Why Understanding Motivation is Important

Motivation is about accepting responsibility for performing the everyday behaviors associated with college, such as reading textbooks, preparing for class, finishing assignments on time, and studying for exams.

It is possible to have a generally positive attitude toward college, but also have a low Motivation score. That is, you are generally positive about being in college, but you are not motivated enough to do the work required to be successful.

For example:

You can have a positive attitude toward losing weight, but low motivation to actually changing your eating patterns or starting a regular exercise program.

Also, we may desire something but not have the motivation to achieve it because:

• we don't believe we can achieve it (e.g., "I hate to exercise!"), or

• we have negative feelings or emotions about the activity or about the people involved (e.g., "Those people are such nerds!").

These beliefs and feelings can lead to low motivation and low effort.

Click to open Activity #3 and follow the directions.