The Influence of Needs on Motivation

In this session I have learned about the influence of need on motivation. I believe that everybody have different needs to achieve the goal in their life.    According to the material that I have learned in this session, there are three theories based on needs that are Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, the need for self-determination, and the need to preserve self-worth.

Maslow’s Hierarchy theory pointed that there are two needs that should be filled, that are deficiency needs and growth needs. According to my understanding deficiency needs is the need that should be fulfilled to achieve growth need. When someone has to full the deficiency need then they will achieve their growth needs. In other, when someone has good experience which is increase their motivation to be better such as appreciation, achievement, etc. based on Maslow’s theory it is called growth needs.

In addition, there are five levels of Hierarchy needs that are self-actualization, esteem needs, belongingness and love needs, safety needs and physiological needs. All of these have to achieve for everybody including me to complete the needs. When somebody has packed all of these levels then he/she will feel satisfied of her/his life.  

Furthermore, besides that as a human we also need for self-determination. Self-determination is the need or the motivational to take action and control one’s environment (R. Riyan & Deci, 2000). Self-determination assumes that people have three intrinsic psychological needs that are competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

The need for competence is the need where someone wants to be success in environment. Sometimes people want to look “smart” in some case. In hence, it is because they want to show how much they master the topic and how good they are in some skills.

Moreover, the need for autonomy is the need for individuality which is source from intrinsic motivation to change the environment when necessary by owns self (Lepper & Hodell, 1989). Then, the need for relatedness is the feeling of being related to others in social, love and respect.  According to Urdan & Maehr (1995) the need for relatedness can build students’ developing the desire to be accepted and judged positively by others. Teacher can help students for meet their relatedness by having communicate unconditional positive regard and a genuine commitment to students and their learning (Cornelius White, 2007).

                Everybody have needs. As a human those needs are important to be filled I think. If the needs are completed so then we will feel satisfied of this life and it will easy to achieve the goal. So then to achieve the goal we should complete those needs.

Source: Reading Material for Theories of Motivation chapter 10