Motivational process: what it is, stages, and theories that explain it

In the field of Psychology, the concept known as "motivation" is understood as the adaptive process that activates a person and directs their behavior towards a goal or objective, and for this it is instigated to maintain the necessary actions to achieve what has been proposed previously.

Starting from this idea, in the following lines we will talk about a fundamental phenomenon with which motivation is closely related: the motivational process.

• Related article: "Types of motivation: the 8 motivational sources"

What is the motivational process?

We could define the motivational process as a succession of dynamic processes that mobilize people towards an objective, goal or overcoming some adversity, whose main function is to increase the chances that they will be able to adapt to the environment and, therefore, survive and also to be able to have a better quality of life.

This process is also related to the personal and potential growth of all human beings, including in the social sphere. Therefore, the motivational process is, above all, an adaptive process.

Next we will see the essential stages or phases of the motivational process that take place in a sequential and orderly manner.

• You may be interested in: "The 10 keys to motivate yourself"

Phases of the motivational process

The motivational process, being a dynamic process, is made up of three phases or sequential stages, which we will see below.

1. The anticipation and direction stage

This first phase, that of anticipation and direction, is the one in which the person has a series of expectations around an emergency and / or the satisfaction of some reason.

• Related article: "The 8 higher psychological processes"

2. The Active Behavior and Feedback Stage

In this second phase on active behavior and feedback on one's own performance, it is the one in which the person is in charge of carrying out a series of actions that are directed towards an objective that has been previously marked, in a way that allows that person to be able to approach or distance themselves based on the information that he has obtained from the results of his own actions.

3. The result stage

This last phase, that of the final result, is the one in which the person experiences the consequences for the achievement of the objective that he had chosen to achieve in previous stages and towards which he had directed his conduct.

Since there are various theories about the motivational process, we will explain them in the following sections, in order to to be able to see that, although they have a somewhat different vision, all have been widely validated within the field of psychology.

Once we have seen the three proposals about the motivational process, we can have a fairly approximate vision about this process.

• You may be interested in: "The 10 main psychological theories"

Deckers' Motivational Process Theory

One of the most important theories that address this issue is the sequence on the motivational process proposed by Lamber Deckers. This researcher divided this process into 3 phases.

1. Choice of reason

In this first phase the subject chooses the objective or goal that he needs to achieve in order to achieve full satisfaction. The objective you choose to achieve will depend on a number of factors: the attractiveness of the incentives, the intensity of the motive, the estimated effort required to achieve it and the chances of achieving it has.

2. Execution of instrumental behaviors

Once the objective has been chosen, to proceed with this second step of this motivational process, the subject must be sufficiently motivated. Once you have enough motivation will proceed with the performance of the instrumental behaviors that will allow the subject to achieve the objective that he had previously chosen.

The instrumental behaviors to achieve a chosen objective are fundamental since it is thanks to the act of carrying them out the way to achieve what the subject has proposed. Likewise, it is common for there to be different instrumental behaviors that will allow the same objective to be achieved, albeit by a different path and, in these cases, it will be the subject who You will have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each of the possible paths to choose the one that interests you the most, depending on the frequency, duration and intensity of each one.

Said advantages and disadvantages of each type of instrumental behavior must be evaluated by the subject based on three fundamental factors described below.

• Frequency: number of times you must engage or initiate these behaviors to achieve the goal.
• Duration: amount of time necessary to achieve the objective depending on choosing one behavior or another for it.
• Intensity: amount of effort that needs to be used to carry out each of the instrumental behaviors.

3. Satisfaction of the chosen reason

The final phase of the motivational process consists of the completion when reaching the objective that the subject had chosen in the first phase, that is, that the sequence of behaviors carried out by the subject during the process motivational concludes when the intended goal has been achieved.

In case of reaching the objective, the subject will decide on future occasions if he will follow the same steps again to achieve the same objective or another that is similar; While if he does not manage to achieve it, in future occasions when he wants to try again, he will have to weigh whether to try again following the same path through the execution of similar behaviors or, conversely, if you change your objective for another that is more affordable

• Related article: "What is happiness according to Psychology?"

