Motivational Theories: Human Motivation & Performance

What do you think of when you think of motivation? Do you think of what it means to stay motivated in order to follow through on your New Years Resolutions? What about the ability to stay focused long enough to finish a book all the way through? Or do you contemplate why some people are more motivated than others, and why it appears as though some individuals may have a higher drive than others?

The word Trieb is the German word meaning in psychology to Drive, Desire, Interest, Urge, Impulse or Desire. Similarly, in Jon Mills (2004) article titled Clarifications on Trieb: Freud’s Theory of Motivation Reinstated, Mills states that Trieb is essentially the “driving force behind the mind compelled and fueled by unconscious desire”. Does that then mean that we are not driven by our own wishes or desires? We are simply fueled by an unconscious desire that we must pursue that was biologically drilled or born into us? No, of course not. A drive can or would be determined by the origin of the drive or motivation—not that all are biologically created (Mills, 2004). However, it is discussed that we are in fact put into a human body, and humans have needs that are biologically programmed per basic science and hence, naturally created drives or motivations is simply a biological need as part of being a human being (Mills, 2004). With this said though, Mills (2004) goes on to explain how human drives have a certain degree of freedom involved and is manipulated by conscious and unconscious activity within the host where it was created. Essentially, Freud believed that natural human instincts, without calling them instincts, is what influences our behavior (Shama, n.d.). Within this theory, Eros (life instincts) would have the energy called Libido and would in turn motivate an individual toward “constructive activities” such as love or sympathy (Shama, n.d.). On the opposite end of Eros, is Thanatos or otherwise called Death Instincts would motivate an individual toward destructive activities (murder, suicide, aggression). How do we access these motives though? How are we told what our unconscious minds are leading us to believe?

Freud believes that certain unconscious mannerisms would be the result of hidden motives or unconscious motives (i.e., slips of the tongue, phobias, or psychosomatic disorders, dreams) according to Shama (n.d.). How would motives become unconscious though? How does experiences that I have experienced lead to have a fear of that same situation occurring again? Through Freud’s explanation, trauma or powerful negative emotions can get repressed would not be available in a conscious state (McLeod, 2015). While that makes sense, that leads to the belief that the unconscious mind is rather not a single entity, but instead is a “collection of modules that has evolved over time” (McLeod, 2015) and will operate outside of consciousness. Instead of most primal urges remaining unconscious to protect an individual from feelings of anxiety, it is now determined that most information processing does not reside in the consciousness for efficiency, rather than repression (McLeod, 2015).

To this reader, I am left with a sense of motivation to seek further information regarding other theories because of the fact that I would want to understand the needs and why certain information is deemed more important than others. If trauma from a past experience is no longer necessary to hold onto, that level of fear or the emotional toll that it took is no longer a threat to ones mental stability or their personal safety, it would then become unconscious and not be deemed as important. So, then what is more important? Now that the treat is gone to ones safety, anxiety, or health… what would be important? Finding love? Finding a sense of connection with another individual, to prove that not everyone is a threat anymore? What about family—reconnecting with family? And then what? Once you find love, reconnect with your family, your health is stable (mentally and physically) what then? Would you find a sense of respect for yourself? A higher level of self-esteem, maybe freedom from what you have experienced? Maybe writing a novel on your experiences? And then when you are done with that—what then? Where do the possibilities end?

Abraham Maslow explains this theory as a Need’s Hierarchy.

Image 1 (McLeod, 2020):

Maslow clarifies that satisfaction of a need is in fact not at all a “all or nothing” experience, but that a need does not need to be met at a rate of 100% in order to move on to the next need (McLeod, 2020). McLeod (2020) states: “When a deficit need has been ‘more or less’ satisfied it will go away, and our activities become habitually directed towards meeting the next set of needs that we have yet to satisfy.” While Freud and Maslow were similar in the way of saying that some needs take precedence over others—whether that be conscious or unconscious or in a hierarchy of needs, it does vote true of both theories. However, the main difference in the theories is that Freud’s theory of motivation remain in the unconscious and cannot be accessed by the conscious unless through dreams or phobias for example, Maslow explains that an individual can go on to seek self-attainment, personal growth and reach a desire to “become everything one is capable of becoming” (Maslow, 1987). With this reasoning, I believe Freud’s theory addresses the biological components of motivation because it directly corelates to the biological functions of the human brain. With a difference for Maslow’s theory of motivation relating to cognitive and learned components of motivation because of the fact that as a need is met and as you work your way up the hierarchy, cognitively, you would process and acquire knowledge to move you forward in the need hierarchy and you will learn what you need to I order to be comfortable moving to the next step without having to fulfill the 100% non-requirement to advance. For example, I can have a dream telling me that I have motivations to complete this essay but yet I could also understand that completing this essay will get me further into my degree for Psychology and will in turn benefit me to achieve my goals of education and will strengthen me toward pursuing my future in law.

