Human behavior and attitude are directed by internal processes and more specifically, person’s will to change something in their proximity. Motivation is one of the key factors that play a significant role in how people act and what they reach in their life. Motivation is defined as needs and wants to action, a process where a person dynamically develops a plan and it becomes framed by the things that someone does. Some of the key characteristics of motivations are direction, determination, activity, patience and human ability to satisfy what must be accomplished.
There are several types of motivation that people come in contact with every day. There is external motivation which is not connected with the context of a certain behavior but is characterized by the external relationship of a subject to the circumstance. Internal motivation is the opposite, as it is not connected to the external conditions and is interlinked with the unique nature of the action and wants itself.
As always, there is positive and negative motivation where positive is simply the one based on positive stimuli and negative leads to outcomes that are unwanted and unapproved by the majority. For a long time, the human brain has stayed a mystery and only recently, science started to conceptualize the true potential of the mind. The human brain is an intricate network of cells that work together to deliver personality, ability to communicate and cognition. The way the brain functions determines how motivated a person is and as a result, this will have a direct effect on personality, behavior, and actions of an individual. The brain itself is a physical matter, an organ that regulates the functions of the body.
It determines the most needed actions and sends signals that are responsible for the human organism to stay alive. Motivation can come from several sources. One is cognitive and is entailed in the will power or determination of a person. It is absolutely internal and is based on the personal characteristics of a person. Their unique individuality is what guides the process and can be traced to genetic information contained within cells, more specifically DNA.
It provides unique and never repeated information that makes a person who they are, so the reasons for motivation are very different from one person to the next. It is almost impossible to trace back all the genetic information that went into a person’s brain and this leads to every individual having different levels and types of motivation. The manifestation of the wants and needs comes through the ability to develop and create new ways of behavior, and it is only a matter of personal will power and patience in how much a person can achieve (Wong, 2000).
One of the most interesting discoveries was about the communication between brain cells, axons, through their synapses. When a person wants to do something chemicals are being released by one axon and they float to the receptors of the next axon. All the chemicals that are produced, neurotransmitters, are a sort of boats that carry their own information. The more someone wants to take a certain action the more signals there are sent by the brain.
The amount of repetitions of the chemicals being exchanged, determines the strength of the signal. If a person wants something in a minor way, the signal is sent once or twice and the receiving axon does not respond in a major way. But, in case the signal is repeated constantly, the axon is bombarded with chemicals, thus causing a conscious response from a person. This is what determines the motivation of a person. It is still unclear how a person’s mind or brain can hold so much information and from where particular desires stem. It has been supposed that a person has unlimited potential, so it is possible to assume that motivation can exist in many forms and physical actions.
It has been established that the surrounding conditions greatly shape the way a person behaves and thinks. This, in turn, leads to the quality of motivation and its strength and persistence. If a person received a specific amount of love, thus leading to an increase in confidence, they will be more determined and motivated to accomplish something. The genes play a role in the way a person is but the environment adds a much greater amount of information and external stimuli that shape and form motivation. It is still uncertain why people like certain things and prefer specific actions to others. The only possible explanation is that the amount of times they were presented with a certain situation or quality determines how much they become used to this sort of concept which makes it necessary to become a part of behavior through action and motivation (Brown, 2007).
But, at the same time, the opposite might be true, as constant repetition might lead to the development of an immune response that will avoid a situation. Here, motivation will be to oppose a specific action or do things that will lead further away from the stimuli. Also, it has been proven that a person’s individuality might change if there are changes in the brain. The use of drugs, alcohol or other substances can heighten certain chemicals in the brain that will upset the balance.
This will lead to a reversal in the functioning of different systems and someone who has been a person with a lot of patience, might become irritable and over demanding. Some studies have shown that aggression is a chemical response that is positive and the way someone acts out the changes in the brain is what determines positive actions from negative. Any sort of excitement is considered a type of motivation but it is the manifestation of individuality which makes one response different from another. Aggression influences motivation in a negative way, as does substance abuse, so the interconnected system is very sensitive to both internal and external conditions.
Not only does the brain manifests and makes visible the genetic information that has been passed down through generations, but it also records new understanding and stores it. New information is bounced off the existing knowledge, creating perspectives and opportunities to come into existence. Person’s motivational output very much depends on the amount of information about something and their ability to imagine ways to accomplish the set goals. The brain also separates the information that is beneficial or could have a negative consequence. Later, the outcomes that led to positive result are sought out and repeated while those that were negative are avoided. This is the specific process of how a person learns about physical and mental pain (O’Neil, 2012).
Even though a brain is still a mysterious place and it is not quite clear why people like or do certain things, motivation plays one of the most important roles in human behavior and life in general.
References
Brown, L. (2007). Psychology of Motivation. New York, United States: Nova Publishers. Web.
O’Neil, H. (2012). Motivation: Theory and Research. Hillsdale, United States: Routledge. Web.
Wong, R. (2000). Motivation: A Biobehavioural Approach. New York, United States: Cambridge University Press. Web.