Motivational process: what it is, stages, and theories that explain it.

A summary of the characteristics and stages of the motivational process, and how it influences us.

In the field of Psychology, the concept known as "motivation" is understood as the adaptive process that activates a person and directs his behavior towards a goal or objective, and for this he is instigated to maintain the necessary actions to achieve what he has previously proposed.

Starting from this idea, in the following lines we will talk about a fundamental phenomenon with which motivation is closely related: the motivational process.

What is the motivational process?

We could define the motivational process as a succession of dynamic processes that mobilize people towards an objective, goal or the overcoming of some adversity.whose main function is to increase the probabilities of adapting to the environment and, therefore, to survive and also to be able to have a better quality of life.

This process is also related to the personal growth and potential of all human beings, including in the social sphere. Therefore, the motivational process is, above all, an adaptive process.

Below we will see the essential stages or phases of the motivational process that take place in a sequential and orderly manner.

Phases of the motivational process

The motivational process, being a dynamic process, is composed of three sequential phases or stages, which we will see below.

1. The anticipation and direction stage

This first stage, the anticipation and direction stage, is the one in which the person has a set of expectations around an emergency and/or the satisfaction of some motive..

2. The stage of active behavior and feedback

In this second stage on active behavior and feedback of one's own performance, it is the one in which the person is in charge of carrying out a series of actions that are directed towards an objective that has been previously set, in order to allow that person to achieve the objective.In this second phase on active behavior and feedback of one's own performance, it is the one in which the person is in charge of carrying out a series of actions that are directed towards a goal that has been previously set, so that the person can approach or distance himself/herself depending on the information obtained from the results of his/her own actions.

3. The result stage

This last stage, that of the final result, is the one in which the person experiences the consequences of achieving the objective he had chosen to achieve in previous stages and towards which he had directed his behavior.

Since there are several theories about the motivational process, we will explain them in the following sections, in order to be able to see that, although they have a somewhat different vision, all of them have been widely validated within the field of psychology.

Once we have seen the three proposals about the motivational process, we will be able to have a fairly approximate vision about this process.

Deckers' theory of the motivational process.

One of the most important theories dealing with this subject is the sequence of the motivational process proposed by Lamber Deckers. This researcher divided said process into 3 phases.

1. Choice of motive

In this first phase the subject chooses the objective or goal he/she needs to reach in order to achieve full satisfaction.. The objective you choose to achieve will depend on several factors: the attractiveness of the incentives, the intensity of the motive, the estimated effort required to achieve it, and your chances of achieving it.

2. Execution of instrumental behaviors

Once the goal has been chosen, in order to proceed with this second step of the motivational process, the subject must be sufficiently motivated. Once sufficiently motivated will proceed with the performance of the instrumental behaviors that will allow the subject to reach the goal he had previously chosen..

The instrumental behaviors to achieve a chosen objective are fundamental since it is thanks to the act of carrying them out that the subject will be able to achieve what he/she has set himself/herself. Likewise, there are often different instrumental behaviors that will allow the same objective to be achieved, even if by a different path, and in these cases, it will be the subject who will have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each of the possible paths in order to choose the one he/she is most interested in following, depending on the frequency, duration and intensity of each one.

These advantages and disadvantages of each type of instrumental behavior must be evaluated by the subject according to three fundamental factors, as described below. which are described below.

• Frequency: number of times these behaviors must be engaged or initiated to achieve the goal.
• Duration: amount of time needed to reach the goal depending on the choice of one behavior or another to achieve it.
• Intensity: amount of effort needed to perform each of the instrumental behaviors.

3. Satisfaction of the chosen motive

The final phase of the motivational process consists of the completion upon reaching the objective that the subject had chosen in the first phase, i.e. the sequence of behaviors carried out by the subject during the motivational process concludes when the intended goal has been reached.

If the objective is achieved, the subject will decide on future occasions whether to follow the same steps again to achieve the same or a similar objective; whereas if he fails to achieve it, on future occasions when he wants to try again he will have to consider whether to try again by following the same path through the execution of similar behaviors or, on the contrary, whether to change the objective for another that is more attainable.

Fernandez-Abascal's theory of the motivational process.

