Assignment 5 Essays Part I: Your Writing Should Illustrate K

Assignment 5essays Part Iyour Writing Should Illustrate Knowledge Of

Assignment 5 Essays Part I: Your writing should illustrate knowledge of the concepts through an original personal and/or professional integration of the assigned text material. All assignments MUST be typed, double-spaced, in APA style, and must be written at graduate level English. The content, conciseness, and clarity of your answers will be considered in the evaluation of your work. These answers should be ½ - 1 page per question. You must integrate the material presented in the text and cite your work according to APA format.

1. Motivation arises from both internal motives (i.e., needs, cognitions, emotions) and external events (i.e., incentives, consequences, social contexts). Is one of these sources of motivation more potent or more effective in motivating people than is the other? Are people primarily motivated by internal motives or by external events, or are people motivated about equally by internal motives and external events? Justify your response by giving examples from your own life.

2. Selecting one physiological need (e.g., hunger, thirst, sex) as an example, explain how the biological beginnings of this need eventually manifest themselves as a psychological drive in a person’s subjective awareness. In other words, explain how a biological event becomes a psychological motive. Give an original example to support your explanation.

3. How does self-determination theory explain how external events (e.g., rewards, praise) sometimes produce positive effects on motivation but other times produce negative effects? Give an original example to support your explanation.

4. Learned helplessness theory relies on the components of contingency, cognition, and behavior to explain the motivational dynamics underlying helplessness. Explain what these three components mean and provide an original illustrative example of each.

5. Consider the origins of the need for achievement. Discuss and provide original examples from your own life, of each of the following three sources of high need for achievement: its socialization influences, its cognitive influences, or its developmental influences.

6. Differentiate the motivational and performance-based advantages versus disadvantages for performers who adopt a short-term goal (e.g., eat less than 2000 calories today) versus performers who adopt a long-term goal (e.g., lose 20 pounds this year) and offer a recommendation as to whether performers should adopt a short-term or a long-term goal. Explain/justify your recommendation.

Paper For Above instruction

Motivation is a fundamental aspect of human behavior, driven by an interplay of internal and external factors. Internal motives encompass needs, emotions, and cognitions, forming an intrinsic foundation that propels individuals toward certain behaviors, while external events, such as social incentives or consequences, serve as extrinsic motivators that influence actions. The potency of these sources varies according to individual differences and situational contexts, yet, in general, internal motives tend to foster more sustainable and profound motivation due to their alignment with personal values and intrinsic interests (Deci & Ryan, 2000). For instance, in my personal experience, pursuing a graduate degree was driven primarily by internal motives—my desire for intellectual growth and personal achievement—over external rewards such as societal recognition or monetary gain. This internal drive persisted despite setbacks, illustrating its potency in maintaining motivation over the long term.

The transformation of biological needs into psychological drives is central in understanding human motivation. Taking hunger as an example, biological signals such as the release of ghrelin and the lowering of blood glucose levels stimulate brain regions like the hypothalamus, creating a subjective feeling of hunger. This biological event translates into a psychological drive, prompting conscious awareness and a motivation to seek food. An original example would involve the experience of craving a specific type of food, such as chocolate, when feeling stressed. The biological stress response increases cortisol levels, which can enhance the desire for comfort foods, creating a psychological drive to consume chocolate as a means to alleviate emotional discomfort, demonstrating how a biosignaling process becomes subjectively experienced as a craving.

Self-determination theory (SDT), proposed by Deci and Ryan (1985), explains the complex effects of external events on motivation. It states that external rewards and praise can enhance motivation when they support a person’s sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness—core psychological needs. Conversely, if external incentives threaten autonomy or undermine intrinsic interest, they can backfire, reducing motivation. For example, an employee praised publicly for a successful project may feel more motivated if they perceive the praise as genuine recognition rather than coercive control. However, if the same praise is perceived as superficial or controlling, it may diminish intrinsic motivation, leading to decreased engagement and effort, illustrating the dual effects explained by SDT.

Learned helplessness, a concept developed by Seligman (1975), involves contingency, cognition, and behavior in explaining the development of passivity in individuals facing uncontrollable events. Contingency refers to the perceived lack of control over outcomes; cognition involves internal attributions of helplessness, and behavior manifests as passivity or withdrawal. For example, a student repeatedly failing exams despite studying might perceive that their efforts do not influence results (contingency), internalize this as a belief of inability (cognition), and eventually stop trying altogether (behavior). An original illustrative example would involve an employee experiencing repeated rejection in job applications, perceiving no control over success (contingency), believing they are incompetent (cognition), and consequently ceasing to apply for new jobs (behavior).

The need for achievement is shaped by a combination of socialization, cognitive, and developmental influences. Socialization influences include parents emphasizing the importance of success and setting high expectations; cognitive influences involve the individual's belief in their own competence and goal-setting abilities; developmental influences encompass early childhood experiences that foster persistence and resilience. From my own life, my parents' encouragement of academic achievement and their recognition of effort reinforced my high achievement motivation, illustrating social influences. Additionally, my belief in the importance of goal-oriented behavior, developed through success in early academic pursuits, reflects cognitive influences, while the resilience I developed after overcoming early academic challenges exemplifies developmental influences.

Adopting short-term versus long-term goals offers distinct advantages and disadvantages. Short-term goals, such as daily caloric intake limits, provide immediate feedback and can motivate persistent effort through rapid reinforcement; however, they may foster a narrow focus that neglects broader objectives, risking short-lived motivation. Conversely, long-term goals like weight loss over a year promote sustained effort and strategic planning, yet can engender frustration if progress is slow or setbacks occur. My recommendation is that performers should focus primarily on long-term goals while incorporating short-term objectives as milestones. This approach balances motivation, providing immediate reinforcement aligned with the overarching aim, sustaining perseverance over time, and allowing adjustments based on progress (Locke & Latham, 2002).

In conclusion, motivation involves a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. Understanding these dynamics aids in designing effective motivational strategies that enhance performance and well-being. Recognizing the contributions and limitations of internal versus external sources, as well as the significance of goal-setting and perceived control, is critical for fostering resilience and sustained effort in various domains of life.

References

• Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.
• Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Springer Science & Business Media.
• Seligman, M. E. P. (1975). Helplessness: On depression, development, and death. Freeman.
• Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Publications.
• Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2020). Motivation and self-regulated learning: Theory, research, and practice. Routledge.
• Gollwitzer, P. M., & Oettingen, G. (2015). Implementation intentions. In R. M. Ryan (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation (pp. 582-605). Oxford University Press.
• Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman and Company.
• Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
• Harackiewicz, J. M., & Sansone, C. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54-67.