High quality relationships are very important for young people and since they play a great valuable role in their academic and social lives. According to Diego and Sanders (2002) stable and solid friendships can lead to success at school. Having a great connectivity and special relationships can be a great formidable source of greater higher academic motivation, achievement and engagement. Having Creating good satisfactory relationships is important for in order to enjoy a normal and healthy human functioning. Relationships are a great source of happiness, meaning and support. and Wwithout a doubt, the loss of a friendship can be the a cause of stress and pain.
Quality relationships are a great cause of motivation for young people of attending school. going and a At the same time, motivation can also contribute to the developments to of healthy relationships. Martin (2007) defines motivation as a set of connected and interrelated emotions and beliefs that influence and direct behavior. Continued interactions teach one about values, beliefs and orientations of the at social environment that onewe belongs to.
Relatedness plays a great role in life because since the energy gained from interpersonal relationships can becomes a pathway for to follow and give motivated engagement infor others’s life activities. It is also one of the psychological needs that enhance motivation achievement. When the need for belonging has been fulfilled, it creates a positive response that becomes a motivation factor in order to achieve other things in life. Developing emotional attachment to teachers, peers and parents can lead to positive feelings of self-worthiness and an enhanced self-esteem. These feelings sensations are very important for continued success and achievement (Conviction, 2002).
Relatedness is one of the psychological needs that enhance motivation achievement. Just as Maslow (1968) put referred,that the need for love and belonging is the one one those that should are to be fulfilled on the path to self-actualization.
How do health relationships enhance motivation?
Sociologists and psychologists have many words that define social environment and how itI can be beneficial and contribute to motivation. Such asFor instance, social integration and socia andl support can and as much as these two contribute greatly in healthto matters such as healthand, they also can also help to promote motivation.
Social support refers to social connections and networks that one has that help both materially physically and psychologically. Theyand can help a person one to deal with the pressures and the stresses of life. It is often classified in three categories: emotional, instrumental and informational. According to House and Kahn (1985) instrumental support is the provision of material support such as financial help. Meanwhilewhile, information support is the process of passing important information to someone that might help to deal with difficulties of life. It comes in the form of advice and guidance that can help someone to cope with their life.
Emotional support also falls under the category of social support and itthese can be defined as all the feelings and expressions of empathy and care, trust and reassurance that one receives from their friends. This kind of support gives someonecan give a good and positive outlook about life given the feeling because he knows that he hasof great support behind and shoulders to fall on. It is should there be such a need especially needed in times of adversity.
Social integration is another key benefit that can be accrued from a healthy relationship. According to Brissette et al., (2000) social integration is the participation and involvement of a multiple range of social relationships. It has both; a cognitive and behavioral component, where cognitive the first aspects areis the sense of community and acceptance of the social roles that a society has assignassigns ed. to you wBhile behavioral component, on the other side, is the engagement in a number of social relationship and activities. Just like social support, social integration contributes to achievement motivation.
The control theory of motivation.
The control theory has a great impact on the development of healthy relationships. According to Schunk (2004), a person’s behavior is not determined by external factors but by internal stimuli. He states that a person’s behavior is determined by how they want to respond to what life throws at them at any given time.
and respond.
He states that the lack of motivation does not come from external factors but by what one chooses to do with situations that come their way. Some bossy teachers like to use both negative and positive reinforcements to make students toe the line. Those who break the law are punished while those who perform well and respect the established laws are rewarded. These kinds of reinforcements are the means to get cooperation from the kids and to get them to obey the laws.
On the other hand, lead teachers have a totally opposite approach that doesn’t involve any reinforcement strategies that coerces students. Such teachers match the course content to the needs of the students by using grades to measure how the courses apply to students them depending on their performance. They don’t want to limit and restrict their students to narrow course requirements, so the focus is on what the student knows and what they are yet to know (Mower, 2000).
The theory is mainly applicable in the education sector to show how an educator can be a “lead teacher”s rather than a “boss teachers” who seeks to reinforce and ram things down student’s throats. Lead teachers meet the basic needs of the students. Therefore, and it is possible to this builds a positive relationship between learners and their teachers professors, because given that they are at the center of the learning process and course development, which also . It also improves their achievement motivation.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Importance of this research forto the field of psychology as well as for the improvement of human beings.
Personal behaviors are influenced by the desire to maintain and improve relationships. Certain factors of motivation play an important role in the goal of achieving healthy relationships. Human motivation studiedy by psychologists has derived in a variety of theories about what it is that motivates people. These theories are divided into three categories; namely need based theories of motivation, external factors theories of motivation, and internal factorss theories of motivation.
