Hello dear friends! We quite often face the need to understand the motivation of other people’s actions, as well as to create motivating conditions for our own development. When willpower is absent or weakens, and banal suggestions cease to help, it remains only to understand the fundamental principles of motivation.
Today we will analyze this topic from the point of view of an American psychologist, whose judgments are presented in the whole doctrine — McClelland’s theory of two types of motivation.
Need Theory
In short, McClelland’s theory describes the features of a person’s choice in terms of the need for achievement and the desire to avoid failure. The prerequisites for the division of activity are the basic human needs for belonging to a social group, power and success.
David McClelland is based on the human needs of achievement, where the main thing is the meaning-forming component, and not the process. This theory is meaningful in its form, since it is the realization and completeness of the fulfillment of desires that is the main driving force.
Achievement needs fall into three main groups:
- Power — is considered the most predominant factor, established biologically. The more influence a person has in a social group (the highest degree is the leader), the more guaranteed his survival and control over the rest. The moment of obtaining power for people can be determined either by the need to solve their own tasks and problems, or it is necessary to implement a certain idea facing the entire social group. Accordingly, this must be taken into account when determining one’s own motives and building interaction with others. Where self-affirmation and vanity are relevant, the topic of the common solution of interesting problems is unlikely to become important.
- Success is the need that is satisfied not just by the implementation of a well-thought-out plan or ordinary tasks, but by something beyond the established standards. Those who strive for success will try not only to do their job, but also to earn a certain reputation or introduce new technologies along the way. Success sets a person apart from the rest. Motivation for successful achievement of the goal can be different. For example, for many, the lack of success is necessary as a way to escape from failures, for others — as a solution to children’s complexes.
- Involvement in the surrounding society — implies the establishment of warm and supportive relationships with significant people (team, family, business partners, etc.). For individuals in whom this type of needs predominates, the main thing will be the attitude of other people towards it, for the sake of whose favor they reduce their professional aspirations and characterological manifestations.
Depending on what the person’s need is leading, the style of his activity will be formed. The one to whom power is more important will be less attentive to others. On the other hand, the one who needs participation will sacrifice his position for the sake of acceptance by others. At the same time, the level of each need will form an active position of achieving success (when this need is extremely important for the individual) or avoiding failure (when the significance of the need is not critical).
Achievement motivation and failure avoidance
McClelland’s theory divides human activity into 2 different types, based on the focus of motivation, which in each specific situation have their own disadvantages and advantages:
- Achievement motivation is inherent in people who set tasks with an average level of risk, where the probability of success depends as much as possible on them, and not on external factors. This concept is developed thanks to encouragement from the outside. As a result, a person is not afraid to show creative initiative and activity, to fully realize his potential.
- The motivation to avoid failures — makes a person choose goals with minimal risk, where the share of development is also small (the smaller the bet, the smaller the gain). At the same time, people can consciously take on those tasks in which most of the result does not depend in any way on their personal abilities and contribution. This life position is developed when punishments are used as a regulation of behavior and activity. As a result, their frequent use leads to inhibition of activity, caution, stiffness. Such people tend to limit their ideas, give up at the slightest obstacles, behave without initiative.
Knowledge of these features helps not only in personnel management, but also in the successful motivation of employees. By understanding their strengths and weaknesses, a person can learn to resist manipulation and develop active achievement traits using positive reinforcement.
Conclusion
We have collected basic information about the theory of David McClelland. I hope you were interested.
Be interested in the peculiarities of your inner world, discover new facets thanks to our articles.
Also, we recommend reading an article about Alderfer’s theory of motivation.
Until next time!