Title: Motivation and Motivation Theory | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: Motivation and Motivation Theory
Motivation and Motivation Theory
Motivation and Motivation Theory
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
MAJOR CONTENT THEORIES
MAJOR PROCESS THEORIES
MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI)
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Content: According to Steers, Porter, and Bigley in Motivation and Leadership at Work, in the early twentieth century researchers began to examine other possible explanations for differences in individual motivation. Some researchers focused on internal drives as an explanation for motivated behavior. Others studied the effect of learning and how individuals base current behavior on the consequences of past behavior. Still others examined the influence of individuals' cognitive processes, such as the beliefs they have about future events. Over time, these major theoretical streams of research in motivation were classified into two major schools: the content theories of motivation and the process theories of motivation. MAJOR CONTENT THEORIES
Content (or need) theories of motivation focus on factors internal to the individual that energize and direct behavior. In general, such theories regard motivation as the product of internal drives that compel an individual to act or move (hence, “ motivate ”) toward the satisfaction of individual needs. The content theories of motivation are based in large part on early theories of motivation that traced the paths of action backward to their perceived origin in internal drives. Major content theories of motivation are Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Alderfer's ERG theory, Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory, and McClelland's learned needs or three-needs theory.