The word “motivation” comes from the Latin term motivus, “a moving cause”. It is described as the force that drives us to pursue a goal, including the desire to continue pursuing meaning, purpose, and a life worth living. It fuels competition and boosts social connection. Its absence can lead to mental illnesses such as depression.
People often have multiple motives for engaging in any one behaviour. Motivation might be extrinsic. That means a person is inspired by outside forces—other people or rewards. Anything promised for completing the task or received as a result of completing the task are extrinsic motivators. Extrinsic motivation can increase motivation in the short term, but over time it may gradually decrease.
Motivation can also be intrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes purely from within, with no expected reward, deadline, or outside pressure. For example, people who are intrinsically motivated to run do so because they love the feeling of running itself. Compared to extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation tends to push people more forcefully, and the achievements are more satisfying, since it is integrated into identity and serves as a continuous source of motivation.
To understand motivation, Abraham Maslow introduced the concept of hierarchy of needs (需求层次) in 1943. According to Maslow, humans are intrinsically motivated to meet physical needs, the most fundamental ones such as needs for food. Then they gradually satisfy several levels of needs from safety, to higher-order needs for love, belonging, and self-respect, and finally move to ward expressing their full potential—self-actualization, the desire to become the most that one can be.
Although the generality of Maslow’s theory has been challenged, many believe it reveals fundamental truths about human motivation. No matter where motivation begins, there are always ways to increase it — whether that be your own motivation or someone else’s. Sometimes you might feel completely unmotivated — and that’s OK. In that situation, allow yourself to feel the discomfort, hear the negative self-talk, and then take action anyway.
【小题1】What is motivation?【小题2】Why is intrinsic motivation more powerful?
【小题3】Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▷According to Maslow, we are motivated by different levels of needs, starting at the lowest and the most basic level known as self-actualization needs.
【小题4】In what way(s) do you think you can get motivated? (In about 40 words)
How to Get Water to Survive in the Woods
Have you ever been on a hike in the woods admiring the great views, and suddenly found yourself completely alone and lost?
Finding a good source of water is one of the most important things to do in order to survive in the woods.
Purify (净化) your water. A good method of water purification is to take your handy pot and heat the water. If you want to effectively kill bacteria, it must be at a rolling boil for at least three minutes.
| A．When you hike, always bring water. |
| B．You can also put water in a clear plastic bottle. |
| C．Any disease you may get can be treated when you return. |
| D．You can last up to three days without water. |
| E．Be sure you can always find your way back. |
| F．Being lost in the woods can be a frightening experience. |
| G．The best source of water is a spring. |
When we came across a troublesome problem, we often gather a group to brainstorm. However, plenty of evidence has shown that when we generate ideas together, we fail to maximize collective intelligence.
To unearth the hidden potential in teams, we’d better turn to a process called “brainwriting”. You start by asking group members to write down what is going on in their brains separately. Next, you collect them and share them among the group without telling the authors. Then, each member evaluates them on his or her own, only after which the team members come together to select and improve the most promising options. By developing and assessing ideas individually before choosing and expanding on them, the team can surface and advance possibilities that might not get attention otherwise.
An example of great brainwriting was in 2010 when 33 miners were trapped underground in Chile. Given the urgency of the situation, the rescue team didn’t hold brainstorming sessions. Rather, they established a global brainwriting system to generate individual ideas. A 24-year-old engineer came up with a tiny plastic telephone. This specialized tool ended up becoming the only means of communicating with the miners, making it possible to save them.
Research by organizational behavior scholar Anita Woolley and her colleagues helps to explain why this method works. They find that the key to collective intelligence is balanced participation. In brainstorming meetings, its too easy for participation to become one-sided in favor of the loudest voices. The brainwriting process ensures that all ideas are brought to the table and all voices are brought into conversation. The goal isn’t to be the smartest person in the room. It’s to make the room smarter.
Collective intelligence begins with individual creativity, but it doesn’t end there. Individuals produce a greater volume and variety of novel ideas when they work alone. That means they not only come up with more brilliant ideas than groups but also more terrible ideas. Therefore, it takes collective judgment to find the signal in the noise and bring out the best ideas.
【小题1】What’s the purpose of brainwriting?| A．To discover the hidden potential in teams. | B．To minimize collective intelligence. |
| C．To use thinkers’ brains separately. | D．To develop and assess ideas individually. |
| A．Brainstorming sessions. | B．The urgency of the situation. |
| C．A tiny plastic telephone. | D．Researchers from universities. |
| A．Brainstorming | B．Balanced participation. |
| C．Collective intelligence. | D．Brainwriting |
| A．What is brainwriting. | B．How best ideas occur. |
| C．Why brainwriting is good. | D．Where best ideas are. |
On many websites, experts share advice on how to achieve your life goals. Most of the experts agree on one thing.
●Get up an hour early.
People who get up early in the morning get a jump on the day. In American English, we like to say, “The early bird gets the worm.” Here, if you were a bird, the worm would be the reward.
●Exercise!
Some people may disagree with this one. Exercising in the morning may not be for everyone. Some people like to exercise after work or at night. However, at the end of the day, you may not have the tune or energy to exercise.
●Think about your day at night.
Take time at the end of the day to think back on all the things that have happened. And spend a little time thinking about tomorrow.
| A．This is not the best way to start your day. |
| B．Starting your day in a right way is most important. |
| C．Also, know that your day will probably change. |
| D．You’ve already gotten your exercise! |
| E．Exercising in the morning prevents that from happening. |
| F．So this expression means that people who rise early have an advantage. |
| G．Some people who talk about “living in the present” may disagree with this. |
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