Management and Organizational Studies 3321F/G Chapter 4: Chapter 4

• School: Western University
• Department: Management and Organizational Studies
• Course: Management and Organizational Studies 3321F/G
• Professor: Tara Lee

Document Summary

Motivation = processes that cause people to behave as they do. Occurs when a need is aroused that consumer wishes to satisfy. Once a need has been activated, a state of tension exists that drives the consumer to attempt to reduce or eliminate the need: need can be utilitarian (functional/practical) or hedonic (experiential/emo. ) Magnitude of tension determines urgency the consumer feels to reduce the tension: degree of arousal = drive. Personal and cultural factors combine to create a want = manifestation of a need. Once goal is attained, tension is reduced, motivation recedes. Motivation can be described in terms of its strength (pull it exerts) and direction (way consumer attempts to reduce motivational tension) Degree to which a person is willing to expand energy to reach one goal as opposed to another reflects their underlying motivation to attain that goal. Two basic theoretical categories that account for motivational strength are: drive theories and expectancy theories.