectively to our benefits and improve our lives in the days ahead.
So basically, there are a few views of motivation
1. Trait Centred View
- Motivation is seen as a function of individual characteristics
- Concept of the born winner or loser
- Ignores the contributory factors of environment and others
In layman's term, this view believes that some people just like to chiong and pia, even in the face of adversity, they will persist all the way til they succeed. Others on the other hand, are just bochap, no matter how you encourage them and help them, they will just heck care and are contented with what they've got.
2. Situation-Centred View
- A person is motivated primarily by the situation
- Ignores the contribution of internal factors
Ok, this is easy to explain. Lets say, there is a chiobu in class that you want to jio and it so happens that she like boys who can do well in mathematics. Facing that situation, the boy will actually focus all his effort and time in improving his mathematics with the hope that the girl will fall for him if he score full marks. And he will persist all the way, regardless of lousy mathematics teacher or something (Internal factors).
3. Interactional View
- Considers both traits and situation
- Concepts of Intrinsic and Extrinsic motives
Basically, the real world is filled with moderate human beings where our motivation levels can change through interaction with each other. Furthermore, personal reasons and external reasons will all affect our final decision and choice.
Alright thats all for now, shall continue another day. Hope this will help you guys (:
