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Different
psychologists define what they mean by motivation somewhat
differently.
Ferguson
(1994) reflects a long tradition when he defined motivation as “the
internal states of the organism that lead to the instigation,
persistence, energy, and direction of behavior”. That might seem to
include everything that affects behavior, but the focus here is first
of all on “internal states,” which excludes the kind of direct
physical impact that produces a broken leg or a patellar reflex, as
when a physician taps a patient’s patellar tendon and produces an
involuntary knee jerk. Thus, Ferguson’s definition includes the
effects of drives such as hunger, emotional states such as anxiety and
anger, and many other variations of inner states. Second, the
definition lists the main qualities of behavior that motivation is
defined to influence: its initiation, persistence, vigor, and
direction.
Yet,
this definition leaves out mention of a crucial component, which
Chaplin (1968) included when he defined motivation as a concept “to
account for factors within the organism which arouse, maintain, and
channel behavior toward a goal”. Chaplin’s definition specifies an
additional critical element of motivation that Ferguson’s definition
lacks—that motivation directs behavior toward specific goals.
That is, motivated behavior is also goal directed behavior. One could
thus combine the two definitions of motivation: “the internal states
of the organism that lead to the instigation, persistence, energy, and
direction of behavior towards a goal.” It is this combined
definition that informs this chapter and most of the book. |
