Motivation Hockenbury and Hockenbury

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I had the fairytale ending of what my family wanted but I felt like I was in a maze all along.

I felt a part of myself missing and my psychological needs not being fulfilled. Maslow humanistic theories of motivation were based on the idea that people are motivated to achieve their highest potential. Maslow believed that one biological need are met, higher psychological needs emerge to motivate human behavior. (Hockenbury and Hockenbury 2012, p. 333) He believed that we are motivated to satisfy each level of his hierarchy of needed before we can move up to the next level. Looking back as I review Maslow’s hierarchy of needs stages – my basic needs were met but some of the psychological needs were yet to be satisfied that I had difficulty advancing to the higher hierarchy stage. I didn’t have the sense of belongingness outside my family and the feeling of accomplishment for myself. This made me realized that my past motivation became the success block for myself.

Doing things simply for me was a difficult change as I have been doing things for others that it became a normal thing to do. Coming to realization of making myself as a priority opened a lot of dreams and excitement of new things to explore for myself. I had the courage to go to back to school to fulfill my dreams of becoming a nurse practitioner. I learned to have a voice for myself – to let others know what I feel and want for myself. I still struggle with these issues everyday but I have made long strides the last few years. I am motivated to do the best for myself and knowing that when I am at my best I can bring positive contributions and outcome for my family and my community. I think with maturity and life experience, I realized that the best motivation needs to come from within yourself.

I am proud to where I am at this point of my life. I still have a lot of things to work on and I know this will always be a work in progress. I am thankful for my past experiences and challenges as it molded me to who I am today.

References:

Huitt, W. (2011). Motivation to learn: An overview. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/motivation/motivate.html

Hockenbury and Hockenbury (2012). Psychology. New York, NY : Worth Publisher.