motivation

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Greggl4321

Active Member
So I've taken psychology and know about operant conditioning and reinforcements ect.

My question is this.

What motivates a person to do something, such as study, if the money is still there?
 
mauricem00

mauricem00

Well-Known Member
I think we are all motivated by self interest. what we perceive to be in our own best interest.even charitable acts are done for recognition or a reward from a higher power or in some rare cases for personal growth.
 
Bugeye

Bugeye

Well-Known Member
mauricem00 said:
I think we are all motivated by self interest. what we perceive to be in our own best interest.even charitable acts are done for recognition or a reward from a higher power or in some rare cases for personal growth.
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On some level I agree with you. If doing nice things for people did not make us feel good, would we do them? I think we get back 10 fold what we give, so this too would be consistent with self interest.
 
mauricem00

mauricem00

Well-Known Member
there are also spiritual rewards for doing good so it could be a learning and growing experience even when it does not feel good.
 
doug mirabelli

doug mirabelli

Well-Known Member
Greggl4321 said:
So I've taken psychology and know about operant conditioning and reinforcements ect.

My question is this.

What motivates a person to do something, such as study, if the money is still there?
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You have the answer. Intelligent people and people in general find certain knowledge reinforcing. It might help them better understand themselves or the world around them. Money is a pretty big positive reinforcement to study. If I study enough to get another degree, I'll earn more money.

Someone like Arian foster, who just retired from football and is now a millionaire decided to take up physics. Money wasn't his reinforcer, but that satisfaction of understanding the world around him is reinforcing to him.
 
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Greggl4321

Active Member
What are the things that motivate? It doesn't seem that there are sole motivators for doing well in school really. I've seemed to notice with a very bland diet, very limited resources, and a very miniscule social life I wasn't able to study very hard.

Although a few semesters ago I was homeless, and the situation wasn't much better, but I did study harder.

I feel perhaps I just got "burnt out" and that made me question what motivates a person.

Can anyone explain burn out in term of reinforcement and stuff? The motivation to go to school seems to be there sort of. The long term rewards havent changed by life but the struggle seems to. Life has seemed to be more daunting.

At first losing out on a social life helped me prioritize and reallyyy concentrate, but later on I began to get burnt out. Perhaps things got too scarce. I don't know?

How in terms of the types of reinforcements, does an individual become burnt out?
 
doug mirabelli

doug mirabelli

Well-Known Member
Greggl4321 said:
What are the things that motivate? It doesn't seem that there are sole motivators for doing well in school really. I've seemed to notice with a very bland diet, very limited resources, and a very miniscule social life I wasn't able to study very hard.

Although a few semesters ago I was homeless, and the situation wasn't much better, but I did study harder.

I feel perhaps I just got "burnt out" and that made me question what motivates a person.

Can anyone explain burn out in term of reinforcement and stuff? The motivation to go to school seems to be there sort of. The long term rewards havent changed by life but the struggle seems to. Life has seemed to be more daunting.

At first losing out on a social life helped me prioritize and reallyyy concentrate, but later on I began to get burnt out. Perhaps things got too scarce. I don't know?

How in terms of the types of reinforcements, does an individual become burnt out?
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The quick answer.. you haven't been reinforced frequently enough/the reinforcer lost its value.
I think it's hard to have a healthy lifestyle which is one dimensional as in you devote nearly all of your time studying. It's important to stay healthy number one man. Mentally and physically. It's important to keep social ties, very important.. we're social beings.
Motivation can derived intrinsically or extrinsically. Intrinsically motivated people get reinforced by the satisfaction of learning or doing. Extrinsic motivation comes from some outside reinforcement... the ladies, gold, money, fast cars etc
 
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