Achievement motive

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The achievement motive is one of the best-researched secondary motives in motivational psychology . At Heinz Heckhausen it is defined as the enduring endeavor to deal with quality standards and, under certain circumstances, to increase one's own performance .

Those who are positively motivated to perform want to do something good, better or the best. This can be a specific task, activity or skill, for example.

According to the traditional view, a person's motive is “stimulated” by appropriate incentives in the environment. The achievement motive is stimulated when the person has the prospect of being able to measure himself against a quality standard. This leads to a motivation to seek out or avoid the incentive.

The two most important subcomponents of achievement motivation are seen as the confidence to succeed (hope of success) and fear of failure (fear of failure).

literature

• Klaus Schneider; Heinz-Dieter Schmalt: Motivation . 3. Edition. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-17-016181-4 , p. 273 f .