Intrinsic Motivation Paper

The Lack of Relationship between General State and Intrinsic Motivation
A general state of motivation is not necessary for an individual to exhibit Task-specific motivation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of motivation in psychosocial treatment outcomes. Specifically this research study intended to determine if there is a relationship between Task-specific (IM), or intrinsic, motivation and the general state of motivation (SM); and if SM is required to be present in order for IM to exist. Motivation in relation to schizophrenia and psychosocial treatment outcome has long been evaluated using a broad spectrum measure such as the Quality of Life motivation index (QLS) (Choi, Choi, Reddy & Fiszdon, 2014). Where this is an
The IMI was a 7-point Likert-type scale designed to measure the individuals’ subjective experience of the activities administered in the experimental setting. This was a self-report measure rating their interest, enjoyment, ability and effort of the activity (Choi et al., 2014). Higher rating of these tasks were indicative of higher IM in regard to the task. The QLS, delivered in interview form, was subdivided into four domains: interpersonal functioning, intra-psychic foundations, instrumental role function, and common objects and activities. Three items contained within the “intra-psychic foundations” domain: sense of purpose, motivation, and curiosity, were developed as an ad-hoc measure of IM (Choi et al., 2014). These three items are what the researchers then used to rate the participants, giving them a score from 0 to 6, to determine level of
The QLS was not significantly correlated with any of the three IMI subscales. The QLS was significantly related to demographic, neurocognitive, symptomology, and functioning items, but not so much motivation. Conversely, the IMI were not related to any of the prior subscales with the exception of Effort. The QLS, whether high or low, was not at all indicative of the IMI scores. SM is not a necessary component of IM and therefore no a singular factor in treatment. Researchers were surprised by this lack of correlation between SM and IM; however, I was not. SM is not always present, there are plenty of situations where an individual is motivated by something they find intriguing and not by the world as a whole. It seems to me that our overall SM decreases with age as our IM