PSY7422 examines motivation as a fundamental psychological construct — the forces that initiate, direct, sustain, and determine the intensity of behavior. Drawing on a rich body of motivational theory and empirical research, students analyze the cognitive, affective, and social processes that drive human pursuit of goals, achievement, and well-being. The course bridges theory and practice, developing students' capacity to apply motivational principles in clinical, educational, organizational, and everyday contexts.
Theories and applications of human motivation
Core topics
- Classical motivation theories: Drive reduction theory (Hull), instinct theories, psychoanalytic motivational concepts, and the historical development of motivational psychology — understanding the theoretical heritage that contemporary models build on and refine
- Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation: Self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan) — the distinction between intrinsic motivation (activity for its own sake) and extrinsic motivation (activity for separable outcomes), the basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) that support intrinsic motivation, and the research on how reward contingencies can undermine intrinsic interest (cognitive evaluation theory)
- Achievement motivation: Achievement goal theory (Dweck, Elliot) — mastery vs. performance goals, the 2×2 goal framework, implicit theories of ability (growth vs. fixed mindset), and attribution theory (Weiner) — how people explain their successes and failures and how attributional patterns predict persistence, effort, and emotional responses to outcomes
- Beliefs, cognitions, and self-efficacy: Bandura's social cognitive theory and self-efficacy — the role of outcome expectancies, task-specific self-efficacy beliefs, efficacy information sources (mastery experiences, vicarious learning, social persuasion, physiological states) — and how cognitive beliefs about competence shape motivation more powerfully than objective ability
- Emotions and values in achievement: How emotional experiences (pride, shame, interest, boredom, anxiety) influence motivational processes — the role of interest as a motivational state, test anxiety as a performance inhibitor, pride and shame as social-evaluative emotions — and how personal values and cultural context shape what individuals are motivated to pursue
- Developing motivation in applied contexts: Research-based strategies for enhancing motivation in educational (promoting growth mindset, supporting autonomy), clinical (motivational interviewing, behavioral activation), and organizational (job design, goal-setting theory, transformational leadership) settings
PSY7422 assignments include motivation theory analyses, empirical critiques, and applied strategy papers
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Frequently asked questions
Motivational processes are at the center of almost every clinical, educational, and organizational challenge psychologists address. In clinical practice, a client's willingness to engage in therapy, complete between-session exercises, and make life changes is fundamentally a motivational problem — which is why motivational interviewing (MI), with its roots in self-determination theory, has become one of the most widely disseminated evidence-based approaches in health behavior change. In educational consulting, a student who is bright but disengaged, or who is effort-avoidant because of fear of failure, has a motivational profile that requires different interventions than a student who lacks skills. In organizational settings, job design and leadership approaches that support autonomy and competence — consistent with self-determination theory — produce more sustainable engagement than contingent reward systems alone. PSY7422 provides the theoretical map that helps psychologists understand what they are dealing with when motivation is the obstacle, and what research says will actually move it.