Habits, Purposes, and Ideals as Motives

Other complex learned motives arise from habit formation and from the acquisition of purposes and ideals. A child who has formed a strong habit of any kind tends to respond with that habitual reaction to the appropriate stimulation. This is one of the greatest values of habit in human behavior. The motivating force of habit is not unrelated to the simpler and more basic forms of motivation, however. To eat at a certain hour is a habit, and an individual becomes restless if his meal is delayed. To eat at some time, of course, is one of the most fundamental of motives, and the particular habit is based on this need. Thus the child may "learn" to like spinach and olives and may have a definite desire for them which he previously did not have. Many more complex forms of motivation shown in social situations have a similar origin. They are based on the original needs of the organism, but are developed through complicated processes of learning.

There is another very important factor in the relationship of habit to motivation. If a child has become accustomed or habituated to an excessive amount of some satisfaction he will be strongly motivated to seek it. The child who has been given candy cries for more. Similarly, the youngster who has been petted and protected in too great a degree is likely to spend the rest of his life looking for sympathy and guidance. To be dependent is satisfying for the child, but to have this satisfaction continued into later life is a social handicap.

Purposes and ideals also are motivating forces in the individual's behavior. A small boy may want a wagon, "skate-omobile," or scooter. He asks his father to get it for him, and the father does so. In this instance, little overt behavior is observable that may be attributed to the drive of his desire, want, or purpose. Suppose, however, that the father cannot afford to buy the scooter. The boy, if suitably trained to depend upon himself for the satisfaction of many of his own wants, may hunt about to find the necessary parts, materials, and tools and set to work making his own "skate-o-mobile" or wagon. For hours he may work at it, making many mistakes, bruising his fingers or getting splinters in them, having to try several times before he succeeds. Or the little girl who makes clothes for her doll has many things to learn and may have such high standards of excellence that she literally will work for hours, asking her mother many questions and doing things over and over, before she is satisfied with the result. Even at a younger age, long before children enter first grade, we see evidence of some purpose or, desire activating their behavior, as, for example, when a child of three or four years of age uses some blocks to build a house. The purpose in mind or incentive is not only a motivating force in the child's behavior, but it is also an organizing force through which his activities are integrated in accomplishing a given goal. The formation of suitable purposes and ideals is one of the most significant processes in the development of effective human personality. Reliance upon self in accomplishing many of his purposes is an excellent thing for the child. Even in infancy it seems desirable that the child relieve some of his own wants. If, for example, he is in an uncomfortable and cramped position and begins to cry, his own wriggling, squirming, and thrashing about are likely to overcome his discomfort. He thus learns to adjust independently, instead of expecting assistance. Purposes and ideals of children are likely to be concrete and relatively simple. They are often the expression or outgrowth of their "interests," which are thus also powerful motivating forces.