Motivation and Desire : A New Way to Think About Why We Do Everything and Its Basis in Neuroscience

Desire, motivation, drive, reward, reinforcement, pleasure, enjoyment—each of these terms has a slightly different meaning, but all refer to the same process: when we do something that produces a positive outcome, we want to do it again. This is so fundamental to our existence that we rarely think about how it works; it just happens.There are myriad experiments in rats and pigeons (and people too, of course) that have examined the parameters of motivation, as well as the brain circuitry that is involved. Various theories of motivation have been proposed and discussed since the beginnings of psychology. “Drive” is another term that has been used to describe motivating factors, especially in animals, and survives in everyday language as the term “sexdrive.”We can also find many studies of motivation in education, business, or other walks of life related to, for example, the best ways of motivating students to learn. In the context of education, motivation is often divided into “intrinsic” vs. “extrinsic” motivation. In its simplest form, intrinsic motivation refers to an internaldesire to learn or to do something for its own sake, whereas extrinsic motivation refers to tangible rewards, such as money, status, prizes, or gold stars for children.Intrinsic motivation applies to activities that are, in themselves, enjoyable. Extrinsic motivation is operative when unrelated rewards are superimposed on an activity. Ryan and Deci (2000) provide a particularly appealing perspective on intrinsic motivation as related to psychological needs and socialdevelopment. "Some of our time is spent eating and drinking and some is spent on matters regarding reproduction. Some of us seek fame or recognition while others seek satisfaction internally, with little need for recognition. Some people study for success in a profession, while others might study rocks, birds, or French literature for no apparent reason other than to know about it. Why are we motivated to engage in so many apparently unrelated activities? This book places our various activities into categories, thus providing a framework for understanding how everything that we do fits together and is based on brain mechanisms. Disturbances in motivation play important roles in autism, depression, Parkinson's disease, and addiction. Understanding the motivational aspects of these disorders can help to inform our approach to these conditions. This book may be of value for students in psychology, counseling, management, and anyone who is interested in understanding our daily behavior."--page 4 of cover