Motivation
Motivation is the vehicle that initiates, guides and sustains goal-oriented behaviors. It is what causes us to take action, whether to grab some food to diminish hunger or enroll in college to earn a degree. The substance that lies beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature. Motivation is compounded into three areas, the first being things in which prompt the conduct, the second is the gold in the direction of which the conduct was directed, and lastly the motive for changes in the passion of the behavior. Motivation is not something that can be seen or touched directly it is more of a hypothetical state: it is implicated by observable behavior. A study was done utilizing the use of two rats. The rats had a specially constructed cage, in which they pressed a lever to obtain food. They found that the rats did this without being promoted after a while because this behavior was learned. This study illustrates a form of motivation within the rats. What motivated them was hunger, which presented the need for food. In this case the desires to want food were the rats need. There are three major components to motivation: activation, persistence and intensity. Activation involves the decision to initiate a behavior, such as enrolling in a psychology class. Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may exist, such as taking more psychology courses in order to earn a degree although it requires a significant investment of time, energy and resources. Finally, intensity can be seen in the concentration and vigor that goes into pursuing a goal.Forexample, one student might move effortlessly and smoothly without much effort, while another student will study daily, engage in discussions and take advantage furthering their studies and their research opportunities outside of the classroom. Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors.