Linking Motivation and Regulation

There are many different schools of thought offering differing theories of what motivation is and how it develops. It can be hard to get your head around them all! One thing that is evident yet often overlooked is the influence motivation has on regulation. As there are just as many different definitions of regulation, I’m going to define it here as “the ability to achieve, change or maintain thoughts, feelings, behaviour, attention and arousal for the given situation and occupation”. A wordy definition, but one that hopefully summarises both the process and end goal of regulation.

The link between motivation and regulation is most easily seen when we look at motivation as a cycle in relation to the achievement of a goal or occupation. The cycle begins with internal or external motivators influencing thoughts and feelings, which in turn influence behaviour; behaviour then influences task performance, and task perfomance influences motivators.

Motivators can either be internal (intrinsic) or external (extristic). Internal motivators are (as the name suggests) things that motivate an individual from within, such as meeting wants and needs, gaining attention, intimacy or control. External motivators, on the other hand, are gained from things external to an individual, such as tangible rewards, punishment and approval or disapproval from others.

An individual’s motivation cycle will change depending on the sought after goal (or occupation), and the influence motivators, thoughts, behaviours, and performance has on the achievement of the goal. The motivation cycle will either reinforce an individual to seek attainment of the goal, or will diminish the desire to achieve the goal (motivational strength). Motivational strength often changes over time, something that was once highly motivating is no longer, and vice versa. If an individual percieves an increase in competence, their desire to continue the behaviour (and their motivational strength) will often increase.

So how does this relate to regulation?

There are two ways motivation and self regulation interact:

1. How motivation influences an individual to engage in regulatory behaviours.
2. How an individual uses regulation to restrain motivation.

Looking at the motivational cycle, successful goal achievement or occupational engagement will be dependant on each aspect in the entire cycle. The extent to which an individual regulates their thoughts, feelings, behaviours and performance factors (such as attention and arousal) will be dependent on their motivation to achieve the goal they have set out to. If an individual lacks the motivation to alter or maintain required thoughts/feelings/behaviours/attention/arousal, they will be unsuccessful at achieving the goal/occupation due to a lack of regulation.

While we need motivation to engage in regulation, we also need regulation to manage motivational conflict. Motivational conflict is when an individual needs to decide between two or more choices; both desirable or both undesirable. Alternatively they may wish to do something that is both desirable and undesirable, so the conflict is to do or not do, rather than a choice between behaviours.

Both of these relationships are really important to understand when supporting an individual to develop their regulation skills, as they can both be utilised to support regulation development. If an individual is lacking the motivation to engage in an occupation they need or are expected to engage in, understanding their internal motivators and careful use of external motivators can influence their motivational cycle towards successful task performance.

External motivators need to be selected and used carefully for a number of reasons. Studies have shown that external motivators can be used to increase internal motivation by creating a feeling of percieved competence in a task. However other studies have also shown that an over reliance of external motivators, or using external motivators when internal motivation was already present, can lead to a decrease in internal motivation. While I have often used external motivators to support individuals to engage in occupations they may have otherwise not been willing to try, I am always careful to first utilise their internal motivation and desires. If I am using an external motivator, I try to simultaneously increase internal motivation, with the end goal to either fade the external motivator or to ensure it is easily accessible in a variety of environments (high fives are great for this!). Remember that the removal or absence of an external motivator previously used will have an impact on the motivation cycle and therefore regulation of an individual. Consider the availability of external motivators in various environments and situations, and alternative options before using one. And don’t forget to utilise internal motivation, especially if your goal is “self” regulation!

Motivational conflict can be created artificially to support skill development and occupation performance. For example, a child with autism may be highly motivated by an item but not motivated to communicate with an adult. Asking the child to make a communication attempt prior to receiving the highly desired item creates a motivational conflict. On one hand, the child is motivated to make the communication attempt as they want the item. But at the same time the communication attempt is difficult for them so therefore undesirable. If the desirable outweighs the undesirable, the child will make the communication attempt and be rewarded with both the physical item and a feeling of power and control (internal motivation).

The same principle can be applied when encouraging an individual to utilise regulation skills. A child who may have difficulty sitting in a group may be able to regulate their attention and behaviour (e.g. wriggling, moving away from the group) if the group activity is something that is desirable to them. Using motivational conflicts should be used with caution and an understanding that it can deplete an individual’s regulation, so therefore shouldn’t be overused and conflict free time (when an individual can follow their motivation) should be given as frequently as needed.

For more on regulation, check out Understanding the Regulation Rocket.