Both, Freud and Maslow improved understanding of motivation factors because previously in a historical context, the main theory of motivation was purely evolutionary. While the theory of motivation unified biological, behavioral and cognitive approaches to motivation (Bernard et al, 2005) a theory that addressed conscious and unconscious processes (Freud’s theory of unconscious motivations) would be an improvement. However, an improvement from this theory would then be made to be predictable in a hierarchical structure (Maslow’s Need’s Hierarchy) of motives that are measurable as individual differences in human behavior (Bernard et al, 2005). Which both improvements are addressed through the previous models previously mentioned.

Looking at Freud and Maslow’s theory from a personal standpoint, I could apply both to my life as motivational theories—however, not one independently. Freud mentions how dreams are a way that unconscious can speak to conscious, and I personally use dreams to “talk to me”. If ever I am uncertain of how to proceed in a situation, I will rely on dreams to inform me on how to proceed. These dreams can come in many forms, a form of prayer that is then told through unconscious to conscious and then into action. However, I would only act on these dreams if I believed that the dream itself was a motivation to pursue me further along in my goal to reach self-actualization and to be the best that I could be. Reaching this level of self-actualization is a daily motivation for me. While I strive to reach this level of motivation, I understand that there are certain factors that are necessary in order to obtain this level of happiness or self-growth.

For example, in 2018 I had a dream that I was going to begin to start fulfilling my need to gain employment through a law enforcement agency that I had always longed to be apart of. In 2019, I obtained this goal by using my dream to motivate me to reach this level of need. I then, from there, wanted happiness or had a need for companionship. I, therefore, met an individual and created a romantic relationship with this person. When the relationship ended, and I transferred agencies to gain a promotion, I was seeking needs from multiple different levels in the hierarchy. However, the only reason I was comfortable seeking a promotion with an outside agency is due to the fact that I had a dream of what would be if I continued fighting and pursuing my dreams. I gained this promotion, and then after finding housing, daycare for my child—I reconnected with an old love and family members. From there I sought respect for having fulfilled what I have thus far, and I had a sense of freedom of fear, freedom of past traumas, and I am continuing to maintain my needs hierarchy by continuing education to reach self-actualization and to become the best version of me that I can (Maslow, 1987).

This leads this reader to believe that the needs hierarchy is ever changing, and ever evolving and is not a constant (i.e., once you obtain one level you do not stay there, you keep moving up and down on the needs hierarchy as necessary). You can also use other ways to stay motivated. Prayer, which can be answered through dreams through your unconscious mind or through phobias. Which would then mean you are not ready to move to the next level in the hierarchy.

What motivates you? How do you stay motivated?

Resources

1. Bernard LC, Mills M, Swenson L, Walsh RP. An evolutionary theory of human motivation. Genet Soc Gen Psychol Monogr. 2005 May;131(2):129-84. doi: 10.3200/MONO.131.2.129-184. PMID: 16779946.

2. Maslow, A. H. (1987). Motivation and personality (3rd ed.). Delhi, India: Pearson Education.

3. McLeod, S. A. (2015). Freud and the Unconscious Mind. Retrieved March 17, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html

4. McLeod, S. A. (2020, March 20). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

5. Mills, J. (2004). Clarifications on Trieb: Freud’s Theory of Motivation Reinstated. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 21(4), 673-677. https://doi.org/10.1037/0736-9735.21.4.673

6. Sharma, A. (n.d.). Notes on 3 Main Theories of Motivation (Psychology). Retrieved March 16, 2021, from https://www.psychologydiscussion.net/motivation/notes-on-3-main-theories-of-motivation-psychology/670