NAME: JASON D.

BAUTISTA

SUBJECT: FACILITATING HUMAN LEARNING

TIME: 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM SATURDAY

PROFESSOR:

LEARNING JOURNAL ON THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

REFLECTION 1 REFLECTION 2 REFLECTION 3
Theories of Motivation has different perspectives to
understand motivation. The different perspectives
are biological, psychological and humanistic
perspectives.

The biological perspective accounts for the inborn

processes that control and direct behavior. Under
this perspective, we have the instinct theory, drive-
reduction theory and arousal theory. Instinct theory
describes how motivations result in automatic
behaviors. Drive-reduction theory is anchored on
the belief that all living organisms have biological
needs such as food, air, water, shelter, and clothing.
Arousal theory emphasizes the idea that we possess
a certain amount of curiosity in which we tend to
explore novelty and complexity of things in the
environment.

The psychological perspective accounts for an

attempt to explain the “whys” of our own actions
that describes incentives and cognition. Incentives
theory explains that motivations result in external
stimuli that “pull” people in certain directions.
Cognitive theory is concerned with attributions that
affect motivation.

Humanistic perspective clearly delineates our needs

that span from psychological drives to social
motives to our creativity. Under this perspective, we
have dispositional approach, two-factor theory,
Alderfer’s ERG theory and Goal theories.
Dispositional approach emphasizes the role of
stable behavioral tendencies (dispositions) in
understanding the differences. Two-factor theory
emphasizes the two factors that affect motivation.
Alderfer’s ERG theory exhibits a frustration-
regression principle where an already satisfied
lower level need can be re-activated when people
fail to satisfy a higher level. It composed of three
requirements which are Existence, Relatedness, and
Growth. Goal theories explains that goals guide our
behavior and cognition. It deals with two emerging
structures that govern academic goals: mastery
(learning) goals and performance goals.