7.1 Motivation to Work

Cambridge International AS & A Level Psychology (9990)

What is Motivation?

Motivation is the reason why a person does something — the force that drives them to act, work hard, or keep going even when things get difficult.

In the workplace, motivation explains:

• Why some employees work harder than others
• Why some people feel energised and engaged at work, while others feel bored or disengaged
• What managers can do to help their workers perform better

Psychologists have developed several theories to explain workplace motivation. These fall into two broad groups:

• Need theories — which focus on the needs people have that must be satisfied in order to feel motivated
• Cognitive theories — which focus on how people think about their goals and what they expect to gain from working hard

1.1 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist who proposed that every human being has a set of needs arranged in a specific order of importance — like a pyramid. This arrangement is called the hierarchy of needs.

The key idea is simple: you must satisfy the needs at a lower level before you can be motivated by the needs at a higher level. You can't focus on feeling respected at work if you haven't eaten or if you don't feel safe.

The Five Levels (from bottom to top):

Level 1 — Physiological Needs (the base of the pyramid) These are the most basic survival needs: food, water, warmth, sleep, and shelter.

• At work, this translates to: receiving a wage that is enough to buy food and pay for housing.
• If someone cannot afford to eat, they will not care about anything higher up the pyramid.

Level 2 — Safety Needs Once basic survival is covered, people need to feel secure and free from danger.

• At work: job security (knowing you won't suddenly lose your job), safe working conditions, a stable contract, and pension plans.
• Example: A factory worker who is always worried about being made redundant (let go from their job) will focus on this level until they feel safe.

Level 3 — Love and Belonging Needs (Social Needs) Once safety is secured, people need to feel connected to others — to belong to a group and have positive relationships.

• At work: friendship with colleagues, feeling like part of a team, having a supportive manager, and a sense of community.
• Example: A new employee who feels isolated and has no friends at work will not be motivated to reach higher goals until they feel included.

Level 4 — Esteem Needs At this level, people need to feel valued, respected, and competent.

• At work: receiving praise from a manager, being given responsibility, earning a promotion, winning an award for performance, or having your ideas listened to.
• There are two types of esteem:
  • Self-esteem — how you feel about yourself (proud, confident)
  • Esteem from others — how others see you (respected, recognised)

Level 5 — Self-Actualisation (the top of the pyramid) This is the highest need. Self-actualisation means reaching your full potential — becoming the best version of yourself.

• At work: this could mean being given creative freedom, taking on challenging projects, developing new skills, or doing work that feels deeply meaningful.
• Maslow believed very few people actually reach this level, because lower needs are constantly pulling attention back down the pyramid.

Key Points to Remember:

• The hierarchy goes in order — lower needs must be met first.
• Needs at the top (self-actualisation) are more about personal growth and fulfilment.
• In a work context, managers should identify which level an employee is currently at and focus on satisfying that level to keep them motivated.
• One criticism of this theory is that it is quite rigid — in real life, people may be motivated by multiple levels at the same time, or may jump between levels depending on their circumstances.