The Power of Motivation

The Power of Motivation: https://youtu.be/9hdSLiHaJz8

“The Power of Motivation” by CrashCourse, helped me to better understand the term “motivation” and the history behind it. I

first viewed this video at the start of this course in order to properly prepare myself for the upcoming weeks. The speaker in the

video covers the common question behind motivation, “why? Why do we have motivation to get out of bed and go to work?”

Motivation is the need or desire to do something. Whether it’s biological, social, emotional, etc. For example: making dinner,

going to college, getting a job, or whatever else moves you and drives you. Never estimate the power behind what may motivate

you. If you have the need to survive/ belong and can harness that motivation, you can do just about anything. Psychologists

often view motivation in one or more of four ways that help us to understand what drives us:

1. An evolutionary perspective: Back in the day it was popular to view “instant” as innate drives to

act a certain way. Today “instant” is a complex, unlearned behavior that has a fixed pattern

throughout a species. 

2. Drive-reduction: A physiological need, or drive, simply compels us to reduce that need.      

    Example: Hearing your stomach growl and looking for something to eat.  

3. Optimal arousal: Motivated to maintain a balance between stimulation and relaxation. To   

    avoid both boredom and stress. 

    Example: After a long week of school/ studying, you take a break to go hiking with your         

    friends over the weekend.  

4. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before 

    individuals can attend to needs higher up. From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the  

    needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

I highly recommend watching this video to develop a better understanding and to receive a different viewpoint of the term

“motivation” since everyone may have a different definition and perspective of it!

Sincerely,

Rachel Ziegler