Category: Free Motivational Books

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They are books that drive you towards positive actions and helps you achieve your goals.

Motivation is a driving factor for actions, willingness, and goals. Motivation is derived from the word motive, or a need that requires satisfaction. These needs, wants or desires may be acquired through influence of culture, society, lifestyle, or may be generally innate. An individual’s motivation may be inspired by outside forces (extrinsic motivation)^[1] or by themselves (intrinsic motivation).^[1] The difference between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation depends on the actions behind it. Intrinsic motivation has to do with having an internal desire to perform a task and extrinsic motivation has to do with performing a task in order to receive some kind of reward.^[2] According to research, intrinsic motivation has more beneficial outcomes than extrinsic motivation.^[3] Motivation has been considered one of the most important reasons to move forward.^[4] Motivation results from the interaction of both conscious and unconscious factors. Mastering motivation to allow sustained and deliberate practice is central to high levels of achievement, e.g. in elite sport, medicine, or music.^[5] Motivation governs choices among alternative forms of voluntary activity

Intrinsic motivation has been studied since the early 1970s. Intrinsic motivation is a behavior that is driven by satisfying internal rewards. For example, an athlete may enjoy playing football for the experience, rather than for an award.^[1] It is an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on external pressures or a desire for consideration. It is also the value and usefulness one feels in regard to specific activities. This idea is that people tend to internalize activities when they find them valuable for themselves (Deci et al, 1994). Deci (1971) explained that some activities provide their own inherent reward, meaning certain activities are not dependent on external rewards.^[24] The phenomenon of intrinsic motivation was first acknowledged within experimental studies of animal behaviour. In these studies, it was evident that the organisms would engage in playful and curiosity-driven behaviours in the absence of reward. Intrinsic motivation is a natural motivational tendency and is a critical element in cognitive, social, and physical development.^[25] The two necessary elements for intrinsic motivation are self-determination and an increase in perceived competence.^[26] In short, the cause of the behaviour must be internal, known as internal locus of causality, and the individual who engages in the behaviour must perceive that the task increases their competence.^[25] According to various research reported by Deci’s published findings in 1971, and 1972, tangible rewards could undermine college student’s motivation. However, these studies didn’t just affect college students, Kruglanski, Friedman, and Zeevi (1971) repeated this study and found that symbolic and material rewards can undermine not just high school students, but preschool students as well.

Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in the task willingly as well as work to improve their skills, which will increase their capabilities.^[27] Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they…

• attribute their educational results to factors under their own control, also known as autonomy or locus of control
• believe they have the skills to be effective agents in reaching their desired goals, also known as self-efficacy beliefs
• are interested in mastering a topic, not just in achieving good grades
• don’t act from pressure, but from interest

An example of intrinsic motivation is when an employee becomes an IT professional because he or she wants to learn about how computer users interact with computer networks. The employee has the intrinsic motivation to gain more knowledge, and will continue to want to learn even in the face of failure.^[28] Art for art’s sake is an example of intrinsic motivation in the domain of art. Free Motivational Books

Traditionally, researchers thought of motivations to use computer systems to be primarily driven by extrinsic purposes; however, many modern systems have their use driven primarily by intrinsic motivations.^[29] Examples of such systems used primarily to fulfill users’ intrinsic motivations, include on-line gaming, virtual worlds, online shopping,^[30] learning/education, online dating, digital music repositories, social networking, online pornography, gamified systems, and general gamification. Even traditional management information systems (e.g., ERP, CRM) are being ‘gamified’ such that both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations must increasingly be considered. Deci’s findings didn’t come without controversy. Articles stretching over the span of 25 years from the perspective of behavioral theory argue there isn’t enough evidence to explain intrinsic motivation and this theory would inhibit “scientific progress.” As stated above, we now can see technology such as various forms of computer systems are highly intrinsic.^[24]

