Motivational Theories 1

Motivation Theories: Exploring Ideas from Maslow, Rogers, and Herzberg

Tanish Singh

Motivation is the driving force behind a person’s actions, wants, and needs. Over time,

many theorists have developed their own thesis’ as to why individuals do things and what they

are ultimately attempting to achieve. Three of most commonly known motivational theories are:

Existentialism, Hierarchy of Needs, and the Two-Factor Theory. Although Maslow was one of

the first psychologists to focus on the topic of why people do things, Carl Rogers’ Existentialism

and Frederick Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory built onto Maslow’s ideas through their own

respective research work.

Created by the renowned American Psychologist, Abraham Maslow, the Hierarchy of

Needs follows a pyramid structure. The first step on the bottom of the pyramid is physiological

needs, such as food, air, water, shelter, clothing, and sleep. Then, security and safety, such as

security of body, of employment, of resources, of family, of property, and of health. The middle

of the pyramid is love and feelings of belonging, which includes friendship, family intimacy, and

a sense of connection with others. Next is esteem, including self-esteem, respect, achievement,

and confidence. Lastly, at the top of the pyramid, is self-actualization, which emcompasses

morality, creativity, lack of prejudice, and acceptance of facts (Nathanson, 2018).

According to Maslow, in order to feel fulfilled in life, one must have first acquired the

necessities from the bottom of the pyramid; once that has been achieved, they can begin to make

their way up (​Koltko-Rivera, 2006)​. Even though categorizing needs is efficient and effective, I

think Maslow could have conducted additional research and surveyed different populations of
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people so his theory could have been more directly applicable to real life scenarios. By

conducting this research, I think he may have concluded that it may actually be feasible at skip a

level of needs. For example, you have be lacking in close relationships with others, but may be

self-actualized. Also, I believe that this hierarchical structure has drawbacks because it does not

seem to factor in cultural and individual differences. For example, a homeless individual may

have security of family but could be lacking in basic physiological needs such as food and water.

On the other hand, since the theory breaks down needs into different categories, I think it’s easier

to understand it than Existentialism and the Two-Factor Theory. Therefore, it is the easiest to

teach in basic high-school and college-level psychology classes, which is also when I initially

began learning about Maslow.

Another major motivational theory, known as Existentialism, was formed by Carl Rogers.

Unlike Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Existentialism takes more of a humanistic-existential

approach. Rogers’ theory resolves around people having an internal locus of control, giving one

the personal responsibility to lead the life they want. According to Rogers, it is crucial for one to

grow. This can be achieved in an environment that is full of genuineness, acceptance, and

empathy (McLeod, 2014). When one is able to achieve their goals and acquire their desires in

life, Rogers believed that self-actualization can take place- “the organism has one basic tendency

and striving - to actualize, maintain, and enhance the experiencing organism” (Rogers, 1951, p.

487). In addition to achieving one’s goals and wants in life, a person must also be in a state of

congruence to reach self-actualization. Congruence is when one’s ideal self is reflected in their

own self-image (McLeod, 2014). I agree with Roger’s belief in congruence because if a person’s

ideal self and self-image match, chances are that they have high self-esteem and will not have
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trouble with issues relating to their image and confidence. However, one downside of

existentialism is that sometimes it is difficult to fully control your existence when as a

civilization we are very dependent on external stimuli such as money. For example, when

someone goes in for an interview, they do not act like their true self. Rather, they act like what

they think the interviewer wants to see and hear.

Penned by clinical psychologist Frederick Herzberg, the Two-Factor Theory is another

crucial motivational theory. Also known as the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, Herzberg gathered

his research by conducting a research group. He questioned a group of individuals about their

positive and negative experiences in the workplace. As a result of his discoveries, he concluded

that people’s job satisfaction depends on two kinds of factors: satisfaction (motivators/satisfiers)

and dissatisfaction (hygiene/dissatisfiers). Concepts that fall under motivators/satisfiers include

performance, recognition, job status, responsibility and opportunities for growth. On the other

hand, hygiene factors/dissatisfiers include salary, working conditions, colleague-to-colleague

relationships, and relationship between supervisor and employees (Kuijk 2018).

According to Herzberg, both satisfiers and dissatisfiers are equally as important as the

other and don’t function as polar opposites (Kuijk 2018). For example, if an employee is

dissatisfied by their opportunity to grow at a company, offering a higher salary may not

necessarily satisfy the employee; they will remain dissatisfied with their overall job position.

This is also something that I have had to deal with at my current on-campus position. Although I

enjoy the responsibilities that the job title entails, I am not satisfied with the wages and the lack

of opportunity to grow. Theoretically, even if my recognition in the position were to increase, I

would still not be satisfied with my current circumstances. Although Herzberg only conducted
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his research in regards to how people feel and act in the workplace, I believe that his overall

ideas can still be applied to other situations in life. For example, both satisfiers and dissatisfiers

are also present when it comes to settings such as team sports, project groups, and dynamics

between people in a family or in a relationship.

I think Existentialism is the best theory to enable internal motivation. Compared to the

Hierarchy of Needs, Existentialism does not require an individual to meet one set of needs before

being able to move on to another set of needs. Additionally, I believe that this is the ideal theory

to seek real-life advice from since it emphasizes that everyone is their own individual who has

control over his or her own life. Rather than telling someone to seek God or to look to nature for

answers, it allows one the opportunity to analyze their own life and to seek what works best for

their individual. Since one controls their own actions and choices, when they make a mistake,

they are still responsible. I think this is another important aspect because making mistake in your

life is an important part of growing up and learning from various life experiences. I believe that

Existentialism is also a great theory to apply to education. As an after-school instructor for San

Francisco Unified School District, I have first hand experience at understanding and having to

remember that each child is their own unique person. Through my experience as an educator,

which I have now been for two years, I have learned to embrace each student’s individual way of

learning and thought process.

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References

Koltko-Rivera, M. (2006). Rediscovering the Later Version of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Review of General Psychology,10​(4), 302-317. Retrieved September 24, 2018, from

http://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2006-22547-002.pdf

Kuijk, A. (2018). ​Two Factor Theory by Frederick Herzberg.​ Retrieved September 19, 2018

from ToolsHero:

https://www.toolshero.com/psychology/theories-of-motivation/two-factor-theory-herzberg

McLeod, S. (2014, February 05). ​Carl Rogers.​ Retrieved September 20, 2018, from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-rogers.html

Nathanson, C. (2018). ​Motivation​ [PPT]. Retrieved September 18, 2018, from

https://usfca.instructure.com/courses/1580469/files/folder/Power%20Point%20Slides?previ

ew=64693771

Rogers, C. (1951). ​Client-centered therapy: Its current practice, implications and theory​.

London: Constable.