3 Dimensions of Motivation

This week in class we talked about empowerment.  Empowerment is to be able to enable others through clear instructions and trust. Through empowerment, we learned about the 3 Dimensions of Motivation. The 3 motivations are: Extrinsic, Relational and Intrinsic. The extrinsic rational motivates people to do things because there are tangible rewards, you may receive credit towards something, maybe gain public recognition, and many more motives for personal reward. The relational rational includes; not wanting to let anyone down, making a difference for someone else, pleasing others and/or gaining acceptance from others. The intrinsic rationale is motivation by learning something new, seeing the fruits of your labor, wanting to do well because you took it on and/or leaving a legacy. All of these different dimensions motivate people to do the things they do and the way that they do them.

            An example of when I used the relational rationale was when I was working on a group project in 10h grade. We were all assigned to do little parts of the assignment and I was chosen to do all of the research. I really did not want to do the work, but I did it anyway because I knew it had to be done. I got the motivation from thinking, if I didn’t do the work I would let my group members down. I would never want to let others that were depending on me down, it is just not in my character. I also thought that if I didn’t do my work, my teachers would not view me as the good student I once was anymore. I thought they would all respect for me, and that in itself gave me the motivation I needed to get the project done!

            When I was on the dance team in high school, we had to do a lot of fundraising in order to get the things we needed for competition season.  There were many fundraising opportunities throughout the year and we only needed to attend two in total. I was thinking to the future and I thought, if I went to all of the fundraising activities, my coach would see that I am a major part to the team and she will elect me as team captain next year. So I went to all of the fundraising opportunities, and I gained positive recognition from that and I was elected captain the next year. I now realize that I was extrinsic dimension of motivation. I was setting myself up for an opportunity for advancement.

            In all, I have learned that there are underlying motivations that make people do the things they do. Now I am able to put an action with a reason to why it’s happening in that way.  Now, when doing a task, I will always think about what it is that is motivating me, and think about the 3 Dimensions of Motivation and wonder whether it is extrinsic, relational and/or intrinsic.