Hey, what's your name?

Everyone has felt the need to belong. We strive to fit in with our family members, friends, peers, whoever. What do we do though to satisfy this desire for acceptance? One common occurrence would be the act of going out and making friends. I'd like to apply the push and pull theory to the act of friend making.

Our motives are what generally spark us to set out to make new friends. Maybe you're a bit of a loser and everyone misunderstands you, or maybe you're just mean and nobody wants to be near you. Either way, the motive inside your head is the need for friends, so everywhere you go you have to keep an eye out for that potential best bud that could satisfy that need. I would use this as an example of the push leading to the pull. You need friends is the push, so you keep an eye out for someone worth pulling on..or for someone to pull on you who knows. However, this isn't the only thing that might lead you to seek some pals. The pull can also lead to the push. Say you have plenty of friends, you're just the coolest kid in town everyone loves you blah blah screw you. Then one day you see someone and you're just like wow, I want to be friends with that person! Now it's the complete opposite as before. Something about that person whether it be their looks (you shallow little..) or their posture, or even their smell, whatever it was made you want to befriend them. In this instance the incentive (that person) instilled this new motive into you (desire to befriend) and made you act out of character and try to add one more person to your laundry list of cronies. However, you can't satisfy this emotion until you actually muster up the courage to approach said amazing person and lay down the groundwork for friendship. This consumatory behavior will then complete the motivation sequence and you can go do your little clown dance cause you made a new friend. Congrats buddy, you're the coolest.

Motivating Anger

We've all experienced a vast amount of emotions throughout our lives, whether it be happiness, anger, sadness, love, hate, fear, embarrassment, guilt, shame. By feeling these ways, we become driven into action that are critical for the active emotion. However, it's unethical to test some of these intense emotions, such as anger, fear, hate; we cannot force people to feel these ways in a lab, therefore we must resort to investigating them as they happen within natural settings.

I consider this unfortunate sometimes, because one emotion that always intrigued me that I could never understand was anger, and testing it isn't really an option. I grew up with a father who was in the Army, and as supportive and caring as he was, he had THE WORST anger from being in the military. This isn't uncommon, I'm sure everyone have experienced angry people in their life, but it just always made me wonder. I have never in my life physically damaged anything, hit anyone, thrown anything, verbally hurt anybody, despite how angry I could be. And yet, there's some people that resort to that. Why? What motivates one person to act in anger one way, and another handle it a completely different way? I know it's basically a matter of how we just are composed as people, but why do some people consider physically or verbal aggression a satisfying reaction to anger, and some people don't? Why wouldn't we handle our emotions the same way, when emotions generally are the same?

Basically, I spent my whole life trying to keep my dad from getting angry about anything. My emotion of fear drove me into the actions of keeping him from getting mad. I remember one time he ripped his shirt right down the middle off of his body like the Incredible Hulk because I wouldn't show him something I did at school. It was nuts. Nowadays though, he's found other ways to cope with his anger, and hasn't done anything drastic like that in years. He kind of went through his own personal anger management, and now we just laugh when we think back to all the crazy things he used to do when he got angry. It still makes me wonder though, what went through his head back then that he had to act those ways, because he obviously is doing just fine now not having to act that way.

Emotions are way more intense than I think we realize sometimes, and alot of our actions can become motivated uncontrollably because we feel so strongly about something. I feel like that can be a good thing or a bad thing. I feel like when it comes to anger, there are certain actions like murder, rape, violence, that are not entirely consciously motivated, but yet still happen because we just want to fulfill the needs of that emotion. It's scary to think about it, but without emotion, we'd probably have no motivation to even want to live.

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What’s my motivation?

As any student knows, it can sometimes be impossible to get started on homework. Even worse, little evidence shows that homework actually improves the grades of students! For younger students, little to no correlation was proven between time spent on homework and the students’ performance in class; the correlation for older students (middle school and beyond) proved modest at best. Why then do students continue to do homework? Surely if all pupils boycotted homework then the practice would be abandoned, right?

