Motivation self-directed behavior

All voluntary behavior starts outas other-directed, in the sense that we follow someone else s direction (Geller 1999, 44). This direction can be in the form of training, procedures, etc. After leaning what to do, behaviors enter a self-directed stage in which the person performs the activity in a manner that will elicit a positive response. The self-directed activity may not always result in the desired behavior. Changing self-directed behaviors is often difficult because the motivators are personal (Geller 1999,44). 

Of course self-directed behavior is not always desirable. When we take a short cut, for example, we intentionally choose to ignore a safety precaution to perform more efficiently or with more comfort or convenience. In this state, people are consciously incompetent. Attempts to change self-directed behavior from incompetent to competent is often difficult, because it usually requires a relevant change in personal motivation. 

Before a bad habit can be changed to a good one, the target behavior must become self-directed. In other words, people need to become aware of their undesirable habit (as in at-risk behavior) before adjustment is possible. Then, if the person is motivated to improve, their new self-directed behavior can become automatic. 

Note that supportive intervention is typically not preceded by a specific activator. In other words, when you support self-directed behavior you don t need to provide an instructional antecedent. The person knows what to do. You don t need to activate desired behavior with a promise (an incentive) or a threat (a disincentive). The person is already motivated to do the right thing. 

Chapter 10 showed how this principle guides the development of more effective activators and Chapter 11 outlined procedures for improving the motivational power of consequences. In Chapter 9,1 introduced the concept of self-directed behavior, implying that we can provide our own activators to direct our behavior, as exemplified in Figure 20.4. Then, when we comply with a self-arranged activator, we can use positive self-talk as a motivating consequence. 

An instructional intervention is typically an activator or antecedent event used to get new behavior started or to move behavior from the automatic (habit) stage to the self-directed stage. Or it is used to improve behavior already in the self-directed stage. The aim is to get the performer s attention and instruct him or her to transition from unconscious incompetence to conscious competence. You assume that the person wants to improve, so external motivation is not needed—only external and extrinsic direction. 

Motivational intervention is clearly the most challenging, requiring enough external influence to get the target behavior started without triggering a desire to assert personal freedom. Remember the objective is to motivate a transition from conscious incompetence to a self-directed state of conscious competence. Powerful external consequences might improve behavior only temporarily, as long as the behavioral intervention is in place. Hence the individual is consciously competent, but the excessive outside control makes the behavior entirely other-directed. Excessive control on the outside of people can limit the amount of control or self-direction they develop on the inside. 

Long-term implementation of a motivational intervention, coupled with consistent supportive intervention, can lead to good habits. In other words, with substantial motivation and support, other-directed safe behavior can transition to unconscious competence without first becoming self-directed. 

Motivational intervention is clearly the most challenging, requiring enough external influence to get the target behavior started without triggering a desire to assert personal freedom. Remember the objective is to motivate a transition from conscious incompetence to a self-directed state of conscious competence. 

Most people do not consistently avoid at-risk behavior. This calls for behavior-based safety (including the use of consequences) to bring people to the principle-centered, self-motivated stage. Recall the principle 1 have emphasized several times—people act themselves into new ways of fhinking. In other words, people become principle-centered and self-directed through their routine actions. As discussed in Chapter 9, behavior-based intervention (instruction, support, or motivation) is needed to make safe behavior the routine. Then principle-centered or value-based safety eventually follows. 

Managers direct by edit for efficiency. While they might get compliance, they might also stifle self-directed motivation. Behaviors performed to comply with a prescribed standard, policy, or mandate are other-directed. They are accomplished to satisfy someone else and are likely to cease when they cannot be monitored. This happens, for example, when personal protective equipment is used at work but not at home for similar or even riskier behaviors. 

The two major approaches to the use of medications in the secondary prevention or rehabilitation of alcohohsm are 1) direct efforts to reduce or stop drinking behavior by producing adverse effects when alcohol is consumed or by modifying the neurotransmitter systems that mediate alcohol reinforcement, and 2) the treatment of persistent psychiatric symptoms, with the aim of reducing the risk of relapse by reducing the motivation to use alcohol to self-medicate such symptoms. 

Good safety and health behavior and work practices can be directly attributable to employee motivation. Motivation, in the broadest sense, is self-motivation that is, it is internal and cannot be directly measured. However, it is usually manifested in a behavior, such as always wearing eye protection when needed without being reminded. 

Activators and consequences are external to the performer (as in the environment), or internal (as in self-instructions or self-recognition). They can be intrinsic or extrinsic to a behavior, meaning that they provide direction or motivation naturally as a task is performed (as in a computer game), or they are added to the situation extrinsically to improve performance. An incentive/reward program is... 

Valuable direction and motivation can be obtained from pointing out aspects of the journey which made it possible to reach a safety milestone. Participants learn what they need to do in order to continue a successful process. Those who performed the behaviors identified as contributing to the injury prevention receive a boost in self-effectiveness, personal control, and optimism. They also add information to their intrapersonal dialogues for later self-motivation. The most important reason for pinpointing journey activities that lead to injury prevention is it gives credit where credit is owed. Focusing on the process credits the people and their behaviors that made the difference. 

The term Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) is defined as the active, goal-directed, self-control of behavior, motivation and cognition for acadenuc tasks [4-6]. Below we refer to the three main dimensions of SRL cognition, meta-cognition and motivation. 

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