Okay so here I am on a rainy Friday afternoon studying for a subject that is interesting but simply a pain and chore to memorise - MPW. I figured if I write about it maybe I will remember it better.
I particularly like the topic on motivation which talks about various need and process theories of motivation. So the 3 Need Theories mentioned are:
1. Maslow's Theory of Needs (Physiological, safety, belonging, self-esteem, self-actualisation)
2. ERG Theory (Existence, Relatedness, Growth)
3. McClelland's 3 Needs (Achievement, Affiliation, Power)
Interestingly enough, while Maslow is probably the most famous, empirical support doesn't support his theory all that much where you have a fixed hierarchy and you can only move on to the next level once a lower level is satisfied. Evidence lends itself more towards the ERG theory and McClelland. ERG theory states that if you cannot satisfy a higher level need (E < R < G), then you will seek to compensate for the lack of it via a lower level. i.e. If you are unable to grow (e.g. in terms of work/career), you may seek to have a more active social life. And if your lower level needs are fully satisfied, then the desire to satisfy higher level needs increases.
So our personality traits plus our needs form the core of our motivation and this is in turn expressed through the process theories:
1. Expectancy Theory
2. Goal-setting Theory
Expectancy theory is pretty interesting yet kind of duh. In a simple model, the starting point is termed Force and you have 2 levels of desired outcomes and Valence is how much you value each outcome. The first level is the action/behaviour that you take and the second level is the effect that you hope these actions have (e.g. you spend a lot of time working because you think it will make you rich). Force, in this case is the amount of effort you direct towards certain actions. The link between Force and Level 1 outcomes is known as Expectancy and the link between Level 1 and Level 2 outcomes is known as Instrumentality. Instrumentality is how probable it is that Level 2 outcomes will be achieved as a result of your Level 1 outcome and Expectancy is how probable your Level 1 outcome is given the Force you can achieve.
And goal-setting theory suggests that goals should be specific, challenging, public, committed to and have feedback/evaluation on progress.
So basically, people all have different valences because they value different things differently and how hard someone works at school, for example, is influenced by their eventual goal and the probability that working hard at school will lead to that particular goal. I keep seeing the SMUgger tshirt around in school which is thought-provoking. I would think that the term "mugging" doesn't have a positive ring to it yet people wear it, whether for fun or for irony. It's a simple fact that grades do matter to a certain extent (given that cognitive ability is a strong predictor across jobs). Is it all that matters? Probably not but when people say that grades isn't all that matters, they fail to see the follow-on which is you need to have some kind of edge, some form of differentiation, particularly in this global landscape. And you need some kind of luck. If grades don't matter to you then you need to have something that will compensate for it and work towards it. That will take as much effort as studying.
I cannot believe I am blogging about a chapter in my textbook for an exam tomorrow.
I particularly like the topic on motivation which talks about various need and process theories of motivation. So the 3 Need Theories mentioned are:
1. Maslow's Theory of Needs (Physiological, safety, belonging, self-esteem, self-actualisation)
2. ERG Theory (Existence, Relatedness, Growth)
3. McClelland's 3 Needs (Achievement, Affiliation, Power)
Interestingly enough, while Maslow is probably the most famous, empirical support doesn't support his theory all that much where you have a fixed hierarchy and you can only move on to the next level once a lower level is satisfied. Evidence lends itself more towards the ERG theory and McClelland. ERG theory states that if you cannot satisfy a higher level need (E < R < G), then you will seek to compensate for the lack of it via a lower level. i.e. If you are unable to grow (e.g. in terms of work/career), you may seek to have a more active social life. And if your lower level needs are fully satisfied, then the desire to satisfy higher level needs increases.
So our personality traits plus our needs form the core of our motivation and this is in turn expressed through the process theories:
1. Expectancy Theory
2. Goal-setting Theory
Expectancy theory is pretty interesting yet kind of duh. In a simple model, the starting point is termed Force and you have 2 levels of desired outcomes and Valence is how much you value each outcome. The first level is the action/behaviour that you take and the second level is the effect that you hope these actions have (e.g. you spend a lot of time working because you think it will make you rich). Force, in this case is the amount of effort you direct towards certain actions. The link between Force and Level 1 outcomes is known as Expectancy and the link between Level 1 and Level 2 outcomes is known as Instrumentality. Instrumentality is how probable it is that Level 2 outcomes will be achieved as a result of your Level 1 outcome and Expectancy is how probable your Level 1 outcome is given the Force you can achieve.
And goal-setting theory suggests that goals should be specific, challenging, public, committed to and have feedback/evaluation on progress.
So basically, people all have different valences because they value different things differently and how hard someone works at school, for example, is influenced by their eventual goal and the probability that working hard at school will lead to that particular goal. I keep seeing the SMUgger tshirt around in school which is thought-provoking. I would think that the term "mugging" doesn't have a positive ring to it yet people wear it, whether for fun or for irony. It's a simple fact that grades do matter to a certain extent (given that cognitive ability is a strong predictor across jobs). Is it all that matters? Probably not but when people say that grades isn't all that matters, they fail to see the follow-on which is you need to have some kind of edge, some form of differentiation, particularly in this global landscape. And you need some kind of luck. If grades don't matter to you then you need to have something that will compensate for it and work towards it. That will take as much effort as studying.
I cannot believe I am blogging about a chapter in my textbook for an exam tomorrow.