ABSTRACT
M otivations play a vital role in determining people’s choices, decisions, and actions, from whom people choose to spend time with to the food they eat to decisions about which new job to accept. Motivations in the form of needs, goals, purposes, and plans can both foster and hinder future action. Consider a university student’s decision to study abroad, for example. She may choose to spend a semester overseas to bolster her résumé and make herself more competitive in the job market. She may make the decision to advance her awareness and understanding of people in other countries and cultures. She may even choose not to study abroad because she believes that staying on her home campus will more quickly lead to graduation. As this example illustrates, motivations are important in understanding why and how people make decisions and engage in action.