Research shows that students complete homework assignments because they feel they have to (as a duty) and to avoid the punishment of not following orders. As researchers, and anyone else, can tell you when a person is forced into doing something that something becomes less pleasurable and maybe seen as a punishment in itself. By association, being ‘forced’ to do homework is being ‘forced’ to do school work thereby making school (and learning) unpleasant. So why do we continue to be assigned homework?

Because when students take on assignments out of enjoyment (rather than duty) they retain the material better, earn higher grades and participate more in class.

Psychologists believe that when teachers can motivate their students to want to do their assignments, as opposed to doing them grudgingly, that the students will not only do better in school but also in life. According to research conducted by Katz, Kaplan and Gueta students in middle school felt less motivational support from teachers than students in elementary school and also felt less desire to do assignments. Unfortunately the researchers did not give any hints for future teachers to help motivate our students, but they did mention that the rate of students who resent homework correlated with the rate of students who had/were entered/ing puberty. Also noted was that as most students entered puberty they also started to assert their need for autonomy and stopped asking for help and recognition in regards to assignments.

While the researchers gave the teachers a way out, puberty cannot be the root of all evil. It was noted that students will do the work if they like it so students who wish to be writers would not object to writing the five to ten page paper, but how can we get those same English motivated students to care about History? Maybe the answer lies not in motivating the students but also the teachers, because those who love what they do also love to teach what they do. Basically, both teachers and students have a lot of homework to do in order to make homework less work.

Psycogenic Needs

Psychogenic needs deal with emotional and mental satisfaction once primary needs are met. Emotions drive our every move and thought by pushing an individual to a specific end result. This can be both good and bad. First thought that came to my mind is the ambition to lose weight. Losing weight can be one of the most difficult and addicting needs in someone's life. The actual issue at hand involves multiple emotional states such as excitement, depression, happiness, fulfillment, aggravation, and disappointment. The emotions are based off of your end result as to whether you have achieved your mental satisfaction or not.
I feel as though more than half of our society struggles with the way they look and I, myself, am guilty too. The media plays a huge role in this need for perfection. Constant commercials of weight loss pills and programs are being aired (QuikTrim). Infomercials play daily about different work out equipment that will make you look like the models that are being viewed (Ab Circle, Iron Gym). New reality shows are constantly dealing with overweight people losing weight (The Biggest Loser). And honestly, perception is how society views things, and society perceives beauty as being skinny. Not so often are there "average" models posing in bikinis.
The book, Motivation, even describes these needs as environmental demands which will persist as an electrical chemical process in the brain, then correlating with feelings of desire. Many females desire to look like what they see on tv, but how could you blame them? For me, being a dancer, there is a lot of pressure that comes along with the image. Ok, I'll admit, I have put on some weight since high school, but even in my skinner days, my dance teacher constantly was putting me on diets...salads, salads and more salads with the occasional apple. I felt like I had no other choice but to abide by this unhealthy regulation because I wanted to lose weight, which would in return help my dancing and my self esteem. Well, it helped my dancing, not so much my self esteem. Now that I have gained weight over the past few years, I am constantly over analyzing what I eat, how much I eat and then get upset when I eat too much. I think there is too much pressure on everyone striving for perfection. This constant need for mental and emotional satisfaction in losing weight is very difficult to deal with, but is a battle and persistent need I will struggle with forever.

Push Pull Theory

The Push Pull Theory's purpose is to clarify the distinction between motive and incentive. Motivated behavior results from a person being pushed and pulled towards some endstate. In the push pull thoery there are motives and incentives. The motives are the "push" part, and the incentives are the "pull" part. Motives push a person into action toward an endstate. An example would be hunger. The hunger would be the push towards the food. Incentives pull a person toward an endstate. An example of this would be that chocolate pulls a person to it. Biological and psychological motives push an individual into action while environmental prospects like incentives and goals pull an individual. Motives for the push pull theory could be many different things. For example, emotions could be motives. Fear, anger, disgust, and sadness push individuals toward endstates defined by the aim of the emotion. Biological factors also contribute to the push pull theory. Biological cariables are sources internal or witin a persons body or brain. There is a hormone in the brain called Ghrelin that stimulates hunger/eating. There is also reductionism. Reductionism is a term used to explain the minds psychological process in terms of activity of neurons in the brain. An example of this would be that hunger sensations result from brains hypothalamus registering a decline of glucose in the blood. I agree with this theory. I agree with it because the way it is explained sounds reasonable to me. The logic behind the theory makes sense and all fits together nicely.

