Motivation: A journey into motivated behaviour, from the study of inner processes to the most recent neuropsychological theories

By Stefano Calicchio

Discovering the history of psychology and its application areas has never been easier. This volume reviews the main currents of thought that have characterized the birth and evolution of scientific psychology. From the first laboratories of psychology to psychodynamic theory, from cognitivism to neuroscience, the first part of this guide takes you by the hand and accompanies you among the most important discoveries of the subject. The second part of the volume is dedicated to the discovery of clinical psychology, work, legal, development and the various fields of application of the subject. All this through a simple, fast and essential style of discourse. The book ends with a small self-assessment test that allows the reader to review and fix the main concepts. Forget the thousands of pages long or prohibitively expensive psychology manuals and start exploring how your mind works through a series of guides at unbeatable prices.

### THE COLLECTION ###
Psychology made simple is a collection of simple, clear and ready-to-use texts dedicated to the functioning of the human mind, whose lowest common denominator is the practicality and immediacy of its contents. From work contexts to family life, from relationships with others in search of a personal balance, everyone will be able to find answers and satisfy their desire to know, without trespassing into more complex treatments than necessary.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stefano Calicchio
• Release date: Jun 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9788835840077

Book preview

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Disclaimer

The notions in this book are of an informative nature only and do not constitute or replace medical activity. This book is for training purposes and educational purposes only. The reader assumes full responsibility for his or her choices, aware of the risks associated with any form of exercise. If you assume or are aware that you have psychological disorders, you should consult a psychologist or doctor.

Introduction

Why do people do what they do? What moves them in their intent? What mechanisms are activated when they take actions or pursue objectives?

Questions like these have always stimulated the intellect of the masses, as well as the minds of researchers and specialists. Following this assumption, psychology has turned motivated behaviour into a privileged subject of study.

It is not by chance, therefore, that motivation is a subject that is highly investigated in the psychological and social sciences. Today it is possible to find a very large number of books in the literature that deal with the subject in depth, either in accordance with specific research or following the references of the many different theoretical approaches.

This book will guide you in the study of the psychology of motivation with the spirit already adopted in the other titles of this series. In the following pages we will go into the psychological meaning of motivation; we will then list the main theories on the subject and explain the mechanisms that set individuals' actions in motion on a biological as well as on a personal and social level.

The aim is to offer the reader a clear, simple and practical vision of motivational psychology, so that he or she can profit from it not only at the level of thought but also in his or her daily life.

Enjoy your reading!

Define the motivation

We begin our journey into motivated conduct by presenting a series of definitions of the term motivation. This preview will allow us to clearly show the boundaries of the topic, so that we can then continue in the best possible way, i.e. with the deepening of the various theoretical and practical currents.

In psychology there are numerous definitions of the concept of motivation. Canestrari and Godino, in their new treatise on scientific psychology, define it as that process or inner state that [...] gives an account of why a subject undertakes (or does not undertake) an action, aimed at achieving a specific purpose or objective (cit. pg. 255 THE SCIENTIFIC PSICOLOGY, Clueb 2007).

Another interesting contribution to the definition of the