ABSTRACT
Motivation is what makes the world go round. Motivation and the control of motivational urges underlie most behaviors, particularly social behaviors. Motivation is a mechanism that directs and energizes action. This chapter considers some of the basic issues and theories about the genesis and control of human motivation. It focuses on the management of approach and avoidance processes, perhaps the basic dichotomy in motivational research. The beginning of behaviorism had a negative influence on the study of motivation. Early behaviorist's doctrinaire refusal to consider internal psychological processes eliminated motivation as a construct of serious concern. Motivation involves basic psychophysiological processes, and research of the last decade has made important discoveries regarding the effects of biological variables that influence motivation and self-control. The motivation to exert control over the world was an important part of White's analysis of effectance motivation, and the related concepts of competence and self-determination were central themes in theories of intrinsic motivation. Self-regulation refers to goal-directed behavior.
