My motivation(s)

Motivations for actions are varied. Some motivations involve a feeling of responsibility, some a material gain, still others a gain in power. Yet another motivation is an attraction to the idea of vita active - a purposeful active life. This method helps participants to enter a honest conversations with theirselves and to identify their motivational pattern

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40 minutes

copied template and pens

5-30 people

N. Zimmermann, Eliza Skowron

motivation, reflection, goal setting

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Related:

• Active Citizenship Education

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Handbook #1
Steps toward action

M. Gawinek-Dagargulia, E. Skowron, N. Zimmermann

First handbook of our Handbooks for Facilitators: Read more

Goals

• Getting a realistic picture of one's individual diverse motivations for becoming involved as an active citizen.
• Gain information about a teams 'motivational profiles' and wishes for the common colaboration
• Gain information about underrepresented and overrepresented motivational domains of yourself or a participant or mentee

Steps

1. Introduce the motivational style model and explain the different domains. A detailed description can be found here: Motivational Style

2. Ask your participants to think about the last project, task, or exercise they did with other people. Which position on the following scale describe(s) their main motivation(s)? The crosses in this table are just an example...

My motivational profile
Feeling self-sufficiency Playfulness Gaining influence Following the plan		Supporting others Envisionsing results Deepening personal relations Shaping something new

3. Ask your participants to fill out a template with the model individually and let them mark their position on these scales. For example, was their goal more result-oriented or playful? Were they more interested in the team process or in their own achievements?

4. At the end, each participant will have a personal profile, possibly with some general motivational preferences. In their teams or in a smaller group, participants may reflect on the diversity of their motivations by explaining their styles and patterns to each other.

Reflection

Step 1

• What motivates you in general?
• Are there situations or people that impair your style of motivation?

Step 2

• In a second step, ask participants to think about how their initiative could be shaped to fit all team members’ motivational preferences.

Experience

This method description is building upon the reversal theory of M. Apter. He identified the different motivational fields described here more detailed: Motivational Style.

The findings could help people to be more conscious about what they really want to do. But it can have as well another effect: Give hints, in which motivational fields one could better develop more ambition toward a better 'motivational balance' - as a condition for a balanced personality.

References