Not only can intrinsic motivation be used in a personal setting, but it can also be implemented and utilized in a social environment. Instead of attaining mature desires, such as those presented above via the internet which can be attained on one’s own, intrinsic motivation can be used to assist extrinsic motivation to attain a goal. For example, Eli, a 4-year-old with autism, wants to achieve the goal of playing with a toy train.^[31] To get the toy, he must first communicate to his therapist that he wants it. His desire to play is strong enough to be considered intrinsic motivation because it is a natural feeling, and his desire to communicate with his therapist to get the train can be considered extrinsic motivation because the outside object is a reward (see incentive theory). Communicating with the therapist is the first, the slightly more challenging goal that stands in the way of achieving his larger goal of playing with the train. In this context, as an experimental Transitional Wearable Companion (TWC) has been developed to maximally activate the children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)’s intrinsic motivation so as to create an important affective bond with the toy, and leverage this to stimulate and support social interactions with other humans.^[32] TWCs are being specifically used to design and run experiments with children with ASD on the learning of sensory-motor contingencies driven by intrinsic motivations.^[33][34] Achieving these goals in attainable pieces is also known as the goal-setting theory. The three elements of goal-setting (STD) are Specific, Time-bound, and Difficult. Specifically, goals should be set in the 90th percentile of difficulty.^{Free Motivational Books[10]}

Intrinsic motivation comes from one’s desire to achieve or attain a goal.^[1] Pursuing challenges and goals come easier and more enjoyable when one is intrinsically motivated to complete a certain objective because the individual is more interested in learning, rather than achieving the goal.^[1] Edward Deci and Richard Ryan’s theory of intrinsic motivation is essentially examining the conditions that “elicit and sustain” this phenomenon.^[1] Deci and Ryan coin the term “cognitive evaluation theory which concentrates on the needs of competence and autonomy. Free Motivational Books

The CET essentially states that social-contextual events like feedback and reinforcement can cause feelings of competence and therefore increase intrinsic motivation. However, feelings of competence will not increase intrinsic motivation if there is no sense of autonomy. In situations where choices, feelings, and opportunities are present, intrinsic motivation is increased because people feel a greater sense of autonomy.^[1] Offering people choices, responding to their feelings, and opportunities for self-direction have been reported to enhance intrinsic motivation via increased autonomy (Deci & Ryan, 1985).^[26][1]

An advantage (relative to extrinsic motivation) is that intrinsic motivators can be long-lasting, self-sustaining, and satisfying.^[1] For this reason, efforts in education sometimes attempt to modify intrinsic motivation with the goal of promoting future student learning performance, creativity, and learning via long-term modifications in interests.^[1] Intrinsic motivators are suggested^{[by whom?]} to involve increased feelings of reward and thus may support subjective well-being.^{[citation needed]}. Mindfulness has been found to be an intraindividual factor that supports autonomous motivation, with a meta-analytical study finding a positive association between mindfulness and intrinsic motivation in individuals.^[35] By contrast, intrinsic motivation has been found to be hard to modify, and attempts to recruit existing intrinsic motivators require a non-trivially difficult individualized approach, identifying and making relevant the different motivators of needed to motivate different students,^[1] possibly requiring additional skills and intrinsic motivation from the instructor.

References

1.  Ryan RM, Deci EL (January 2000). “Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being”. The American Psychologist. 55 (1): 68–78. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.529.4370. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68. PMID 11392867.
2. ^ Radel, Rémi; Pjevac, Dusan; Davranche, Karen; d’Arripe-Longueville, Fabienne; Colson, Serge S.; Lapole, Thomas; Gruet, Mathieu (November 1, 2016). “Does intrinsic motivation enhance motor cortex excitability?: Intrinsic motivation and corticospinal excitability”. Psychophysiology. 53 (11): 1732–1738. doi:10.1111/psyp.12732.
3. ^ Radel, Rémi; Pjevac, Dusan; Davranche, Karen; d’Arripe-Longueville, Fabienne; Colson, Serge S.; Lapole, Thomas; Gruet, Mathieu (November 1, 2016). “Does intrinsic motivation enhance motor cortex excitability?: Intrinsic motivation and corticospinal excitability”. Psychophysiology. 53 (11): 1732–1738. doi:10.1111/psyp.12732.
4. ^ Jodai H, Zafarghandi AM, Tous MD (2013-01-01). “Motivation, Integrativeness, Organizational Influence, Anxiety, and English Achievement”. Glottotheory. 4 (2). doi:10.1524/glot.2013.0012. ISSN 2196-6907. S2CID 147421279.
5. ^ Ericsson KA, Peak: Secrets from the new science of expertise, ISBN 9781531864880, OCLC 961226136