The Need to Achieve

The need to achieve, in my opinion is one of the most prevalent needs in our society today. I believe it is a powerful motivator for the behavior of many individuals. It is the drive behind why people work so hard in college striving to get a good education and obtain their degrees. Their ultimate goal is to become a marketable individual, and hopefully have a career in the future. The need to achieve is responsible for the performance of many athletes in the world of sports. People in the music business, politics or even the media all want to succeed at something and are working towards an incentive. The choices that are made and the paths that we take shape the situations we experience.

However, I believe because of our individual differences in characteristics such as our psychological needs and personality traits, what one person wants to achieve can be different from another. The inspiration and motivation of another may be different because of the preferences of certain individuals. For example, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is famous for his skills on the basketball court, as well as leading his team to 3 consecutive championships (2000, 2001, 2002) and a 4th championship in 2009. Kobe Bryant is playing basketball not only for the monetary rewards, but also to win, and experience that joy with his teammates. He wants to bask in the "light of success", knowing that all the determination, dedication, and persistence he puts in is all well worth it. Why do some players stand out more than others, when all are working toward the same goal? Players such as Kobe Bryant put in the extra effort needed to achieve. His motivation includes duration, frequency, and intensity. To be one of the best basketball players, (arguably) Kobe Bryant had to put in the time to satisfy his goal. He has to be dedicated and spend enough time to improve his skills. The frequency of his behavior can help him achieve his personal goals because "practice makes perfect". Intensity plays an important role also. How hard he goes when he is training or practicing can affect the outcome. These aspects are all part of the motivation sequence.

If the need to achieve is satisfied then the person will most likely feel confident, satisfied and worthy. I believe that if this need for achievement is not fulfilled, then negative emotions will arise. Emotions such as disappointment, anger and frustration will consume the person because the goal in mind has not been achieved. This could also lead to the individual feeling a sense of failure.

Below is a video about the mindset of Kobe Bryant.

Instrumental Behavior

An instrumental behavior is any behavior or action that is done to satisfy a motive. Everyone experiences and engages in instrumental behaviors every single day. For example, going to class everyday is an instrumental behavior for someone who is motivated to get a good grade in their class. Preparing food is the instrumental behavior of someone who plans on eating. Working is the instrumental behavior for someone who needs money. Instrumental behaviors are not necessarily behaviors which are short-lived or over quickly. These actions depend on three facets: duration, frequency, and intensity. For example, the duration of a student going to college for a degree may be four years, the frequency of their behavior may be five times a week, and the intensity of their behavior depends on how much actual motivation they have. Someone who wants to continue their education may have more intensity towards their studies than someone who wants to finish school and get a job as soon as possible. There are countless examples of instrumental behaviors, and I will share one of my more entertaining examples from the weekend.

I play guitar, and my band had a show to play Saturday night. In order to satisfy my motives of (1) knowing the music and (2) getting my guitar to sound the way I wanted it to, there were several instrumental behaviors I had to undergo. I had to be attentive during rehearsals, and practice during my free time to memorize all the music. After I memorized the music, I brought two guitars, two amplifiers and several effects to the show. After I got the sound I was satisfied with, I showed up extra early for a soundcheck, to make sure my sound sounded the right way to the audience. The duration of my behavior, which was specifically to prepare for one particular show was several days, which lasted from the latest practice, in which the details for the show were finalized, to the actual show. The frequency of my behavior was twice - the practice and the soundcheck. The reason that the duration was several days and the frequency was only twice was that duration deals specifically with the amount of it takes until the motive was satisfied, and frequency deals with how many actual times the behavior was enacted - the band only played twice during those several days. My intensity was very high, because I spent a lot of time and put in a lot of effort in order to obtain the exact end result I was hoping for. To me, in terms of my motives, these were all instrumental behaviors which I needed to perform in order to attain my goals.

