Final Post--What Motivates me to Relay for Life?

 Overview:

The information in this course on Motivation looked at the biological, psychological, and the environmental affects of motivation.  The materials presented examined the effects of  stress on the body as well as how to cope with stress.  This course discussed how personality is associated with motivation.  This course also looked at the economics of motivation which presented the idea that there are certain costs involved in achieving a goal.  There are time costs, physical, and psychological energy costs, and opportunity cost involved to satisfy a motive.  The author suggests that the principles of economics can provide insight into understanding motivation.  The principle of least effort and Hull's Law of less work is used to explain how people try to achieve their goals using the least amount of time and energy.

Favorite Part:

My favorite part in the study of motivation was the aspect of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, specifically the factors that affect incentive value.  As a parent it has been a challenge to determine the motivating factors of each of my children.  Through trial and error I have tried to discover what will extrinsically motivate my children to achieve, but that can be short lived, a temporary solution.  It is not until that the intrinsic motivation is realized does one truly become motivated to achieve what is their passion.  Extrinsic  motivation is short lived, because once the outside metaphorical carrot is gone there will be a decline in motivation.  The intrinsic motivation within a person drives a person for the pure satisfaction of the activity.  

In the video below you will see an example of my son's intrinsic motivation.  My son became involved in Relay for Life when he was 11 years old and over the years he has encouraged his family and friends to join him in the effort to find a cure for cancer by participating in Relay for Life.  He was motivated intrinsically by the remembrance of loved ones who suffered and eventually lost their battle with cancer.  If I tried to have him  volunteer, because it would look good on his college transcript or for a monetary reward, I know that he would not have even listened to  my suggestion or lure of the reward.  But inside of him he wanted to somehow stay connected with his love ones, and through Relay for Life he has achieved his goal and much much more than I could have ever imagined.  We are all motivated by different factors some intrinsic and some extrinsic.  

Extension:  

The material in this course is very helpful in so many aspects of life, from getting into the "Zone" to achieve your goals whether it is cooking a Thanksgiving dinner, preparing for a sales presentation, or competing in an Olympic competition to learning about personality types and whether they are influenced by environment or heredity.  As well as discovering the factors that motivate us to achieve our goals.  As a future teacher I know I will reflect upon the information that I have learned in this course to help my students to become intrinsically motivated to learn.  The course information presented also address other issues that I may face in the school environment concerning addictions and sensation seeking personalities.  All of this information is helpful in dealing with students and understanding their different personalities.  Also, understanding emotions and feelings and how they are affected by the time of day and seasons of the year, and how emotions can affect our level of motivation.  This is a course that offers insight into so many aspects of human interactions, and provides basic understanding of human behavior. I feel the more understanding I have of human behavior the better equipped I will be to teach my students, because learning is just not about information in a book, it is about motivating  and inspiring the students to  learn and achieve.