What do you think is the basis of all human motivation?
Asked by
Berdyaev (
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January 18th, 2010
In other words, why do you think people do what they do and why do you think they do it that way? I understand this is an incredibly broad question, so I’ll do my best to focus it to a reasonable size.
Today my younger sister and I were in the kitchen. I was making lunch for myself, and she was doing nothing more than watching me. She said something in an attempt to hurt me, which was neither bright nor important to the story. What is important, however, is not half a second after that she made a joke with the intent of making me laugh- in other words, an affirmation that she is capable of being thought funny by someone she supposedly respects. I say respects because I know she didn’t mean whatever it was that she said to put me down (I honestly can’t remember what it was), it was merely a defense against my indifference towards her.
Now, the reason I’m asking this question. My sister’s fickle actions led me to a thought- All humans are slaves to each other. While formulating ways to degrade others in order to protect your own dignity, you look for ways to make them like you more. This is not a standpoint, it is just a thought that that specific encounter led me to conceive. I ran with it and thought that possibly the motivation for everything that everyone does is elevation in social status, or how much people like and respect you. From an evolutionary standpoint, this makes much sense- most social mammals consider elevating themselves in their tiny society second only to finding food (think of a pride of lions).
I wanted to find out what you guys think. Do you believe that everything that most (gotta qualify it) people do is in order to affirm that they are liked by other people? Even as I write this incredibly overlong description a part of my mind is eager to post it so that I might see if any of you respectable people consider me intelligent. What do you think? Please understand I’m not taking a stance, too many of these discussions degrade into arguments.
Also, I understand many prominent philosophers have broached the topic- I want to see what YOU guys think.
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23 Answers
Most folks are driven by fear and greed.
there is no one answer – we are social beings but it all depends on our environment – I do think that we view some people in terms of their utility for us and others in terms of their negative effect on us…some people want everyone to like them, some people want no one to like them…I, personally, only need just about 4 people in this world to love me…the rest are relevant only in terms of how I need to be viewed so that I get left alone for the most part…I like to interact but not with everyone
Many people in society do not have motivation. they only want the easy way out. they are criminals. by this statement, its obvious that all humans are different. sometimes, i can tell a really dry joke to my wife and she only laughs out of love for me. my motivation was to make her laugh and for us to have a good time on one of our trips. drug addicts have only one motivation…..to locate their next “fix”. my son was motivated to make me proud of him, so he finished college and with his degree he was appointed as the west coast director of FEMA by the president of the United States. motivation effects us all in different ways. i think our genes have something to do with it.
Motivation changes with the growth of emotional maturity. The downside is, you have to grow old but you don’t have to grow up.
The most obvious answer would be reward, whether it be happiness, success, approval, love, attention, or social status. Whatever you innately crave based on environmental factors and who you are. That is an interesting story, and a thoughtful conclusion you came to – I think that most people are this way, too, but not everyone.
There was also something interesting I was going to say about the Buddhist view on desire, but I forgot . . .
Pleasure.
Fear is only the anxiety caused by the threat of losing the things that give us pleasure.
Furthering the species.
And by that I mean sex.
And by that, I mean… cutting you down, as a way to elevate herself. I agree with what you said, but the reason for it is that the Alpha female has more mating success.
But why the joke afterward? Because it takes a village to raise a child, and your social ties are important. You may help babysit, or bring food, or otherwise support her reproductive prospects. Even the omega wolf in the pack contributes to the pack’s success, although it’s the alpha female that breeds.
It’s unlikely that any of this is right at the top of the conscious mind at any point, but… why do we do anything? To further the species through the spread of ones’ own genes.
It’s all there is. :)
I have no need to further the species.
Alleviation of discomfort, in the moment.
Sometime stress could also motivate someone to live longer(if he/she survived).
@Simone_De_Beauvoir I understand. I know there isn’t any one principle that I can apply to every aspect of life, nor did I expect one, I was just asking to what extent do you think the need to be accepted shapes what we do. Largely this comes from my own experiences, as I recognizably do things solely for the purpose of gaining respect in someone’s eyes, even if that person is someone I don’t respect. I do respect you, however, for being able to limit that need to just 4 important people.
@john65pennington You are a police officer, yes? I think your immediate connection to criminals is very reasonable, and an obvious fallacy in my line of thought- there are people everywhere who couldn’t care less whether they are respected by anybody. But I want to know if you think that maybe the people who got addicted to those drugs in the first place did so because they wanted to fit into a certain society, and be elevated in their eyes? Or maybe, they began taking drugs because they saw themselves as being incapable of rising in society and gaining others’ respect? I also understand that everybody is different, and that there is no rule applicable to everybody, but I believe that there is a lot more similar in people than there is dissimilar.
On a side note, it’s incredible that your son is an exec at FEMA. You must be proud. I wonder, are they doing anything about the situation in Haiti or does their power only have effect in the west coast area?
@laureth An excellent viewpoint from the evolutionary psychology corner =]. Sex is the obvious derivative of social status, and preservation of the species is at the forefront of every evolution argument. I think for the most part I agree with what you say…..if the ability to recognize ourselves as humans does nothing to separate us from the rest of the mammals on Earth. Which I believe for the most part doesn’t.
Also, thanks everyone for taking the time to answer, I appreciate it.
I think one of the primary motivators, if not the primary motivator is the need for validation. We all want to “matter”.
Vulnerability!! The fear of going it alone!! Not fun to consider and quite easy to realize there is strength in numbers!
The possibility of getting sex.
What better way to increase the possibility of getting sex then being in a position women and men wish to associate themselves with?
We tend to be motivated to experience more of what pleases us and to avoid that which displeases us.
We accomplish this whatever way we know how to.
Status is the primary motivator. You are correct.
Intelligence is overrated in its ability to bring you status.
Brain chemistry. Dopamine comes to mind.
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