“Motivation – Why We Do What We Do” by Phin Upham
The study of motivation seems to be one of those topics where much progress is made, but no final answers are ever given. Indeed, it is even hard to understand what a “final answer” would mean. A model which correctly predicted all of our actions would be very implausible and radically reshape our notions of identity and free will. A model which carried much of the variance of action in certain prescribed areas of the world (business or intrinsic motivation), which is what the authors are attempting, would never be satisfying to all the different camps of motivationalists and the debate would simply continue on a finer level. One of the problems in the study of motivation is exactly this – there is no agreed upon goal or end to the project. The intrinsic nature of motivation is such that we can never get into peoples head and measure it directly, thus the experimenter and the subjects are forced to play with vagaries and uncertainties. Ultimately, I argue, the very structure of motivation makes it such that no one will ever fully capture its essence. Nevertheless, thinking about motivation seems to be one of the most useful and rewarding areas of psychology because even a partial understanding of this topic can radically shape the way we think about out lives and selves.
I have organized the essays, in ascending order, first by order of how comprehensive and complex their models are and then whether they deal with motivation or intrinsic motivation. To begin with, Locke’s (1968) Toward a theory of Task Motivation and Incentives lays out a foundation upon which many of the pieces rest – that motivation toward conscious goals are regulated by ideas. This is true on two levels, firstly the truistic level discussed in Week One that we create the entities in the world around us though in a subjective way. So we are motivated to act in the world according to how we believe the world to be on the most basic level (consciously and unconsciously). Secondly, our actions are mediated by our belief in the structure of the world (both conscious and unconscious). Setting high goals, Locke argues, helps us to accomplish a task better and faster; goals and intensions are, according to Locke, a vital part of the structure of motivation. His findings are generally based on a methodology of manipulating goals and intentions as the independent variables and measuring physical outcome as the output (be it reaction time, word length, or task effectiveness).
About the Author
Phin Upham is a New York City based investor, who is a frequent contributor to blogs like VentureCapMonthly.com. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Click here to read more articles by Phin Upham.
