McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory
by Brenton Henry, Safoy Pinnock and Joshua Vasquez | April 2, 2020
Motivation in Psychology
Why do you sometimes wake up happy and ready to take on the day, while at other times you wake up feeling sad and anxious? Chances are, you’ve experienced different levels of motivation. Motivation according to Myers (2010), is “a need or desire that energizes behavior and directs it toward a goal” (p. 476). The study of motivation has been excessively underscored particularly in recent years (AllPsych, 2018). In Psychology, an understanding of how motivation works, can help you to analyse how biological, psychological and environmental variables impact on your own levels of motivation.
Content vs Process Theories of Motivation
There are many theories of motivation and these can be classified as either content or process motivation theories. In a nutshell, content theories provide an explanation about what motivation actually is. On the other hand, process theories tell how motivation actually works. Expert Program Management (2019) uses the following diagram to demonstrate the theories of motivation that subscribe to either content or process attributes. Click here to read more!
McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory
Today, we will be focusing on McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory, which is one of the content theories of Motivation Psychology. McClelland (1961) in examining the motivation for achievement, determined that individuals create and manipulate their environment in many ways as they search for achievement. They encourage and supplement their achievement motives based on psychological factors. It was from this work that his Theory of Achievement Motivation developed. Watch the short video below to acquaint yourself with how this theory works!
“People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar
Being motivated, according to McClelland’s Theory arises from one of three motives: achievement, power or affiliation. However, only one of these factors at a time can impact an individual’s behaviour. The tenets of this theory also extend that internal or external drivers influence the manifestation of either achievement, power or affiliation (Souders, 2020). Are you motivated by power, achievement or affiliation? for a moment about how McClellan’s Achievement Motivation Theory would apply to the way you learn. The following chart collated by Jayabalan (2016) summarizes the key behaviours which individuals whose motives lie in the various categories, would exhibit.
Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right. — Henry Ford, 1863–1947
McClelland (1961) proposes that the motivators for his theory are learned and the drivers are the same for individuals, irrespective of their age, gender or class. The theory can be applied even in workspaces, where managers can use it to inspire workers to produce. Read this article by Emerald Works (2020) to see how this could be applied.
Are You Ready to Load Your Motivation?
Although motivation can be tough, being guided by a structured theory such as we have just discussed, will help to increase your personal motivation level.
Summary
The pictorial below provides a quick summary of McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory which, as you now know, is hinged on three tenets: power, affiliation and achievement. Do some introspection to see what motivates you. Let us know in the comments below!
About the Authors: Brenton Henry, Safoy Pinnock and Joshua Vasquez are undergraduate students reading for the Bachelor of Psychology (BSc.) at the University of the West Indies. They are first-year students with a zeal for unpacking the human condition.
References
AllPsych. (2018). Motivation. In Psychology 101. Psych Central’s Virtual Psychology Classroom. Retrieved from: allpsych.com/psychology101/motivation/#.VVuUHLIVhHw
Centre for Executive Education. (2019, September, 19). David McClelland’s motivation theory [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGrxuKigOAw
Emerald Works (2020). McClelland’s human motivation theory. MindTools. Retrieved from: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/human-motivation-theory.htm
Expert Program Management. (2019). Theories of Motivation. Retrieved from: https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2019/06/theories-of-motivation/
Jayabalan, P. (2016, September, 30). As a leader, are you a motivator? Leadernomics. Retrieved from: https://leaderonomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/infographic-2.jpg
McClelland, D.C. (1961). The achieving society. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership Historical Research Reference in Entrepreneurship. Retrieved from: https:://ssrn.com/abstract=1496181
Myers, D. G. (2010). Psychology (9th ed.) New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Rocky, R. H. (2020). McClelland’s theory of needs [Photograph]. Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/740208888731949919/?autologin=true
Souders, B. (2020, March, 12). 20 Most popular theories of motivation in Psychology. Positive Psychology. Retrieved from: https://positivepsychology.com/motivation-theories-psychology/
Ziglar, Z. (2020). Quotable quote. Goodreads. Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/784099-people-often-say-motivation-doesn-t-last-neither-does-bathing-that-s-why.