ABSTRACT
Three major explanations for basic human motivation have been advanced. They are vitalism; behaviorism, or stimulus-response psychology; and perceptual, or field psychology. According to the concept of drives, the beginnings of motivation are readily apparent in the simple drives of the child—for food, water, warmth, affection. Whereas drive is associated with genetically based determinants of behavior, need refers to the goals toward which behavior is directed. Probably the best-known conceptual system of needs was developed by Abraham H. Maslow. Maslow's theory of need hierarchy provides a way of looking at personality development. Much recent research suggests that the single most significant influence on school achievement is the social-class composition of the school. Until the rise of the mental-health movement in recent years, only a few educators and psychologists questioned the value of competition as a motivator. In terms of society's needs, competition as the basis for school achievement functioned to produce many excellent students.
