Understanding Motivation in Psychology

• Walaa Mohammed is aspiring to become a professional artist and is creating a portfolio to submit to art programs.
• Motivation is defined by psychologists as the desire or drive to initiate and maintain a specific behavior.
• Motivation can be intrinsic (doing an activity for its own sake) or extrinsic (pursuing a task as a means to an end).
• Intrinsic motivation is evident when engaging in activities like playing video games for the enjoyment and meaningfulness they provide.
• Extrinsic motivation involves completing tasks to obtain rewards such as praise, power, or money.
• Multiple motivators can sometimes lead to decreased motivation and performance, known as the "overjustification effect."
• Building internal motivation by making tasks more enjoyable in the present moment can help sustain long-term engagement and commitment.

Explore the concepts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, the overjustification effect, and strategies to enhance internal motivation. Learn how psychologists define and analyze motivation in human behavior.