Theory of the motivational process of Fernández-Abascal

Enrique García Fernández-Abascal, with the help of his team of researchers, developed an alternative theory about the motivational process, presenting itself in a more schematic and clear way.

According to this author, the motivational process begins with one or more of the motivational determinants that influence the subject. so that the required conditions are found so that you can have the intention of starting to execute a certain conduct.

The second phase of this process begins with the activation of a series of behaviors with a certain intensity, at the same time that the "intention" must indicate the direction that the subject must follow and towards which he will direct said behaviors. Throughout the motivational process, systematic feedback is produced, so that the behavior acts on the environment, in turn, is objecting to information about the progress that is being achieved through the execution of said behavior.

The term "intention" in this theory about the motivational process refers to an element that serves to the subject receives feedback on their actions, so that he can self-regulate his behavior depending on whether he needs more or less intensity in his actions or, whether or not he is following the correct direction to achieve his initial objectives. Therefore, the intention is the most influential motivational factor on the subject's behavior.

On the other hand, it should be noted that the intention is dependent on two essential factors:

• Attitude towards behavior: evaluation of whether the behavior is favorable or detrimental in order to achieve the objective.
• Subjective norm: the subject's perception of whether or not others consider that behavior as acceptable.

At the same time, there are a number of internal and external determinants that influence people's behaviorsuch as those listed below.

• Internal: homeostasis, heredity, cognitive processes and the potential growth of each.
• External: hedonism, learning, and social interrelationships, which drive behavior.

All the factors mentioned above influence the choice of a series of behaviors or others to achieve a goal through action through the activation phase.

The third and last phase of this model of the motivational process is that of motivational direction, which refers to the tendency of the subject to approach or, conversely, to avoid a specific objective. This is important because activation without a direction to go cannot trigger a motivated behavior, with direction being a crucial variable for a series of behaviors to be carried out motivated.

Palmero's theory of the motivational process

The theory about the motivational process proposed by Francesc Palmero seeks to give a deeper and, at the same time, broader vision of what happens throughout the motivational process. A summarized vision of this proposal is explained in the following way, the motivational process being divided, according to Palmero, between the phases that are counted below.

The first phase refers to the choice of an objective or goal to be achieved and a decision-making, this phase being covered by a process that begins with the appearance of the stimulus until it is possible to carry out the motivated behavior, and it is essential because without the appearance of a stimulus that triggers it, the motivational process would not be possible. If said stimulus is external, it is called "desire"; while if it is internal, it would be called 'need'.

The second phase is where the center of the result is found or, on the other hand, the control of those behaviors that have been carried out in order to achieve the motivated behavior. This second step, aimed at the perception of the necessary stimulus for the start of the motivational process, is also essential since without this perception the process would not begin. For this to happen, appropriate receptors must act in the subject so that he can perceive the stimulus.

The third phase is developed by part of the evaluation and assessment process of the objectives or goals, so that they enable the subject to choose which will be the stimulus that will trigger the motivated behavior.

The fourth phase consist of the decision processes and choice of the objective to follow. To choose the most appropriate objective to follow, you must assess the desire or need to achieve it, as well as well as the value that said objective has for the subject and the expectations that it has of being able achieve it.

The fifth and final phase runs through the action of the behavior once it has been motivated. To get here, the subject has already had to choose his objective and has chosen what behaviors he should carry out for it among those that he has at his disposal, depending on his abilities and his situation personal. This motivated behavior is the one that is constituted of all the acts passed through the entire motivational process and will be aimed at achieving a certain goal.

In all these steps it is important to point out the concept of "activation" that is activated from the moment the subject detects a need that triggers the subject to propose the goal of meeting said need through the actions described in the different phases of the process motivational. In this process there has been an activation of the subject's homeostasis, due to the fact that his own The organism always tries to achieve equilibrium by covering some deficiency or balancing its own means.