ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how the special structure of a directed motivational current (DMC) is responsible for unique quality. It argues that the energy-amplifying nature of the structure is not any mysterious type of magic, but rather the result of an optimal aggregate of several motivational properties. Most people will, at some point in time, have experienced to at least some degree a motivational surge as is characteristic of the DMC phenomenon. By viewing motivation not only as an initial springboard from which action is initiated but also as a function of the way the initial momentum unfolds, the chapter argues that DMCs offer a form of self-renewing motivation. It identifies several key elements of the DMC structure which directly impact the functioning of this process such as fixed behavioral routines as a part of an emerging motivational autopilot; subgoals as progress checks; and affirmative feedback, a special type of progress check.
