Motivation is the inclination to do certain things or that emotion that invades us when we think that we can achieve a goal through our effort; it is the impulse that invites us to take action on something.
But the truth is that the source of motivation or the way it manifests itself is not always the same for everyone; in fact, there are 8 different types of personal motivation. there are 8 different types of personal motivation that invite us to act for specific goals. We tell you about them in this article.
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What is motivation?
When we talk about motivation we refer to that force that invites us to act in order to achieve somethingeven in difficult moments. Everything we do, from eating when we are hungry, studying to pass an exam or getting dressed for a date, starts with a personal motivation.
This only shows that our objectives, projects, challenges or goals are very diverse, so that something that drives us to achieve it, i.e. motivation, is also of different types.
This is why psychology, in its effort to study human behavior, has taken a special interest in understanding what it is that motivates us. to understand what it is that motivates usWhat is the force that keeps us alive and that, sometimes, drives us to overcome even the heaviest burdens.
Today there are different theories different theories that talk about motivationThe motivation pyramid, such as Maslow’s pyramid or McClelland’s three factors, among others, and which have different approaches that can be related to sports, learning, work, etc. This causes that some types of motivation have different names.
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The different types of personal motivation
One fundamental thing we must understand before describing the different types of motivation is that the degree of personal motivation we feel for the same thing can have different intensities in each of us. It is actually the importance that each one of us gives to that goal, which indicates the level of motivation we feel to carry it out.
Now we will introduce you to the different types of motivation and the sources of motivation that drive us. the sources of motivation that drive us to act the way we do. the way we do.
Extrinsic motivation
As its name indicates, when we refer to the type of extrinsic motivation we are talking about stimuli that drive us to act, which come from the outside and from the activity we perform. In this sense, what really motivates us are the external rewards that we get from that we obtain when we achieve the objective, such as money or recognition.
It is worth clarifying that when we have this type of motivation, we do not necessarily feel satisfaction when we do everything we have to do to achieve the objective we have set; it is only the reward we receive when we achieve the objective we have set. the reward we receive from accomplishing the goal that motivates us..
For example, we can work in something that we do not really like, but we are motivated by the money we receive for having worked; or when we are in college and we study hard to pass a subject that we do not like, but we are motivated by having achieved that subject that is necessary to graduate.
2. Intrinsic motivation
In contrast to extrinsic motivation, in this type of motivation the impulse that we feel to perform an activity comes from within ourselves and not from some external reward that we can obtain with it.
This type of personal motivation is closely related to our personal growth and self-fulfillment. In this case, we feel pleasure and satisfaction in the process of doing the activity and not only when it is finished.
For example, when we start a yoga practice and continue to attend the class as we improve in the postures, we have an intrinsic motivation, we have an intrinsic motivationWe have intrinsic motivation, because it gives us pleasure to be practicing yoga.
When we have this type of personal motivation we have no limits, because we are completely involved and we put our efforts in what we are doing.
3. Positive motivation
We speak of positive motivation when we have the impulse to perform some activity and to be constant in it, either because we can obtain a positive reward in case it is an extrinsic motivation, or for the pleasure of doing this activity if it is an intrinsic motivation.
4. Negative motivation
In the opposite case, when the force that motivates us to carry out some activity is to avoid an unpleasant consequence, such as humiliation or punishment if it is an external motivation, or the feeling of failure or frustration if it is an internal motivation, it is a type of negative motivation.
5. Basic motivation
When we talk about basic motivation in sportwe are talking about that impulse or force that we have that determines our level of commitment as athletes with the physical activity we perform. That is to say, it is the interest we put in our physical performance and the positive results of the sport.
6. Daily motivation
In the case of daily motivation in sport, we are talking about the interest we feel for the activity we are doing. interest we feel in our daily physical activity and the physical activity and the results or gratification we get from them immediately.
7. Ego-centered motivation
In this type of motivation in sport, the force that leads us to perform the sporting activity we practice is to obtain results that we compare with other athletes, ie, the impulse comes from our ego.
8. Motivation focused on the task
In this case, the impulse to perform our physical activity comes from our personal challenges and results. personal challenges and results and our self-image of progress and mastery in our sport.
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