Personal motives in psychology are a certain internal force of a person that motivates him to action, which is important for achieving the goal that the individual has determined for himself. In the scientific world, the definition of personal motives is very diverse. Some researchers believe that these are ideas, as well as a representation of a person, others call them the motives of a person’s thoughts and attitudes, which he adheres to, guided by them in life. Many people often know the feeling of wanting to move mountains and satisfy their need. This feeling and experience gives the individual strength, as well as self-confidence, which encourages the person to form and grow as a personality. Strictly speaking, this experience is the motive of the individual.
Personality motive is a very important attribute in the life of an individual. It is the motives that determine what heights a person will reach. In career growth, employees' aspirations acquire special properties, so management often tries to create external motives. External motives include salary increases or bonuses, sometimes it’s just praise, etc. These things motivate a person to show interest and exert more effort in order to receive external rewards and perform better as a result.
But it is worth noting that internal motives are much stronger than external ones. If an individual, so to speak, is fired up from within with a certain goal and certainly wants to achieve it, then he can overcome all obstacles, since he does it for himself.
Motives of personality behavior
The topic of human behavior has been of interest to psychology since ancient times. Answers to the question “why?” people do this and then behave differently, the greatest minds of our world were looking for. Today, human behavior can be considered to be influenced by many different phenomena. This may be a certain situation, a person’s personal qualities, external pressure on the individual, or the motives of the individual himself.
What do the motives of a person’s behavior influence? Considering the concept of personal motives, we can say that different motives not only influence a person’s behavior in every possible way, but also in certain situations, motives can determine a person’s behavior. The fact is that a motive is a fusion of an individual’s internal experiences, which often becomes an attribute of the individual and is formulated into a personal quality. For example, motives to become better, to help people and to change this world for the benefit of humanity can become characteristic of the person who experiences them and form into a separate trait - altruism.
Motives of individual activity
Depending on what goal a person sees in front of him, he will act accordingly in order to achieve what he wants and get pleasure. If a person is hungry, then he will act in such a way as to find food and have a snack, satisfying this need. Such behavior will be determined by the need for food, and the search for food will be the motive for the individual’s activity. Depending on the needs or goals of a person, the motives for activity can be very diverse. For example, if needs relate to basic phenomena that ensure the life and development of a person, then the motives of activity that force the satisfaction of such needs will be called organic. To be more specific, these needs include the already mentioned feeling of hunger, the need to breathe, the need to hide from the heat on a summer day, or the need to flee from danger for the purpose of self-preservation. All these needs are basic, and a person strives to satisfy them first of all in order to allow his body to naturally exist and develop.
The motives of an individual's activity are also functional. They relate to the needs that ensure human growth in the cultural sphere. This could be an active holiday on the lake, or playing sports, going to church or the theater. All these needs create motives for activity, which in turn drive a person to satisfy these needs, which ensures the functional growth of the individual.
The motives for an individual’s activity are material. The materialism of these motives implies the creation of material things to satisfy human needs that relate to comfort or everyday necessities.
It's no secret that the need to be respected in society is very important for a person. To have one’s place among other people, to occupy an appropriate status, as well as the opportunity to express one’s social interests - all these are needs that give rise to social motives for human activity. In this case, the individual will act in such a way as to establish himself among the people who make up his society. For example, activities of this kind can be expressed in participation in various social groups, belonging to volunteers, encouragement to take part in various events, organizations, etc.
The motives for an individual’s activity may include spiritual motives. They appear where a person has a need for self-development, as well as self-improvement. To satisfy such needs, a person can read books, pray to God, do yoga or act in some other way to gain spiritual saturation.
Hierarchy
What are they? Motives are divided into two categories: basic (also called active) and potential. What's the difference?
Basic motives are central to human activity (organic motives). They are aimed at satisfying primary, fundamental needs: food, sleep, safety, reproduction.
They are purely biological and selfish, since human survival depends on their execution.
By the way, the main motives of consumer behavior intersect with basic needs (marketers in advertising appeal to the sexual instinct, obtaining high status).
Potential motives - arise under certain circumstances. Some people, in principle, have no goal of following them, especially if the simplest needs are satisfied.
To a certain extent, this type of motive can be neglected. Potential motives have less impact on a person than basic ones.
The hierarchy of motives is built in accordance with Maslow's pyramid. The list begins with unconditional motives, without which the normal functioning of the body is impossible.
The higher up in the pyramid (or further down the list), the more social and “humane,” the more creative the motives.
The first three motives are basic, the rest are potential.
- Physiological . Aimed at searching for food and quenching thirst. Supporting the body with food. This also includes sleep and sexual desire (instinct of reproduction, procreation).
- Security . Need for security. Here we are talking about a roof over your head, and safety from predators (physical), as well as a comfortable emotional state, the absence of conflicts (psychological security).
- Social motive . At this level, belonging to a social group is implied. It is important for a person, a collective being by nature, to feel part of a certain community. Here the motive of rejection is activated - the fear of being expelled from the group, which forces a person to comply with its internal rules and order.
- Communication motives (motive of affiliation). Based on the desire to communicate, and ideally with like-minded people. Share ideas, thoughts, experiences, find common interests.
- Motive of self-affirmation (respect, recognition). This level is not just about being in a group, but about the place a person occupies in it. When a person strives for a higher position, recognition of his merits, merits and achievements. The higher the social status of an individual rises, the more his self-esteem, self-esteem, and self-confidence grow.
- Thirst for power. Unlike the need to occupy a high position, the power motive is tied to the desire to lead other people. The social status of a professional programmer can be high (excellent salary, respected craft in society, recognition of merit by colleagues), but at the same time he does not occupy a managerial position, he remains a performer. People with a strong thirst for power go into politics or business.
