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An achievement motive is an impulse to master challenges and reach a high standard of excellence. Both personality and situational factors influence achievement motivation.
Researchers often use the Thematic Apperception Test(TAT) to measure people’s need for achievement. The TAT consists of a set of ambiguous pictures, such as one of a woman standing in the doorway of a room. Researchers ask subjects to make up stories about these pictures. Some subjects’ stories consistently contain themes that relate to achievement. Researchers consider these subjects to have a high need for achievement.
High-achievement motivation tends to lead to particular personality features. These include persistence, ability to delay gratification, and competitiveness:
Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
Expectations can result in self-fulfilling prophecies. If a student expects to get an A on a term paper, she’ll work hard, and her work will be more likely to earn her an A.
Some situational factors also affect achievement motivation. They include the expectation of success, incentives, control, and opportunity:
High Achievers Prefer Moderately Difficult Tasks
People with a high need for achievement tend to prefer moderately difficult tasks. Such tasks allow people to succeed and to see themselves as competent for having succeeded. Very difficult tasks tend to prevent success, and very easy tasks don’t allow people to feel competent when they succeed.
Goals are most likely to increase motivation to achieve if they are specific, challenging but achievable, and positive:
Example: If Steve is trying to get all his reading done for a final exam, a specific goal, such as I will finish one chapter each week,is more effective than a more diffuse goal, such as I will make sure I’m ready for my final.
Example: If Kelly has been struggling to maintain a C average in a class all semester, a goal such as I will make a B on the final exam will be more motivational than a goal such as I will get an A in this class.
Example: A goal such as I will study for an hour every weekday evening is likely to be more effective than a goal such as I will not go out on weekday evenings.
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