Refreshing our memory about the concept of motivation, we know that it is a psychological aspect that keeps us interested in achieving our goals, aligns our behaviors with this desire and we invest all our energy in having the satisfaction of achieving what is proposed. With the general concept already clear, we will review the main theories raised for the study of this construct.
Several decades ago the X-Y Theory (MgGregor) was proposed, this theory would classify us as X: Comfortable (idle) or as Y: Active (full of energy), specifically its classification in the workplace, it would be somewhat problematic, we cannot referring to a person as idle or full of energy, we would tremendously affect the climate in the company, some still use this classification to refer to the attitudes assumed in certain situations. Now, it is normal for us to focus our energy on achieving something, but we must stop to think about the reason, what am I really looking for ?, according to the Theory of Needs (McClelland)we are dedicated to achieving something because it is a challenge for ourselves, or perhaps we want to have company in the environment in which we operate or obtain social power. However, the Theory of Equity (Adams), refers us to an internal balance for which we give a lot of effort and want to see ourselves paid, this proposal shows us less vain and more selfish, because if I give something I hope to receive the same or more and we also hope that the same will happen with our peers, in the work environment it would manifest itself with jealousy among colleagues, "why he yes and no?"; One of the theories that most caught my attention is one that mixes our self-confidence, our desires and how we classify the everyday as useful or not useful, and according to this we identify motivating situations, this is theTheory of expectations (Vroom), I like this theory because it refers that we evaluate situations according to the expectation that we want to meet, this is already making us more "independent".
Something that we hope is to meet our objectives and the Theory of objectives (Locke), invites us to motivate ourselves as long as these objectives represent a challenge or have a degree of difficulty, in addition, it is necessary to put the clear points in a specific way. With the step by step that we will do and the most striking thing: invite us to be "part of…", if we are not involved, we are going to be interested in a subject and analyzing the new teaching strategies, I see that the classes for children are much more participative, I am sure that they are looking to involve them, this is becoming more current; the theory stated above differs greatly with the Theory of the reduction of drives (Hull),proposing that we are primarily governed by our bodies and that we respond immediately to our biological needs; I do not consider that we act in this way, on the contrary I believe that we prioritize what we think and feel; and to achieve this we deploy many cognitive strategies.
Another important theory about motivation is the ERC Theory (Alderfer) that uses components similar to the classical Theory of Needs (Maslow), in both cases our main goal is to obtain our Self-realization, for this we will first satisfy basic needs until reaching our pinnacle, unlike the drives these theories highlight more the object of our effort and how proud we would feel for it; Comparing Self-realization with freedom, I can refer to the Theory of self-determination (Deci),that raises the importance of self-motivation and finally let go of the extrinsic, which at some point is exhausted and will exhaust the motivation we may have; on the other hand, if we are able to stay self-motivated we will be creative and happy and how do we manage to feel this way ?, because Deci states that we will achieve this by maintaining ourselves in a suitable environment where we find autonomy, skills and a pleasant environment; finally, I will mention the Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi),a modern theory on motivation where there must be agreement between the challenge and the skills, there must be a point of balance: the greater the skills, the greater the challenges and thus we will maintain interest in something, we must be very careful when putting this theory into practice Because if we entrust someone with a great challenge, we must be sure that they have the necessary skills, otherwise we would generate frustration.
All the mentioned theories are important, each one has its particularities and surely its own application techniques, we just have to analyze which one is suitable for our organization.