Many guitar players have the same mindset, and take many steps to ensure they get the sound they want. In this video, guitar legend Steve Vai gives a tour of his live guitar setup for an upcoming tour. Keep in mind that during this video his guitar preferences, his effects pedals, and his amplifiers all take part in his instrumental behavior. His motive is to get his guitar to sound just the way he likes while he's playing concerts, and the instrumental behavior here can be seen as he carefully monitors and tweaks every aspect of his live guitar setup, in order to get his desired sound. The video demonstrates the intensity of instrumental behavior (getting a desired sound) much better than it shows the duration (how much time he spent preparing prior to the video) or frequency (how often he practices to get the sound he wants), but I feel the clip does a good job in portraying one guitar player's instrumental behavior before going on tour.

Instrumental behaviors

Instrumental behaviors or achievement behaviors are motivated activities in which a person does in order to satisfy a motive or attain an incentive. These instrumental behaviors can demonstrate the strength of a motivation in terms of the duration, persistence, frequency, and intensity.

I read the article Maxed out: How long can we concentrate for? in the online New Scientist magazine. This article looks at the question, how long can we push ourselves mentally before we need a break? This is an important question that I feel very much pertains to all of us college students who like me tend to procrastinate and spend the night before an exam or big paper is due studying and typing away for hours straight. "Vigilance is one of the area’s most sensitive to fatigue," says neuroscientist David Dinges at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. There are many professions that also depend on the ability or workers to concentrate for 12+ hours at a time such as truck drivers, airplane pilots and of course surgeons and doctors. People’s ability to concentrate dramatically decrease as the hours pass and can become deadly when it come to important decision making when in the operating room. Many doctors can work up to 80 hour shifts with only taking a few hours in between for rest.

Judging by the extreme duration and intensity of an operation it is clear to see that a surgeons motivation is extremely strong, most of the time it can be a person’s life in their hands that pushes them to concentrate for hours in surgery without a break and with little rest. Dinges’ and his team used MRI’s to study the brains of various people completing a highly demanding sustained attention task. As people's reaction times slowed, activity in certain brain areas waned. If you click on the link you will be able to view the study itself. I read the article and the results demonstrated that differences in neural activity between the resting periods before and after the demanding sustained attention tasks can act as markers of cognitive fatigue.

These results may be important in helping identify risk factors for accidents and errors due to prolonged performance requiring intense concentration. They may also lead to safer and more efficient working conditions for those professions where fatigue is always a present problem.

Reference:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627561.600-maxed-out-how-long-can-we-concentrate-for.html

Persistence Hunting

After watching the video on Persistence Hunting I was intrigued to find more information on it. It turns out that many archaeologists believe that most if not all hunting tribes began this way. Wikipedia says it developed over two millions years ago before people learned how to hunt with weapons. They has so much stamina and desire to live that they learned how to overcome their handicap in short bursts and learned how to travel over long distances to wear out their prey.
If you ask me, that is true motivation. Most people wouldnt dream of being able to travel that far using those types of instincts. However, over millions of years people adapted to this nature if they wanted to live. One thing I found interesting is that our hairless bodies make it easier because we can sweat and not be worn down in the intense heat. Everything in life is naturally motivated to succeed. The biggest motivating factor for success is survival and we all need to survive. Motivation is like a second instinct for the human race and it is very evident.
There have been many times in my life where motivation has influenced a key decision. I played sports in high school and played two years of college football. As a highschool football player, you go to school with your team mates and have known most of them your whole life. When we played we played for each other and that was motivating. You play for your school, family, and coaches and you are motivated by the home town. When I got to college I didnt have as much motivation. You don't know anyone and school requires more attention than the sport. Not being able to play for a lot of reasons, its hard to be motivated.
School is also a motivating factor. I want to succeed later in life which is plenty of motivation to do well. Although it takes a lot for me to get motivated for tests and homework, I know that I must if i plan on succeeding. It is evident when I am not motivated because my work will be subpar.

