Motivation came from the word "motivus" which means a “moving cause”. It’s the force or element that motivates an individual to initiate action or to take action.
Motivation is defined as the one that kindles concentration as well as change. Elbert Hubbard one said, "Positive anything is better than negative nothing." Isn’t it true?
Motivation really keeps people to stay on focus; it helps people to stay optimistic in spite of challenges that they face every day.
To fully understand the motivation theory, here are the substantial theories that you must understand to the fullest extent:
The Self-discrepancy Theory
Self-discrepancy Theory deals with human self-esteem or self-confidence and how it’s vitally affected by the dealings with cognitive or mental elements. People under this theory are encouraged to have a “sense of consistency” depending on how they look at things. Sometimes, this can lead to problems because people possess different expectations. This is visibly evident when a person did not get what he wants; for example, you want to win the 1st prize in painting contest, by you end up winning the 3rd prize. Of course, you will certainly feel depressed and dissatisfied because you did not get what you really want to achieve.
The Consistency Theory
This theory is based on the principle that individuals need some kind of control and regularity in their lives. It is necessary to have consistency because it is the key element that binds everything into one whole force. It is necessary not only because it puts everything together but it also drives people to attain the standard level of stability.
The Goal-setting Theory
Goal-setting theory entails that individuals are setting goals for themselves. Under this theory, you will realize that setting goals for yourself is much effective unlike when other people try to set goals for you. The reason is because individuals are more stimulated to fulfill the foals that they set for themselves because it is largely based on their own thoughts.
The Reactance Theory
The reactance theory is largely based on the idea that when a person does not feel comfortable; and then they think they could do whatever they want, they would experience a real bad feeling. When an individual feel this, he will be motivated to do what he was threatened to do which shows that his freedom hasn’t been suppressed.
The Acquired Needs Theory
The Theory of Acquired Needs shows that needs may differ depending on individual's experiences and these needs may also change as time passes by. This theory is also known as learned need theory or three need theory. In general, the need of every individual is classified into 3, to wit: power, achievement and affiliation.