- Self-development motive .
The desire to improve oneself in different areas (physical - gym, intellectual - reading books, cognitive - travel). A person feels the need to grow above himself, often on several fronts. - Self-realization . Be a professional in a chosen field that is personally important to the individual. The difference from the motive of respect is that for a person the craft itself is primary. It is important as an end in itself. The profession does not necessarily bring in a high income or is on the list of popular ones. Here a person is driven by the desire to be a master, to thoroughly understand his activities.
- Cognitive motives (learning). Occurs at a high level when physiological needs are well satisfied. It is expressed in the desire to know and explore the world around us. A person thirsts for knowledge, why things work this way and not otherwise. The implementation of the motive is very diverse: reading scientific books or encyclopedias, traveling (with the goal of learning about the life and way of life of other peoples), practice (a person searches for information on a real plane, without resorting to the theoretical justification of textbooks).
The hierarchy of motives in preschool and early school age differs from that in adults. As an adult, a person is already involved in the society in which he was raised.
Therefore, in addition to biological motives, complex social and personal ones are involved (self-realization, cognition, aesthetic needs).
In childhood, the most striking motives are simple social (communication and recognition among peers) and cognitive (which are realized at a primitive level - the child learns about the world around him in practice, tries to study it independently).
Needs and motives of the individual
In psychology, there are various views on determining the needs of the individual, in fact, as well as on the definition of motives. But all views are united by the idea that need is a human condition that is caused by one or another need. These can be material or spiritual objects. This condition causes internal tension in the individual. To relieve tension, or in other words, to satisfy a specific need, a person begins to act accordingly, guided by the motives that this need generates.
A person's needs can be very different. As already mentioned, needs may concern the organic, functional, material, social or spiritual environment of a person. In addition, scientists distinguish individual and group needs, as well as daily and annual, intellectual and psychological needs.
In the same situation, a person may have several needs of different kinds at the same time. Accordingly, internal tension will be very high in this case, and a person must choose which needs to satisfy first. In this context, it is important to note that there is a hierarchy of needs. The most important are physiological or organic needs. If a person is hungry, it will be difficult for him to concentrate on work, or when it comes to self-preservation, for example, if a person is in pain, he will only think about how to get rid of this pain, and until it disappears, the person will not be able to satisfy your other social needs.
Abraham Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs, which in turn determines the hierarchy of individual motives. In his opinion, motives can be placed on five conventional shelves that form Maslow’s pyramid. At the lowest level are the physiological needs of a person. Moving up to higher levels, the needs for affection, esteem, aesthetic and needs for self-realization are considered. It is important to note that in this hierarchy of motives, A. Maslow believes that it is impossible to rise to a higher level if the needs of the lower level are not satisfied.
Social motives of the individual
As already mentioned, the social motives of an individual are generated from the needs of socialization in society. Abraham Maslow classifies attachment as a social motive. These motives represent the desire to be needed, useful, and to have approval from other people. In addition, social motives are determined by the need for respect, as well as self-esteem, which is no less important.
Every person exists in society and is connected with people. Relationships between people are never simple, so various conflicts, hostility and other unpleasant phenomena arise. But, one way or another, a person is born into society, but sometimes society itself gives birth to a person. For this reason, it is very natural that a person tries to find his place in society and establish his identity among the people he knows.
In this area, a person can act in various ways, guided by social motives. For example, in order to please other people, so as not to violate the ideas of society, a person can show conformity, that is, act like the majority.
Human nature is very complex and mysterious. Relationships between two people can also be very unpredictable. People are driven by social motives in order not to be lonely. Every person is looking for another person who is able to understand, support, and most importantly love him for who he really is. This desire forces people to seek compromises in disagreements, change their behavior, and change for the better. These are the most important social motives of a person.
It is also worth noting submission to authority. Even if people complain about the government in the country and do not consider it constructive, they recognize its legitimacy and are convinced that power is necessary for society. This leads to submission to authority, which is also a social motive for the individual.
The concept of material motivation
Material motivation is a way of positively influencing employees, the main incentive for which is material benefits. Moreover, these benefits most often take the form of cash.
With its help, it is possible to achieve the greatest productivity from subordinates and improve the quality of their work.
This method of incentives is universal, since it has a positive effect on almost all employees.
If, with non-material motivation, management has to adapt to them and determine what exactly is important for each individual employee, then material incentives have an equally positive effect on everyone.
This is due to the fact that the main goal of almost every person’s work activity is precisely to receive a salary. Only a few will work for any other motives (interest in work, good team).
In order for the motivation system built at the enterprise to produce positive results, it must be based on the following principles:
- Openness. The current motivation system and principles for calculating monetary rewards must be clear to every employee. They must know exactly how the system works.
- Objectivity. The assignment of rewards and punishments must be based on the principle of fairness. That is, all employees who show good results should receive a reward for this, without any exceptions.
- Reward for results. Subordinates must understand the connection between the level of remuneration and the result that they have achieved or should achieve.
- Maintaining a balance between rewards and punishments. The amount of fines and other monetary sanctions in the company should not exceed the amount of bonuses or additional payments. Punishment is only permissible for serious offenses.
- The reality of achievement. For the motivation system to work, the result set to receive the reward must be within reach of the average subordinate. If it is too high, the employee will not even try to achieve it.
- Personal approach. When setting various goals and objectives for employees, it is necessary to take into account their professional qualities and experience. It is logical that an employee who has worked for several years and a former student will not be able to achieve the same goals under equal conditions.
- Unity of purpose. An ideal motivation system should encourage subordinates to work not only to achieve their personal goals (for example, sales volume for a particular employee), but also to increase the productivity of the entire team (department or enterprise as a whole).
Also, when building a system of material motivation, it is worth considering that it may include various types and methods.
