Today, while working on some documentation, I came across a section that reminded me of a blog I had planned to complete at least two months ago. As I sat thinking about it, my mind began to swirl with several reflections, and among them, one beautiful question emerged: what motivates people?
If you are thinking that this question itself motivated me to write this blog, you are absolutely right.
Let’s talk about it.
What is motivation?
Motivation is a driving force that energizes, directs, and sustains human behavior in order to fulfill their needs and achieve their personal goals throughout life.
According to psychological theories, there are two major kinds of motivation: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation comes from within the individual. People feel motivated to do something because it is interesting, enjoyable, or personally meaningful to them. It is often connected to learning, growth, satisfaction, or self-development.
For example, a person exercises daily because they want to stay healthy and enjoy feeling energetic.
Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, comes from external factors such as rewards, recognition, pressure, expectations, or fear of consequences.
For example, an employee may work extra hours to receive a bonus, earn a promotion, or avoid criticism from their seniors.
Different Dimensions of Motivation
After exploring a few theories and reflecting on my own experiences, I realized that motivation is rarely driven by a single factor. It can broadly be understood through different dimensions:
- Survival Motivation
This arises from a person’s needs, whether it is physiological, emotional, or social.
- Achievement Motivation
This comes from goals a person sets for themselves, whether personal or professional.
- Purpose-Driven Motivation
It derives from a person’s life purpose, whether through the vision they set for themselves or the values they choose to follow.
Where I Differ from Some Theories
Based on my experiences, I do not completely agree with all motivational theories:
- In the case of extrinsic motivation, I often feel that people are sometimes lured into action through rewards, prizes, appreciation, or recognition. While these methods may create temporary action, they do not always build persistence, self-regulation, or long-term discipline. As a result, the motivation often fades once the external reward disappears.
- In my opinion, motivation mostly arises from needs, from a lack of something.
That “something” can be tangible, such as earning money through a salary, or intangible, such as wanting to feel happy, purposeful, valued, or fulfilled after helping others.
- One thing I strongly feel is that we often confuse motivation with compulsion. But they are different in my opinion
Motivation usually grows from interest, desire, meaning, or purpose. It leads to positive engagement and satisfaction.
Compulsion, however, grows from fear, pressure, helplessness, or urgent necessity. It often leads to stress, reluctance, or emotional exhaustion.
- I have also observed that even highly motivated people can struggle to act when they face inadequate resources, systemic inequality, or an unfavorable environment beyond their control. In such situations, motivation alone becomes insufficient.
Can anyone truly motivate another person?
After thinking about all this, one question continues to stay with me: is it really possible to motivate someone completely and forever?
For me, the answer is no.
I believe people can influence, inspire, encourage, reward, pressure, guide, coach, mentor, or create conditions that increase someone’s motivation. But these approaches are often partial, indirect, and temporary.
You cannot permanently “insert” motivation into another person from the outside. At most, you can create a push factor. Ultimately, action depends on the individual, whether they are willing to act or not.
And when do people usually act?
- When they want something.
- When they need something.
- When they fear something.
- Or when they deeply value something.
Appreciation, money, punishment, speeches, or recognition can trigger action temporarily. But sustainable motivation usually comes from an internal connection – when a person finds meaning in something, feels ownership over it, or sees it as necessary for survival, growth, hope, or competence.
Some Personal Examples
For instance, my niece studies mainly because she has to appear for exams and move to the next class. Her mother often scares her by saying that if she does not study, she will fail and her classmates will make fun of her. Here, this creates action through fear.
Similarly, I continuously encourage one of my friends to exercise regularly. I tell her how to begin, what exercises to do, and why it would benefit her. Yet she still chooses comfort over action, despite knowing exercise is good for her. However, if a doctor were to tell her that exercising is a matter of her life and death, she would probably begin immediately.
Here, the action is not coming from inspiration; it is coming from fear and necessity.
This is not motivation in the true sense; it is majboori (compulsion).
My Own Reflection
If I take my own example, whenever someone advises me to do something “for my own good,” I naturally analyze its pros and cons before deciding whether it is truly beneficial for me. Only after that internal acceptance, I take action. Perhaps that is one reason why I consider myself a disciplined person. Even here, the final decision depends entirely on me.
What Can We Really Do?
This brings me to another question: If we cannot directly motivate people, can we at least create conditions where motivation naturally emerges?
I think we can.
Sometimes motivation comes from inspiration, sometimes from suffering, sometimes from discipline rather than emotion, and sometimes people act without feeling motivated at all (simply because they have no choice).
This is why motivation and majboori can appear similar externally, even though internally they are very different experiences.
In the end, I have realized something simple yet important:
I cannot truly become motivated unless I want to. And perhaps the same is true for everyone else.
REFERENCE:
1) Edward Deci and Richard Ryan
Deci, Edward L., and Richard M. Ryan. “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.” American Psychologist 55, no. 1 (2000): 68–78. Accessed May 13, 2026. Positive Psychology – Self-Determination Theory
2) Abraham Maslow
Maslow, Abraham H. “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Psychological Review 50, no. 4 (1943): 370–396. Accessed May 13, 2026. Simply Psychology – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
3) Alfie Kohn
Kohn, Alfie. Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Accessed May 13, 2026. Alfie Kohn – Punished by Rewards_)
