Motivation is the key to personal and professional success. Motivated people work better, live more satisfying lives, and are generally happier and healthier. Our Certificate of Motivational Theory and Practice is ideal for managers, coaches, personal trainers or anyone who wants to understand motivation and how to put it into practice.

In this motivational theory course, you will learn how to implement motivational strategies in your business, career, education, sport or everyday life for success. You will gain insights into internal versus intrinsic incentives, social reinforces and self-determination theory, incentives external to the work environment, and Maslow’s theory of motivation.

You will also learn how to influence groups and individuals, initiate and maintain motivation, create time management plans, and set expectations for clients, employees and yourself.

Learning Outcomes

Outcomes achieved by undertaking a motivational theory course include:

• Learning what motivation is and the importance of studying it
• Exploring Maslow’s theory of motivation
• Gaining an understanding of internal or intrinsic incentives
• Studying incentives external to the working environment
• Gaining insights into the relational character of incentives
• Understanding social reinforcers
• Learning about awareness
• Exploring motivation and goals and distress
• Gaining an understanding of reinforcement
• Studying classical and operant conditioning
• Gaining insights into tangible rewards
• Examining self-determination theory
• Understanding hygiene and motivation theory
• Learning about intangible rewards
• Exploring intrinsic motivation
• Studying security – cultural, gender, age, vocation, education, production of community
• Gaining insights into ethics
• Examining gratitude
• Understanding belief systems
• Learning about peer pressure
• Exploring extrinsic and intrinsic reinforcement at work
• Studying negative motivators
• Gaining insights into punishment, pain and suffering
• Examining discipline
• Understanding threats

And more!

Maslow’s Theory of Motivation

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, that states that people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others.

His theory surmised that the most basic need is for physical survival, and this is the first thing that motivates our behaviour. Once that level is fulfilled, the next level up is what motivates us, and so on. From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are:

Basic Needs

Physiological – These are biological requirements for human survival and include food, water, warmth, sleep etc. If these needs are not satisfied, the human body cannot function optimally.

Safety – Once an individual’s physiological needs are satisfied, the needs for safety and security become important.  Typically, people want to experience control, order and predictability in their lives. These include law and order, social stability, freedom from fear, health and wellbeing, and emotional and financial security.

Psychological Needs

Belongingness and love – The third level of human needs is social and this need for interpersonal relationships motivates behaviour. Examples include trust, intimacy, acceptance, friendship, love and giving affection, and being part of a group (like family, work and friends).

Esteem – Maslow classified this fourth level into two categories: esteem for oneself (mastery, achievement, dignity and independence) and the desire for respect from others (prestige, status).

Self-fulfilment Needs

Self-actualisation – This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy and needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can meet the needs higher up. It refers to the realisation of a person’s potential, personal growth, peak experiences and self-fulfilment. Maslow describes this level as the desire to accomplish everything that one can, and to become the most that one can be.

 

Self-determination Theory

Self-determination is a concept that refers to each person’s ability to make choices and manage their own life. And as you’ll learn in this motivational theory course, this ability plays an important role in psychological health and wellbeing. It also allows people to feel they have control and it can profoundly impact motivation.

People are motivated to grow and change by three universal and innate psychological needs — connection, competence and autonomy. It grew out of the work of psychologists Richard Ryan and Edward Deci in their 1985 book, Self-Determination and Intrinsic Motivation in Human Behavior.

Two key assumptions of the theory are:

1. The need for growth drives behaviour

People are actively directed toward growth, and taking in new experiences and gaining mastery over challenges are essential for developing a cohesive sense of self.

2. Autonomous motivation is important

While people are often motivated to act because of external rewards such as prizes, money and/or acclaim (known as extrinsic motivation), self-determination theory focuses primarily on internal sources of motivation such as a need to gain independence or knowledge (known as intrinsic motivation).

According to self-determination theory, people need to feel the following in order to achieve psychological growth:

• Autonomy – To feel in control of their own goals and behaviours. Being able to take direct action can result in real change and plays a major role in helping people feel self-determined.
• Competence – To learn different skills and gain mastery of tasks. When people feel they have the skills needed for success, they are more likely to take actions that will help them achieve their goals.
• Connection – To experience a sense of attachment and belonging to other people.

 

People who are high in self-determination tend to:

• Believe they have control over their own lives. They feel their behaviours will have an influence on outcomes, and when confronted with challenges, feel they can overcome them through good choices, diligence and hard work.
• Have high self-motivation. They don’t rely on external punishments or rewards to motivate them to take action. Instead, they engage in behaviours because they set goals and work toward those aims.
• Base their actions on their own behaviours and goals and intentionally engage in actions they know will bring them closer to their goals.
• Take responsibility for their behaviours. They take credit for their success, but also accept blame for their failures.

How Leaders Can Build Self-determination

Feeling in control and intrinsically motivated can help people feel more passionate, interested, committed, and satisfied. In the workplace, employees who feel they can have a positive effect at work tend to feel more motivated and engaged. Leaders and managers can build self-determination by:

• Fostering a sense of self-determination by allowing team members to take an active role.
• Giving employees responsibilities, offering encouragement and support and providing meaningful feedback.
• Balancing extrinsic rewards. Too many can undermine intrinsic motivation (known as the over-justification effect), and too few can cause employees to feel unappreciated.

 

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the theory and practice of motivation to drive success with a motivational theory course such as our Certificate of Motivational Theory and Practice.