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This is part two of the two part series on understanding motivation. In the previous article I gave the definition of motivation as being a desire held in expectation with the belief that it will be realised, and talked a little about basic human drives. In follow on from that article, this one discusses the different types of motivation. And you’ll discover what works and what doesn’t.
Traditional Approaches
There are two principal types of motivation…
1. Fear Motivation
One of the most common types of motivation is the use of fear. When it is misused or overused, it is also the least desirable and the least effective. Fear motivation is attempting to compel people to act out of fear of the consequences of failing to do so.
We were introduced to fear motivation at a very early age. Our parents would threaten us with punishment for disobedience. Teachers did the same. The punishment threatened was not always physical punishment, but may have been the threat of the loss of privileges or of approval or love.
Fear motivation may be more subtle when used in business or social life, but it is, nevertheless, based on threat. Workers might comply with rules at work for fear of losing their jobs, or being assigned less desirable work. Most people experience some sense of pressure to follow social norms because of “what the neighbours will think”.
2. Incentive Motivation
The opposite of fear motivation is incentive motivation. Where fear motivation threatens punishment, incentive motivation promises rewards to get people to act. Incentive motivation begins at birth. When babies have some need, they cry and receive attention. It doesn’t take long before they learn that this particular behaviour is rewarded with attention. Soon they cry for attention alone, not merely for physical need.
We continue to work for incentives throughout life… for food, shelter, and the luxuries that money will buy. But we also work for security, praise, recognition, and prestige. In the business world incentives are routinely offered for productivity. Increased pay, promotions, and various status symbols that are attractive to workers. People take on all sorts of work and effort to gain the applause and praise of others in social and recreational life.
Limitations Of External Motivation
While both fear and incentive motivation can be effective, they are limited in their ability to produce sustained motivation. One limitation is their temporary nature. People may behave in the desired manner as long als the threat of fear exists or the promise of reward is in effect, but the motivation is gone as soon as the threat or promise is removed.
Fear may cease to motivate when people learn that the threat is an empty one and will not likely be fulfilled, or when they decide that they can endure the threatened punishment more easily than they can exert the energy to perform the requested action. At that point fear has lost its motivation.
Promised incentives also lose the power to motivate. When a person’s need for a particular reward has already been satisfied, there is no drive to work for the prize. If you receive the use of a company car, you accept this as your earned right. It no longer serves as an incentive to push you to greater productivity. Or when the reward is perceived to be too far beyond your ability to achieve it, the effort does not seem worthwhile.
But the main reason why both fear and incentive motivation are limited in their sustained effectiveness is because they are both external motivators. They are initiated by someone else and rely for their results, be they reward or punishment, on the actions of the initiator.
Lasting Motivation
While both fear and incentive motivation may be temporarily effective in prompting desired behaviour, neither produces any change in the personality of the individual. The only form of personal motivation that offers any permanence is one that alters basic attitudes.
The philosophy of attitude motivation is based on belief in unlimited human potential. When you realise that you are by nature an achiever with a vast potential for growth and creativity, it becomes obvious that the responsibility for using those talents is yours. When you choose to accept that responsibility, your attitude toward yourself, your work, and the entire world around you is altered. The whole structure of your personality is different.
Attitude motivation is permanent because it is internally produced. It does not depend upon the unpredictable actions of others. Because it is internally produced, it is directly tied to your own needs. As a result, it has maximum power to produce the behaviour that will satisfy those needs.
Adopting this form of motivation is challenging. It requires facing and dealing with old ideas and habits you have formed over long periods of time. But new ideas and new habits can be acquired. You are either the victim or the beneficiary of your own attitudes. Those attitudes may be either a blessing or a curse. The choice is yours.
The only key to change, growth and achievement is attitude.
Till next time…
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Good follow up Steve.
I love how you’ve broken down motivation this way. It makes it really easy for people to understand.
I think the big thing for me is that Lasting Motivation (something I refer to as internal drive) is so powerful because it shifts your subconscious mind on to what ever you want to focus. Once you’ve shifted your attitude your subconscious shifts as well and it’s far more powerful in helping you to get what you want than your conscious mind.
Well done Steve!
Ben´s last blog ..A round up of 6aliens.com news
Hi Ben!
Yep, you’ve got it, mate. Motivation has got to come from the attitude and subconscious levels.