Consummatory

-behavior pattern that occurs in response to a stimulus and that achieves the satisfaction of a specific drive.
This past summer was one were I worked majority of the time. However, on my days off I picked up a new hobby, jet skiing. I live in Atlantic City and there aren’t any rental places here so I would go to Ocean City. I would say the first time I got on a jet ski I was absolutely terrified for my life. The power of the engine and speeding across waves was true adrenaline rush. I practiced every week just to get better. I fell off several times and pretty banged up on one occasion. I recently went on a Carnival cruise to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Grand Cayman island. In Jamaica I snorkeled and scuba dived. Once we got to the Cayman Islands and I saw how calm the water was I knew I had to get on the jet skis. The water in N.J. is a dark blue and filled with seaweed. The water at the Grand Cayman’s was light blue with not a sea shell in sight. I got on the jet ski without an ounce of fear. I had to be at least a mile from the beach and to look down and see all the tropical fish as I skied past them was an amazing view. I even saw 3 dolphins at the end of my riding time limit. I did go back on the jet skis a couple hours later but was disappointed because the dolphins weren’t around. I would say that all my hard effort to learn how to ride in N.J. really paid off on my vacation, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

The desire to belong.

I completed the "Need to Belong" scale and scored a 34 on it. This means I have a stronge desire to want to be loved and to be accepted by others. Throughout my life, I have always been this way, especially when I was in highschool. I believe my brothers' popularity had an impact on me, making me want to be as liked as he is. Now that I am an adult, I do not need to have a lot of friends, but it is still very important for me to at least have acquaintances. I feel that all I need is to have a strong bond with my family and my boyfriend.

I work in a preschool as a teachers aid and I often watch children's films. Recently, I watched The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It was an adorable movie that shows a perfect example of a child doing anything to be well liked. In the end, he realizes that all he needs is his one best friend because he liked him for who he is already.

Mark Leary is a professor at Duke University and the author of the "Need to Belong" scale. On Youtube, he discusses the difference between self compassion and having a high self esteem. Do you think the person who has the high self esteem is better off, or the person with self compassion? This insight was very moving because it shows that one should not dwell on their mistakes and feel bad about themselves because everyone does something embarressing in life. It is important to move on, own up to our mistakes, and to learn and grow as an individual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAifaBhh2xo

Motivation Blog 1

Over the past few years I've been involved with several volunteer organizations. In that time I've met countless people working selflessly to help others and further their cause. These people seem to have some intrinsic need to help others, with the sole reward of the good feeling we get when we see someone we helped smile. These can be some of the greatest people to meet and get to know.

However, there are also people (and I'm sure anyone who has volunteered has met at least one) who seem to be there for their own glorification(although there seem to be far fewer of this type). These are the people who then go out to parties and preach about the good they do, and expect everyone to give them an "attaboy". Now, I do not mean to bellittle the good these people actually do, because they really do help out. However, they seem to be in it for the wrong reasons. They are motivated not by the good they do or the people they help, but rather seek the reward of others' high regard for them after the fact.

In either case there are clearly motives and incentives for volunteering, however the basis of these are nearly opposite. Some people are motivated by the intrinsic desire to do some good, with the added incentive of seeing those who they have helped; others are motivated by the extrinsic desire to be seen doing good, and rewarded by others' praise afterward.

This study found that younger volunteers in a hospice-care situation were more motivated by career goals, while older retired workers were more motivated by the urge to give of themselves. While not necessarily volunteering for their own ego, the younger volunteers certainly do not have the most altruistic motives either.

Now, the motivation for people to volunteer their time may differ, yet can we really fault either case for working to benefit others? Certainly altruism seems far more commendable and noble, but good done even with "selfish" motives is still a good. This odd division makes me ponder the differences in personality that cause people to have such differing motivations for being a volunteer.

Motivation in hard times

During these times of the economic downfall and loss of jobs, it is very hard for people to stay motivated. Sometimes motivation can seem so far out of reach to the point where one does not want to get up in the morning because the demands are too high and the expectations of life can be overwhelming. Something has to keep us going as Americans, to help us overcome this time when all seems to fall from around us. In the link in the last line of my entry, Tony Robbins describes the ways we can keep our motivation.