Maslow hierarchy of need.
Maslow (1954) theory states that human needs progress from the lowest levels to the highest level. Once each level is met, the theory is states that an individual will strive to progress and satisfy the next higher level of need. The five levels of Maslow’s theory are:
Physiological needs which include food and water.
Safety needs such as shelter and employment.
Belonging needs; the desire for friendships and social contact.
Esteem needs including status, and positive regard.
Self – actualization; desire for achievement and personal growth.
Alderfer’s ERG theory (1972.)
This theory suggested that individuals were motivated to move forward and back words in terms of motivation. His theory had three levels:
Existence – He combined Maslow’s physiological and safety needs into one.
Relatedness – This addressed the need to belong.
Growth – This combined Maslow’s esteem and self actualization.
Alderfer added his principle of frustration – regression suggesting that individuals would move in and out of the various levels depending on the extent to which their needs were met.
Herzberg’s two factor theory (2003).
He modified Maslow’s needs theory consolidating it down to two needs:
Hygiene – Characterized as lower levels of motivators and include supervision, status and security.
Motivators – Emphasized higher levels of motivators and included achievement, recognition etc.
McClelland’s acquired needs theory suggests that needs are acquired throughout life. Learned and developed as a result of one’s life experiences. The theory focuses on three needs:
Need for achievement. Eemphasizes the desire for success.
Need for affiliation Focuses on the desire for relationships and association.
Need for power. Relates to the desires for responsibility as well as for the for, control of and authority over others.
The four aspects above are practical for understanding employee motivation on the basis of needs. Another approach to understanding motivation focuses on external factors. The best known theories include:
1). Reinforcement theory. B.F Skinner (1953) proposed that human behavior is reinforced when they aresomeone is motivated. The reinforcement was associated with both desirable and non desirable behaviors. These include:
A) Positive reinforcement which relates to awarding positive behaviors.
B) Avoidance learning which relates to actions taken to reward behaviors that avoid undesirable behaviors.
C) Punishment which relates to actions designed to reduce undesirable behaviors by creating negative consequences for individuals.
D) Extinction which relates to the removal of positive rewards for undesirable behavior.
We can look at internal factor theories of motivation. These theories focus on internal thoughts processes and perceptions. They include:
Adam’s Equity theory which proposes that individuals are motivated when they perceive that they are treated equal compared to others. (Adam’s , 1963)
Vroom’s expectancy theory addresses the expectations of individuals and hypothesizes on that they are motivated by performance and the expected outcomes of their own behavior. (Vroom, 1964)
Locke’s goal setting theory hypothesizes that the establishing goals individuals are motivated to take action to achieve those goals.
Another approach to motivation is driven by aspects of management such as productivity, human resources and other considerations. These include:
Scientific management theory by Fredrick Taylor studied job processes and determined the most efficient means of performing them. This theory assumes that people are motivated and continually work harder and that they should be paid on the basis of amount and quality of work performed.
McGregor’s theory X and theory Y develops a human resources management approach to motivation. This theory classifies managers into two groups, X and Y respectively. X managers view employees as unmotivated while the Y mangers work to assist employees to achieve their goals.
Ouchi’s theory Z is based on the idea that employees who are committed to an organization will be motivated to increase productivity.
Human behavior and psychology still remains as a complex thought despite all the research and the efforts efforts put in research by psychologists. Many theories have been developed to help understand human behavior and what motivates thisit. Many arguments have been brought forward from research based on different relationships such as teacher – student relationship, employer - employee relationships and so on. While the information gathered can be used to predict what motivates human behavior, the subject still remains inconclusive.
References
Nancy H Shanks, Mnagement and Motivation
Brissette, I., Cohen, S., & Seeman, T. E. (2000). Measuring social integration and social networks. In S. Cohen, L. Underwood, & B. Gottlieb (Eds.), Measuring and intervening in social support (pp. 53–85). New York: Oxford University Press.
House, J. S., & Kahn, R. L. (1985). Measures and concepts of social support. In S. Cohen & S. L. Syme (Eds.), Social support and health (pp. 83–108). New York: Academic Press.
Mowrer, R. R., & Klein, S. B. (2000). Handbook of contemporary learning theories. Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Nancy H Shanks, Management and Motivation
Schunk, D. H. (2004). Learning theories: An educational perspective. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall.