Thanks for commenting and RT’ing, mate.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Thanks for the tweet Steve. It’s a great second part and I’m glad I didn’t miss it
What interests me is how this ties in with a book I was reading called ‘He loves me’. It’s a Jesus book so as you can imagine, it mentions church stuff. It basically agrees with what you said. Using a big stick to get people to do stuff doesn’t work for very long. This is how the church in the West tends to operate. They scare people into following Jesus with the threat of eternal damnation if they don’t.
By contrast, Jesus used a carrot approach. He inspired people with a vision of the wonderful, created in His image people they could be. He was completely unlike anyone they had ever met before because everyone else tried to motivate them to do better with threats.
Much more fun to do things for and with folks you love, respect and care for than people you’re scared of eh? That’s what Jesus said anyway
Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..1 Minute Motivator: Do 1 Tomorrow Task
Hi Eleanor!
Gotta love them catholics.
Yeah I know, C. of E. is guilty of it too, but fire and brimstone has its roots in Catholicism from the middle ages when the Catholic Church ruled the land in a most barbaric way.
Yes he did, but I hope you understand that this is also ineffective. The whole point of these 2 articles was to show that any form of external motivation, be it the stick variety, or the carrot variety, doesn’t work. The only true motivation is the motivation that comes from deep within you… from your subconscious and your attitudes.
Thanks for stopping by, Eleanor. Always a pleasure to have you here.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Looking back, the fear motivator has bee the most effective in getting me to change course. Do completely different behaviors to cause me to get into another path where I am forced to behave differently. I don’t think I use this one enough, principally because I seek comfort and predictability.
Ralph´s last blog ..Flibbertigibbet Continued
In other words, your self-image thermostat kicks in to keep you in your comfort zone.
Thanks for commenting, mate. Always a pleasure to read your feedback.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Steve,
It just ocurred to me that fear motivation is setting a negative goal. You want NOT to get fired, etc which messes up your unconscious mind.
That’s exactly right, Ralph. Your subconscious has no idea how to not do something.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
While the best form of motivation comes from within, the fact is that external motivation in the likes of commercials also have a great effect on getting people to act in a certain way.
Sire´s last blog ..My First Squidoo Lens & About Bloody Time Too
Twitter: AussieSire
Oh, for sure. There’s no denying that motivation through advertising works, but it is incredibly temporary. The sheer volume of advertising for any one product or service is testimony to that. Take away the advertising, even for a short time, and sales figures plummet.
It’s permanence we’re after.
Thanks for commenting, mate.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Yeah your right, and all the advertisers care about is the dollar value which is why they keep pumping the ads because it reignites the need to purchase.
Permanence is the key but until something triggers the motivation most people never achieve the goals they would like.
Take weight loss for example. You would think this would be enough of a motivator, but it’s not. People look for quick fixes like fad diets or diet pills. Sometimes it’s only when the doctor spells out some dire health issues that people start to take it seriously.
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Twitter: AussieSire
As soon as I saw this title I knew it was going to connect with me, I still am not really sure what type of motivation I have running through me but I know it’s unstoppable.
You’re so right about fear motivation, absolutely right, really good point. I think by being round motivating people that can pick you up when your own motivation is lacking a bit.
Top stuff brother
TheInfoPreneur´s last blog ..I Rank Higher Than ProBloggers, But Make No Money
You’ve got the best kind of motivation, mate, the kind that comes from deep within you. A sales manager I had years ago used to call it your “fire in your belly”. It keeps on motivating you no matter what is going on in your outside world.
Thanks for your comments, mate.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Anytime brother, great read!
TheInfoPreneur´s last blog ..30 Mins And Your Help Has Given Me A Plan
hi steve,
how are you?
i loved this post because you took time to break factors that affect our motivation. you summed it all up with your last sentence ‘The only key to change, growth and achievement is attitude’
i’ve been motivated by fear several times and i must confess; still is but like you rightly mentioned once there is no perceived threat again, there’s no motivation. I remember being a strict gym member; visiting the gym 4 times a week because the fear on putting on weight and having a tummy scared me lol!!! Well i got tired eventually and now i’ve grown older and slightly wiser with more commitments so i visit the gym is 2/3 times a week if i am not too tired with a different attitude.
take care
ayo´s last blog ..Are You Wearing A Disguise
Hey Ayo!
I’m good, thanks. And you?
Glad you enjoyed my article. Now that you are not motivated by fear to keep fit you probably get more out of those 2/3 gym visits than you used to from the 4 fear motivated visits.
Thanks very much for commenting and retweeting, mate. Wonderful to see another new face in my comments section.
Kind regards,
Steve.
Twitter: SteveYoungs