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In-Depth Information
Morality,
creativity,
problem solving
Self esteem,
respect, achievements
Love, friendship
Safety, family, health, shelter
FIG 3.3
Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
Breathing, food & water, sex, sleep
does intend to drag down a zebra, and the zebra does intend to escape the
lion's clutches.
Motivation is as varied as the forms of physiognomy. Psychologist Abraham
Maslow's hierarchy of needs goes some way to classifying these motivations:
•
Self-actualization.
Morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving.
•
Esteem.
Confidence, achievements, respect.
•
Love/belonging.
Family grouping, sexual intimacy.
•
Safety.
Of body, of resources, of family, of health, of home.
•
Physiology.
Breathing, food and water, sex, homeostasis.
Clearly, not all living beings are motivated to respond to the same degree, and
for some organisms these “rules” may not even apply at all. The epic journey
that salmon undertake from the sea back up to the river in which they were
born in order to spawn and then die is motivated by sex and the need to pass
on their particular genes. The bounding action of a gazelle as it makes its way
through the African bush demonstrates a survival tactic to avoid predators.
The human commuter running to catch a train during the morning rush hour
may not be doing so to guarantee his genetic heritage or in an effort to avoid
predation, but nonetheless he may still be motivated by a factor of great
concern: earning money. We are all motivated by different things.
The motivations that drive this vast and varied range of movements and
actions we see within all living creatures are likely to shift and change,
creating shifts and changes within the patterns of movement of the individual
subjects. These changes may occur over various periods of time. External
forces may motivate and trigger certain actions at different time scales. For
example, every day the onset of evening brings about activities in moths
and their hunters, bats. Every autumn the shortening day results in the mass
gathering of martins and swallows for their annual migration from Europe to
Africa. Some motivating factors are even longer: The periodical breeding cycle
of some cicadas can be as long as 17 years.