Enrique García Fernández-Abascal, with the help of his team of researchers, developed an alternative theory of the motivational process, which is presented in a more schematic and clearer way.

According to this author, the motivational process begins with one or more of the motivational determinants that influence the subject in such a way that the required conditions are found so that he or she can have the intention to start executing a certain behavior.

The second phase of this process begins with the activation of a series of behaviors with a given intensity, at the same time as the "intention" of the subject is activated.The second phase of this process begins with the activation of a series of behaviors with a given intensity, while the "intention" must indicate the direction that the subject must follow and towards which he will direct these behaviors. Throughout the motivational process, there is systematic feedback, so that the behavior is acting on the environment, in turn, is objecting information about the progress it is achieving through the execution of such behavior.

The term "intention" in this theory of the motivational process refers to an element that serves for the subject to receive feedback on his or her actions. the subject receives feedback on his actionsThe term "intention" in this theory of the motivational process refers to an element that serves for the subject to receive feedback on his actions, so that he can self-regulate his behaviors according to whether he needs more or less intensity in his actions or whether or not he is following the right direction to achieve his initial objectives. Therefore, intention is the most influential motivational factor on the subject's behavior.

On the other hand, it should be noted that intention is dependent on two essential factors:

• Attitude toward the behavior: evaluation as to whether the behavior is favorable or detrimental with a view to achieving the goal.
• Subjective norm: the subject's perception of whether others consider that behavior acceptable or not.

In turn, There are a number of internal and external determinants that influence people's behavior, such as those listed below.such as those listed below.

• Internal: homeostasis, heredity, cognitive processes and individual growth potential.
• External: hedonism, learning, and social interrelationships, which drive behavior.

All of the above factors influence the choice of the choice of one set of behaviors or another to achieve a goal through action via the activation phase..

The third and last phase of this model of the motivational process is that of motivational direction, which refers to the subject's tendency to move towards or away from a goal. the tendency of the subject to approach or, on the contrary, to avoid a specific goal.. This is important because activation without a direction toward which to be directed cannot trigger motivated behavior, and direction can be a crucial variable for a series of motivated behaviors to take place.

Palmero's theory of the motivational process

The theory of the motivational process proposed by Francesc Palmero seeks to provide a deeper and, at the same time, broader view of what happens throughout the motivational process. A summarized view of this proposal is explained as follows, the motivational process being divided, according to Palmero, into the following phases.

The first phase refers to the choice of an objective or goal to be achieved and the decision making process.This phase is covered by a process that begins with the appearance of the stimulus until the motivated behavior is achieved, and it is essential because without the appearance of a stimulus that triggers it, the motivational process would not be possible. If this stimulus is external, it is called 'desire'; while if it is internal, it would be called 'need'.

The second phase is where the focus of the outcome is found or, on the other hand, the control of those behaviors that have been performed in order to achieve the motivated behavior. This second step, aimed at the perception of the stimulus necessary for the initiation of the motivational process, is also fundamental, since without this perception this process would not be initiated. For this to occur, appropriate receptors must act on the subject so that he/she can perceive the stimulus.

The third phase is developed by the process of evaluation and assessment of the objectives or goals, so as to enable the subject to choose what will be the stimulus that will trigger the motivated behavior.The third phase is developed by the process of evaluation and assessment of the objectives or goals, so as to enable the subject to choose the stimulus that will trigger the motivated behavior.

The fourth phase consists of the processes of decision and choice of the objective to follow.. In order to choose the most appropriate objective to follow, the desire or need to achieve it must be assessed, as well as the value of this objective for the subject and the expectations that he/she has of being able to achieve it.

The fifth and last phase takes place through the action of the behavior once it has been motivated.. To reach this point, the subject has already chosen his goal and has chosen which behaviors to carry out among those available to him, depending on his abilities and his personal situation. This motivated behavior is the one that is constituted by all the acts carried out throughout the entire motivational process and will be aimed at achieving a specific goal.

In all these steps it is important to point out the concept of "activation" which is activated from the moment the subject detects a need that triggers the subject to propose the goal of covering this need through the actions described in the different phases of the motivational process. In this process there has been an activation of the subject's homeostasis, due to the fact that his own organism always tries to reach equilibrium by covering some deficiency or balancing its own resources.