Motivation conditions
An inclusion of motivational conditions is instrumental for learners’ development in a workshop scenario. However, motivational conditions are also essential in creating a collaborative environment for both instructors and learners. Learners with anger issues require a lot of cooperation from instructors who provide motivation.
Establishing inclusion as the first motivational condition is critical in providing a friendly environment for both learners and instructors.
This condition is based on mutual trust and respect for each other. In addition, this condition offers a sense of ownership to learners in the anger management program. Apart from creating collaboration among the program’s participants, learners derive a sense of purpose by improving on interpersonal relationship skills and individual behaviors.
Developing a positive attitude is a logical strategy for encouraging students to make reasonable choices. In this regard, both instructors and learners relate the program’s activities with experiences and knowledge. From this perspective, learners are intrinsically motivated to make choices that are valuable and address problems in their lives. This is achieved through effective use of assessment methods when making decisions.
As an instructor, one can create challenging activities that provoke learners’ critical thinking abilities. Such activities enhance meaning and provide learners with new and relevant perspective on real-world issues. Challenging learning experiences are fostered through classroom discussion, art simulations, experimental inquiry and group projects.
Finally, intrinsic motivation among learners can be achieved through engendering competence. In this regard, learners are empowered to conduct self-assessment activities. From this perspective, learners connect their experiences with knowledge and skills.
Engendering competence is effectively achieved using narrative evaluations, contextualized assessments and education credit systems. An effective feedback from the instructor and guided corrections encourage learners to improve and maintain good behaviors and experiences.
Extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation is not a good option in harnessing behavioral change. Considering that anger is both behavioral and psychological, using external influences to change the same has its limitations. Therefore, external motivation is not effective in an anger management program. It is important to note that external motivation has a negative impact on intrinsic motivation.
Learners with anger issues only overcome such behaviors by generating confidence that is lasting. From this perspective, learners are only motivated to change their behavior in relation to the extent they receive rewards for their actions. In addition, external motivation varies on rewards used and their meaning to their learner.
In this regard, using external rewards that are expected or considered contingent only provoke learners to improve once they are rewarded. As indicated earlier, external rewards are expensive to maintain and only address short terms goals. For example, learners are offered tangible rewards to accomplish examination goals. Anger issues require long-term solutions, which do not require tangible rewards.
This means that, in the absence of rewards, the probability of a learner relapsing to anger issues is high. Another limitation of using external rewards is that learners do not put forth maximum effort that is worth a reward. In most cases, few learners get confused why they get rewarded for their negative behavior. This has a psychological impact on learners who are convinced that bad behavior is part of their personalities.
Using external rewards can be detrimental when used within a workshop set up. This is because a section of students who do not receive rewards feel discriminated and develop negative reactions. To be precise, external rewards encourage habitual wrongs and mixed results from a behavioral change program.