As Americans, we have been blessed to be at times of greatness, power, and to have the opportunities to live the life we always wanted to live. Along with our freedoms, we were able to buy affordable houses and cars that fit our lifestyles, along with having the resources to raise our children in a suitable environment. In this time of the economic trajedy, it is important to find our motivations, even through misery.

As mentioned in class, our emotions can serve as motives. It has been interesting, as well as sad to see the outcome on our motivation after the economic downfall. Now, more than ever, there is a fear that people can't make ends meet and there will not be as much support as there was before. There are challenges and opportunities as well during this time and people can act on their emotions in a positive or negative way. Tony Robbins does a great job in summarizing the challenges we are facing and how to change our way of thinking. "We're stronger than we think we are and we can train ourselves to take advantage of the tough times," - T.R.

- Marguerite Gavin

Article 1 – Movies and their Ability To Evoke Emotion:

Film is a very powerful media tool which can stir the emotions of even the strongest of individuals. It can leave one inspired, enraged, filled with sadness, or barrelled over in laughter if produced and written well. I know personally I have experienced these differing emotions when viewing films such as Beaches, The Green Mile, Marley & Me, Mississippi Burning, and The 40 Year Old Virgin… and these are only but a handful of pictures which have had the ability to induce very real emotions in me. Movies allow an individual an opportunity to identify with the characters they view on the big screen…you are drawn into their experience and at the same time you perhaps catch a glimpse of yourself, loved ones, or humanity as a whole even if it is for only a brief moment in time.

This concept of induction in regards to emotion has been examined by many within the Psychological community and it has been proven that film, music and even the written word can evoke emotional response. For example, researchers such as: Marston, Martin, Labott, and Spatny have conducted experiments within a laboratory setting where they showed clips from films such as: The Champ, Brian’s Song, and My Life and found that some participants in the study were moved to tears by what they viewed, however, the author Lambert Deckers raises the question “Can experimentally induced emotions match the intensity of emotions felt in life, such as a broken heart…is it felt to the same degree? I believe it truly depends on the individual, for I know many who are unmoved by scenes in particular films which have left me crying like a baby or raging on in a fury. Every person perceives things in their own way, but this should not take away from the fact that for many these external resources or venues indeed leave a profound imprint on the heart and the mind.

Motivation Post 1. Push and Pull

When I was in High School a few years ago I spent my senior year slacking off and hanging out with my friends, constantly skipping classes. I did fine in my classes but just wasn't motivated to be there.

Needless to say I had a lack of interest when it came time for college applications. I wasn't motivated to go to school. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I was told by everyone around me to go to school. I was offered a scholarship that paid for 2 years of school at my county college followed by more money offered later for attending in state 4 year colleges.

I was suddenly motivated to attend school. The idea of it being paid for made it very inciting. The trick was I had to keep my GPA up. Never being one to pass up anything free I decided to give college a shot, it couldn't hurt. So two years later I had a great GPA and I was offered money to attend any in-state school. Again never one to pass up a bargain I decided to pursue it. My push factor was gong to college the pull factor was the fact that it was free, or cheap. Also I was pushed into keeping my GPA up so that I wouldn't lose this great opportunity.

Motivation for Graduating

I am finally in my last semester at Stockton and this could not make me any more content! I have been in college now for five and a half years and am overdue for a degree, but alas, the moment is truly happening. I remember when I first started college, four universities ago, and I felt that I would be in this vicinity for the remainder of my years. Now that I can see the finish line ahead, I know that the time and sacrifice put into school was more than well worth it. This is where motivation ties in with graduating.

