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Motivation, Values, and Purpose
Megan Sharma
Department of Psychology, Liberty University
PSYC 101: General Psychology
Professor Fern Sutton
February 20 , 2023
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Motivation, Values, and Purpose
What Motivates Me?
I am motivated by my purpose to serve others and to glorify God throughout my
service by serving Him first, followed by working diligently to accomplish my goals.
While motivation and emotions go hand in hand, my motivation for success is often
influenced by my own emotions, which can be affected by both intrinsic and extrinsic
factors. In this case, things such as self-esteem, personal fulfillment, external praise, and
a desire to please God often affect how motivated I will be to perform certain tasks and
aim for my overall success. In terms of my educational pursuits, I have always been a
high achiever with strong goals and expectations of myself in regards to receiving good
grades and gaining overall understanding of the concepts I learn. Always having lots of
pressure placed on me by my parents and educators to perform well is primarily what
developed my own desire for wanting to obtain success in my future career and has
largely affected my drive for motivation. This form of motivation can best be described
as the “ ncentive theory, which essentially suggests that we are motivated by both i
positive and negative external incentives” (Et Al, 2023). This theory is rooted in
behaviorism, which I have learned leads to a higher success drive and an internal push to
action due to these external factors.
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Effect of Values and Purpose on Motivational Experience
One’s values and purpose for themselves highly influences their motivational
experiences due to aspects such as things people love to do, what the world needs, factors
that allow one to make a living wage, and things that people excel at doing thus bringing
glory to God, as demonstrated through figure 1.7 in chapter 1. For example, if one’s core
purpose is found in their passions, mission goals, profession, or vocation, they are more
likely to have a stronger and more positive motivational experience because these factors
result in having a higher drive for success. This is because the incentive for achievement
and the probability of success also influences one’s motivation, as “those who are low in
need for achievement may become more motivated to achieve if the reward for success is
high and the probability of failure is low” (Et Al, 2023). Exploring these topics can help
develop one’s sense of purpose over their life and with knowing your purpose comes
knowing what motivates you, allowing for better likelihood of achievement.
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References
Al, G. E. (2023). Introduction to Psychology from a Christian Worldview (2nd ed.). Kendall
Hunt Publishing. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9798765736036
