Motivation and Personal Agency
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” - Zig Ziglar
We often feel unmotivated. What is going on when this happens? We are having doubts. Maybe our self-efficacy is low, or our outcome expectancies lack confidence, or our perceived competence is questionable, or our perceived control is absent, or maybe all the above.
Our personal agency, which is our subjective sense of control, autonomy, and capability over our actions, thoughts, and life outcomes are missing in action. Without personal agency, our motivation is severely handicapped. What can we do to get our personal agency and ultimately our motivation back? Personal agency comes in two parts, capability beliefs and context beliefs.
Capability Beliefs
Capability beliefs reflect judgments about whether one has the knowledge, skills and biological capabilities needed to attain a goal. Here we are talking about one’s belief in self. This self-influence has not always been as prominent as it is today.
Psychological theories during the first half of the twentieth century relegated self as an insignificant impact on behaviour. Psychoanalysts believed human functioning was explained by concealed inner impulses.
Behaviourists devalued internal influences as causal agents altogether; the sole focus was on environmental contingencies as both causes and reinforcers of behaviour. Not until the second half of the twentieth century did the humanists view self as an important determinant of individual functioning.
Context Beliefs
Context beliefs emphasize situational, cultural, or personal background factors to explain how an individual understands, forms, or acts on their beliefs. These beliefs often determine when a belief is considered true, relevant, or justified, with many beliefs only making sense within a specific environment. Context beliefs suggest that beliefs change as the context changes. Trying to organize a climate change rally in an environment of climate deniers would be considered futile.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Myth of Motivation
Let’s be honest, we are always motivated. We may not be motivated in the right or preferred direction but we are always motivated. Whether we are lying on the couch, watching TV, playing a video game, or whatever, we are motivated to do what we are doing.
The myth of motivation is that we are either motivated or not motivated. Motivation is a 360-degree proposition. Take procrastination for example. We are motivated to go away from something we are not willing or ready to do. We are motivated to put whatever off. There is motivation in this decision. However, we will constantly justify this behaviour as being unmotivated.
Perhaps blaming our behaviour on lack of motivation makes this more palatable in some way. Motivation is difficult to maintain. But the myth prevails, we are still motivated even when we deny it. So, how do we move beyond making excuses for not being motivated? We will have to eventually enhance our personal agency. Personal agency drives motivation, regardless of whether it is derived from capability or context.
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
Improving One’s Personal Agency
Capability beliefs are enhanced through self-trust. Self-trust is crucial to capability beliefs. How will you make decisions if you are lacking self-trust? You would be indecisive and probably procrastinate more often. Each time this occurs you would also be reinforcing the belief that you cannot trust yourself.
Not being able to trust yourself can lead to many of the mental health issues that you do not want. It may fuel anxiety because you are unsure of more situations due to your lack of confidence in yourself.
Lack of self-trust may lead to depression due to your increased isolation because you are not trusting yourself in the world. Intrusive thoughts may also become more prominent because your lack of self-trust increases your fears.
Elevating your self-trust will boost your confidence and your resilience. You will be less likely to fall into negative thoughts and feelings, which allows you to make decisions with more confidence. Your capability beliefs have been enhanced through your self-trust. Capability beliefs are an example of an internal locus of control.
The difference between an internal and an external locus of control is based on perception. We appear to control our perceptions through our choices. When we do not believe our choices will make a difference our motivation to act is diminished. This potentially explains in part the ‘why bother’ in today’s vernacular. Context beliefs are dependent on an external locus of control. Our actions must be considered appropriate to the environment. When these actions are inappropriate to the context of the environment, the opportunity to successfully accomplish our goal will be diminished.
The reality of personal agency is that we need a hybrid model of capability and context beliefs. Successful personal agency will depend on which beliefs are apropos in situ. Our perceptual skills will be at their best when our personal agency elevates to the motivation we are seeking.
When we take action, we tend not to feel as though things simply happen to us, instead we feel we are in charge. Personal agency gives us a feeling of being in control of our outcomes. You are free to accept or challenge your thoughts. Being unmotivated is not an option. You are well aware that motivation is within your power to decide!
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