When an individual gets a new job placement, there is always the excitement that comes along with it. The individual tends to feel so much vigor to work. However, with time, people tend to drift away from the concentration at work. The routine becomes so boring that the individual’s productivity goes down. At such moments, motivation is needed. There are various concepts of motivation. This essay looks at the drive concept as derived by Sigmund Feud.
Motivation Concepts
It is commonly believed that whatever man does, he does it in a bid to fulfill a given need. This is mainly because there are various life situations and contexts that always make an individual have a need that needs to be fulfilled. If an individual identifies a way through which the needs can be achieved then the person cannot relent but would be extra-vigilant to obtain the results as they would, in effect, lead to personal gratification. Boeree (2009) posits that there are different levels of the human mind according to Sigmund Freud. These are the id, ego and the super-ego. All these work together towards fulfilling a given need in the human life. The forces driving the different parts of the mind dictate the kind of issue that the individual is involved in and these activities are more often than not concerned with fulfilling the needs that an individual has. The needs drive the motivation. They help to define who the individual is.
Sigmund’s theory can be practically employed in some situations wile in some other cases it odes not fit at all. Of course, most of the time the theory comes into play in defining what the individuals do. Fro instance, Heathfield (2012) observes that people work for different reasons, but all these reasons are tailored towards the achievement of a given goal or the fulfillment of a given need. For instance, there are people who work for money in order to cater for their daily needs. There are still others who work for fame. Others work extra hard at their places of work so that they can gain recognition and rewards such as promotions. As such, it can be seen that everyone works under a given drive to achieve a given objective. Motivation can be derived when an individual believes that there is an opportunity to achieve his objective at the work place. Below is an illustration of how drive concept can help in motivating the workers.
Most of the corporate organizations do carry out occasional appraisal programs. After the appraisal, there is a possibility that the most performing employees are rewarded. These rewards can be in form of cash, a salary hike or even a promotion. At whichever level of the organization, there are different people competing for the opportunity. In agreement with the Freud Theory (Boeree, 2009), the individuals at these levels always aspire to go higher. It is wired in the human ego that everyone wants to be the best. As such, the individuals will be driven by their need for the promotion or the need to outdo the others. This ultimately leads to a boost in their motivation.
Similarly, a family man can have a given job placement. Assuming that the individual has some responsibilities resting on his shoulders, he is highly likely to be kept going at the job since he wants to retain a steady cash flow so as to continue with his life comfortably. In such a case, the need fro a comfortable life is the drive fro the motivation. The satisfaction that the individual gets from having food on the table, educating his children, paying the bills and maintaining his status in the society makes him motivated to stay at the job. If there was another avenue through which the individual could get the money to go on with his life without the work, then the individual may not have the motivation to continue with the work. As such, Sigmund’s concept of drive is proven.
At the workplace, there are various drives that keep the people going. For instance, there is the need for control where the individual feel satisfied since he has the control over his work. This brings in the aspect of leadership where an individual enjoys being in control of his game. At times, there is the need to feel as part of a team or to feel a sense of belonging at the work place. An individual feels much comfortable and motivated while working in a place where the spirit of oneness is fostered. Since man is a social being, there is the social need that always needs to be satisfied. Last of all, there is the individual’s ego that everyone wants to be the best. This is the need for growth and development which goes a long way in boosting the motivation of an individual (Heathfield, 2009). All these motivational factors are applicable in the corporate setting. They are all needs to satisfy a given aspect of the human ego and they act as active drives to the individual’s motivation at work.
It is commonly accepted that everything in the world has its positive and negative sides. Therefore, when it comes to the drive theory, there is also the other side of the coin. There are situations where the individual’s drive or need to fulfill his needs does not count as a motivation. Rather, the individual works so as to fulfill a set of orders or to accomplish a task that does not necessarily benefit the self. This might sound like a precursor for slavery where an individual works fro the good of others. However, even in real life situations where personal needs can drive motivation, there are instances where the needs cease being the motivation.
Fro instance, take a case where a young man is so motivated to join the defense forces since his younger years. As such, the individual enrolls at the army academy and is thereby assimilated into the army. Thus far, the drive is the individual’s need for self actualization. The individual even takes the oath to faithfully carry out his duties as may be designated to him. After taking the oath of service, a crises or a war breaks up, such as the current war at Iraq. By chance, the battalion in which the young officer serves is selected to go for the peace keeping mission. Here, the individual’s motivation ceases to count. The individual might have been motivated by his interests to join the army but he might not have had the vision or the will to go outside his country. However, since he is under oath, he just has to comply. Under such circumstances, the drive concept of motivation does not apply.
In conclusion, this essay has looked at the various ways through which motivation is ensured at the workplace. Sigmund’s drive concept was used to show how personal drives can motivate an individual. The essay has also looked at an instance where the individual’s interest does not count. This gives a clearer understanding of the motivation concepts.
Boeree, G. (2009). Personality Theories; Sigmund Freud: 1856-1939. Retrieved on 22nd March 2012 from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/freud.html
Heathfield, S.M. (2009). What People Want From Work: Motivation. Retrieved on 22nd March 2012 from http://humanresources.about.com/od/rewardrecognition/a/needs_work.htm
