Motivation Theories

Motivation can be defined as the process of arousing and sustaining goal-directed behaviors. But what factors trigger this process? And how can one control the factors that arouse motivation? How can a company promote positive motivation? The human brain is a complex machine that still has not been fully explained to this day. Biological forces are one thing that motivate us, but others can argue we are totally in control and can make conscious

decisions on how to act. There are many theories explaining what motivates us, especially what motivates us within the workplace.

The first and probably most well known theory of motivation is called Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, which was derived from theorists William James, John Dewey, Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. It is consistent and has been tested in working populations.

Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs is often shown as a pyramid, with the most basic needs at the bottom and the higher needs at the top. The bottom levels are called deficiency needs, and the top level is called being needs. From the bottom to the top, the needs are: Physiological, Safety/Security, Love/Belonging, Esteem, and Actualization (Motivation and Personality, 1987).

The first and bottom level is called the physiological level. The body’s main goal is to achieve homeostatis, or a balance. This can be achieved by eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty, breathing, and living a healthy lifestyle. When a person becomes hungry for example, getting food into their system becomes the most important thing. They will ignore all the other needs and focus on getting food. When the physiological needs are not met, a person can feel sick, be in pain, or in constant discomfort.

When the physiological