1.

Achievement Motivation And How To Use It

2. What Is Achievement Motivation?

Considering that the concept of achievement motivation may be unfamiliar to you as
well, here’s a brief definition to help you understand.

Achievement motivation is defined as the need for achievement and is an important

determinant of aspiration, effort, and persistence when an individual expects that his
performance will be evaluated in relation to some standard of excellence.[1]

In the case of my workout, I was pushing myself to get the best possible score,
knowing it would be measured against all other athletes and written on the board for
everyone to see.

While the dictionary definition may provide more context, you still may be
wondering, what is achievement motivation and how does one use it?

Let’s take a deeper look to help you not only understand it better but maybe even get
a leg up in your workouts and other areas of your life.

3. Atkinson’s Achievement Motivation Theory

The concept of achievement motivation dates back to the forties where various works
on success and failure along with ego-involvement provided the early foundation for
what would become John W. Atkinson’s Achievement Motivation Theory (AMT) in
1966.

AMT explains the integral relationship between an individual’s characteristics and

their need to achieve something in life. It also takes into account the kind of
competitive drive a person has to achieve and set goals. For me, this was the drive to
put up a good time in the workout. Other examples you may relate to are how you
perform at work, school, or even a local bowling league.

In all cases, there are various forces at work. An essential component to note is the
presence of internal and external factors, which play a role in motivation. The theory
explains that the motivation one has to achieve something in life is closely governed
by these factors.

Some examples are:

• Internal: willingness, determination, punctuality, personal drive

• External (also known as environmental factors): pressures, expectations,
targets (All of these are set by relevant organizations, members of the family,
or society.)
In the case of my CrossFit workout, the parameters of a time and reps measurement
were set at the beginning of class. Thinking back to the workout, I can tell you that
there were internal and external factors at work.

First, I was both willing and highly determined to finish. This internal drive was
extremely motivating for me in the situation given that I had committed to finishing
from the start, and I was not going to quit.

Second, all other athletes present had finished, and having everyone waiting on me
was an uncomfortable place to be. This provided the added pressure I needed to keep
moving.

All in all, both the internal and external factors gave me the “kick in the butt” I
needed to finish.

4. Other Influential Factors

Apart from the factors mentioned above, various other factors also have the potential
to influence and interact with your achievement motivation, especially in a setting
with others such as CrossFit. Some can be categorized as internal and others
external, but they all intertwine and can play a part.

Your values, educational background, cultural background, external support from the
organization you are a part of, awards, the celebration of accomplishments,
recognizing success, providing constructive feedback, and helping one grow by
providing the proper support mechanism are all equally important and play vital
roles in achieving the required motivation.

The old saying that “we are a product of our environment” is definitely true when it
comes to achievement motivation.

Another thought that comes to mind as I read this list is that I can clearly see why
CrossFit is so popular. It provides almost every one of these influential factors in a
welcoming environment. This example shows us the power of the external
components.

5. Achievement Motivation Success Depends on

You—Or Does It?
At this point, you may be saying to yourself, “Sure, I can agree that the outside world
has an effect on me, but I make my own choices. I’m motivated from within.” Yes,
this is true. We all make our own choices and are driven by our internal emotions.

We are emotional beings who occasionally think and not the other way around. Here
is where you have to take a step back and consider what your typical motivators are
in a given situation. Are you typically driven more by intrinsic or extrinsic
motivation? Here’s a refresher on those two pieces of the puzzle in case you’re not
familiar.
Extrinsic motivation – an external incentive to engage in a specific activity, especially
motivation arising from the expectation of punishment or reward.

It sounds like, “I really want that promotion to make more money.” You are driven by
the external reward of money.

Intrinsic motivation – an incentive to engage in a specific activity that derives from

pleasure in the activity itself rather than because of any external benefits that might
be obtained.

It sounds like, “I’m going to work really hard to get that promotion so I can be more
fulfilled at work.”

You are driven towards the achievement of a promotion by your persistent hard
work.

When you add these into the mix, the picture becomes a bit clearer. Your experience
may differ from situation to situation, but you will typically have an affinity towards
one over the other.

6. Success Vs. Failure

Another key aspect is the concept that achievement motivation stems from two
separate needs. One is the motivation to achieve and is related to one’s desire to
accomplish successful goals, and the other is the motive to avoid failure.[2]

Some individuals are hesitant to take on the responsibilities of having to accomplish

goals or employ in activities because they are afraid to fail. The motive to avoid
failure includes worries about the consequences of failing, self-criticism, and
diversion of attention, accelerated heart rate, or nervousness, which can all lead to
poor performance.

In contrast, those who feel the need to achieve successful goals are more motivated to
persist at goals they know they can accomplish, which means that your achievement-
oriented behavior is influenced by the strength of your tendency to achieve success.

The success vs. failure driver can be seen in competitive environments all across the
world from your local CrossFit gym to the Olympic games. Just listen to the post-
event interviews, and you will hear the clues that indicate which was the driving force
within the athlete. I personally enjoy listening to the accompanying music played in
relation to the event, such as “All I Do is Win” by DJ Khaled or “Loser” by Beck. The
music always shows how the outside world viewed the athlete or event, which takes
us back to the power of the external factors.

These are especially prevalent in areas where performance is evaluated as attention is

drawn to the determinative role of extrinsic motivational tendencies on what appear
to be achievement-oriented activities. This means that it may be difficult to tell
whether the driving force is extrinsic motivation or achievement motivation.
7. Is It Really Achievement Motivation?
At this point, you may be slightly confused and wondering if achievement motivation
really exists or if it’s just other types of motivation in disguise. Trust me, some of
these components may muddy the waters a bit, but there is one over-arching
principle that will sway your belief in achievement motivation.

According to Achievement Motivation Theory, a person’s need to achieve something

and the reason behind his/her overall motivation to achieve a certain goal, more
often than not, comes from within and is strongly related to the individual’s need for
power and affiliation.[3]

Said another way, yes, you do make your own choices and your desire for control is
what drives these choices.

I bet your as happy to hear that as I was. The key to remember is that achievement
motivation stems from an emotional place.

In my example above, it was my emotion that drove me. My competitive drive,

masculine pride, and desire to not be humiliated all motivated me to achievement no
matter how small the achievement was and believe me it was small. I don’t know
which memory is stronger in my mind, the difficulty of the workout, or seeing my
four rounds being written at the bottom of the white board as the lowest score of the
day.

I put the achievement motivation to good use, though. It wasn’t too long before I
started beating everyone and finishing on top—well, almost on top. The very
pregnant lady keep kicking my butt all the way until the day before she delivered.
Guess you can’t win them all, but you can be motivated to try!