motivation

What is motivation?

At its core, motivation is the force that drives you to perform a task or behavior. It’s why you get up in the morning, brush your teeth, and go to work.

You probably don’t notice your motivation until you feel like it’s not there anymore. But, in reality, many things drive you every day — even if you’re unaware of them.

In fact, it's the motivations we're unaware of that can have the biggest impact. Bringing them into the light, inspecting them and learning how to work with our different types of motivations helps us sail our boat rather than drift with the wind and current. It is a powerful practice.

So even though you feel apathetic right now, consider this: something motivated you to look up this article. You obviously want to get back in the groove. That counts for something.

The different types of motivation

We can boil things down to two motivational types: intrinsic and extrinsic. Both also have accompanying subtypes.

Intrinsic motivation (or internal motivation) comes from within. It refers to when you do something for its own sake because it aligns with your interests, passions, or personal values.

These motivators come with internal rewards, like the feeling of knowing you’re following your life purpose. That means they hold a deeper meaning than other motivators, which can usually keep you focused on a goal for a long time.

Extrinsic motivation (or external motivation)

refers to external factors that drive you to do something. For example, you could be motivated by extrinsic rewards or negative consequences.

What you get is based on you accomplishing (or not accomplishing) a task.

Extrinsic motivators are temporary in nature, so they’re best used for short to medium-term projects. In fact, studies have shown that people experience a boost in motivation when they’re promised an immediate reward.

External motivation can look like students aiming to succeed in school because their grades reflect their performance. On the other hand, students who try to succeed in school because they’re genuinely interested in the content are intrinsically motivated.

5 types of intrinsic motivation

Many things can motivate a person from within. Below are some of the common examples. Try to see which ones you relate to. It could be a good reminder about why you do what you do.

1. Learning motivation (or competence motivation)

In this type of motivation, you’re driven by the act of learning. What you’re trying to achieve is exciting because you’ve never done it before. You love learning a new skill or improving on an existing one. In this case, the reward upon completing the task is less important than the task itself.

Example: A university professor is driven by the pursuit of knowledge. For them, constant studying and learning motivate them to work every day.

2. Attitude motivation

If you have attitude motivation, you love being positive and spreading positivity. It’s about making people feel good, so you seek out activities that allow you to do that.

Example: A gym trainer helps people have fun during their workouts with a great attitude. This motivates them to come to work each day.

people-exercising-on-cycling-machine-types-of-motivation

3. Achievement motivation

For this type of motivation, you’re not necessarily thinking about the reward at the end — you just care about crossing the finish line. There’s no greater satisfaction than the feeling of accomplishment.

Example: A professional athlete wants to win, regardless of the prize or title. It’s the ultimate goal and makes the season's struggles worth it.

4. Creative motivation

You might find yourself motivated by creativity. If this type of motivation sounds familiar, you value freedom of expression and are happiest when people let you spread your wings.

Example: A graphic designer feels suffocated when they are micromanaged.

As a creative person, they’re happiest when they have the freedom to complete a project how they choose.

5. Physiological motivation

Here you’re motivated by biological needs like food and water. These motivations exist because years of evolution have made us this way.

Example: Consider Dr. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. He categorized humans’ fundamental motivators in order of importance, starting with physical needs. As you meet these needs, you gradually progress toward self-actualization.

So what are your intrinsic motivators? At BetterUp, we can help you get to know yourself and stay productive — even when you’re in a slump.

Thank you for reading!