I have always been one to enjoy school and learning, so the motivation to continue with a higher education has been in existence, however, the motivation to get a significant GPA was not. I had never felt this slacking feeling before, but I have to admit, it was kind of adventurous not studying! Well lo and behold, this adventure lead to my first BAD grade! It was my second semester of college, where I attended my second university. I never once got below a B until this point. I eventually picked up the grades again in my third university that I attended, but once I got to Stockton, I went back to getting mainly Cs. I suppose my motivation was to just simply get by, until I realized I wanted to go on to graduate school. I new something had to change if I wanted to get into graduate school and that something was my GPA and my motivation for it. Now, for the past three semesters I have been completely motivated on being the student I always was and needless to say, the story has a happy ending...I picked up my GPA and have applied to graduate schools. I have been entirely motivated to finish Stockton with not simply a degree, but to know that I tried my best. I am one hundred and ten percent motivated to not only cross the finish line but finish in full stride.

Motivation Before:

Motivation After:

1st Blog

Last semester by far was the worst semester of my LIFE!! I had this one class (not going to mention names or what class) but let me tell you it was the class of Satan!! I came to class everyday telling myself this day will be better and I left that class almost crying because it only got worst. I was pushing myself to limits I did not even know I could push myself to at least get a C. I would try to ask questions and hopefully get on the right track but I felt as if every time I thought I was doing well, I just got shot right back down.

I finally told myself you can only be the best you can be and no matter the grade it is what it is. I tried; I pushed myself to limits of frustration and anger towards this class that finally I realized it was two weeks till the semester ended and it was almost over. I motivated myself to stay in that class long enough to make it this far, I was not giving up than. I finally started feeling relief when I was getting back papers and tests that were much higher than they were in the beginning of the semester. The day I handed in my final paper was a day of happiness I did not feel all semester and the day I received my grade of a B (mind you I was aiming for a low C), I realized all that pushing and pulling myself to the end result really paid off in the end.

Walking into my classes this semester I had a new and improved attitude. When times get a little rough I just keep reminding myself of that class and just think, if I can make it through that class I can make it through any class! It also helps a little that it is my senior year and nothing is stopping me from graduating in the spring!

Personal History and Individual History as Sources of Motivation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4msIep7jBI

The clip above is about Lance Armstrong. Lance is a loving father and husband, a multiple time winner of the Tour de' France, and a cancer survivor. Both his personal history and individual differences played a part in motivating him to do what he has accomplished this far in his life.

Personal history is the history of a person from conception throughout their life. Lance grew up with a poor, struggling mother who worked very hard to get through her rough patch. Although this was going on, Lance never saw the pain and stuggling she went through; he only knew that they did not have much money. Lance, himself, worked and struggled to win 7 Tour de' France titles, not to mention overcoming brain cancer. He, like his mother, did not show his pain struggle. He fought against it to show his children that he could be there for them.

Individual differences also played a part in his motivation to be where he is today. His motivation is his mother, wife, and children. His mother was his stability and role model. He wanted to succeed for her. His wife is his love and joy. He wanted to succeed to make her proud of him. Lastly, he wants to show stability for his children. He wants to be the best father he can be and by him succeeding, it show his children that they can succeed too.

Post 1 - Motivation for Loosing Weight

When I previously tried to diet, I had no motive or disposition to approach an incentive (an attractive environmental stimulus). I tried going to the gym but could not keep going. I also tried to eat healthy, but instead, I ended up lacking self-control. Instead of waiting to gain later, bigger reward of loosing weight, I opted for the sooner, smaller reward of hunger satisfaction. Finally, I went on Weight Watchers, which gave me the motivation to keep up on a new lifestyle. It gave me new ways of controlling my psychological energy. I was able to gain self-control successfully.

Moving Forward

Dear Class,

After class today, I was extremely exhausted! Luckily my mother saved me because I had to drop off my sisters car within the gas station parking lot. When she asked I really didn't feel like doing it. I wasn't sure if it was a case of the Senioritis, or weather or not it was a mere lack of Motivation.

So as I was walking out my door, I stumble upon a little brownish puppy. This little guy's name is Blaze and he weighs in at a whopping 4 and a half pounds. My intentions were to drop the car off and get back to my studies but that didn't result much after this little guy got his lease on.

I actually wound up walking Blaze, and again, I mind you of his frequent "pole stops", untill he was exhausted and couldn't find his way home.