Introduction Ever wonder why some people seem to be very successful, highly motivated individuals (see Activity box 27.1)? Where does the energy, the drive or the direction come from?

Motivational research has been applied to many areas of psychological investigation, such as health and work behaviour. For example, it has been established for many years that in health, rehabilitation professionals commonly believe that motivation of patients has an important role in determining their health outcome (Ibbotson, 1978). Korabik (1994) has suggested that lack of confidence in their own

abilities has resulted in a lack of motivation for businesswomen in China and Hong Kong, and may be a factor in explaining why they have failed to reach comparable managerial levels as their male colleagues.