Through my many meetings with Mr. Anthony, it has become quite clear that what he lacks most is motivation. There is so much he would like to do, yet he does not make a large enough effort to do what he wants. It is hard for him to stop focusing on the fact that he is stuck in a bad situation. Together, Mr. Anthony and I have decided to help him to become more motivated. I hope this will enable him to be able to make the best out of a bad situation.
To start, I asked Mr. Anthony to use a self-anchoring scale, and to tell me where he was holding in terms of motivation. He reported that he was feeling to be somewhere in the middle, around the number five. The reason for this is he has good thoughts, he knows that he would like to be doing more, but he is not acting on these thoughts. Mr. Anthony would like to be more independent, but he feels that because he is living in a nursing home this goal is virtually impossible. If he were to start doing more things on his own, he would see that he has more control than he realizes. When it comes to therapy being effective, research shows that motivation is imperative (Ryan, Lynch, Vansteenkist, & Deci, 2010) . It is important to find out what will peak Mr. Anthony’s interest. Once that is done, we can move on to finding things for him to do which will be interesting for him. I would like for him to slowly start doing some of the things which are offered to him. For example, he enjoys reading, there is a library at the nursing home which is well stocked. To start, I would like Mr. Anthony to push himself to go down to the library once a week to read or look at books. He will then see that he will be a little bit happier. Research has shown that motivation may be effected by the concern people have for self-enhancement (McCasli, Petty, & Wegener, 2010) .
Many people are not motivated to change because they do not like change, others put on a show of being motivated and wanting to change, but deep down they are not interested in change. When someone is motivated, it helps him or her to act (Ryan, Lynch, Vansteenkist, & Deci, 2010) . By looking for things for Mr. Anthony to do which will make him feel more independent and motivated, he will be more motivated to keep doing these things. It is a cycle.
It important to mention the intrinsic motivation theory. This theory states that a person feels that he or she would like to do something because he or she knows that it will be a pleasant experience. It is something that one may get pleasure out of (Quigley, Tesluk, Locke, & Bartol, 2007) . When Mr. Anthony experiences the pleasure felt by doing something that he wants to do, when he wants to do it, he will feel more motivated to do it again, and perhaps in different ways.
Mr. Anthony is currently lost in a bad cycle. He is not motivated to help himself, and is therefore is stuck making the worst out of a bad situation. He has the power to change this vicious cycle, into a more pleasant and healthier one. Mr. Anthony can do this by getting himself out of his room. It is important for him to realize that he is not in the worst situation imaginable, and that he is able to make a difference in his own life.
References:
McCasli, M. J., Petty, R. E., & Wegener, D. T. (2010). Self-Enhancement and Theory Based Correction Processes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , 830-835.
Quigley, N. R., Tesluk, P. E., Locke, E. A., & Bartol, K. M. (2007). A Multilevel Investigation of the Motivational Mechanisms Underlying Knowledge and Sharing Performance. Organization Science , 71-88.
Ryan, R. M., Lynch, M. F., Vansteenkist, M., & Deci, E. L. (2010). Motivation and Autonomy in Counseling, Psychotherapy, and Behavior Change: A Look at Theory and Practice. The Counseling Psychologist , 194-242.
For the self anchoring scale, use one of his goals as the variable. For example, if one of his goals is Independence, then 10 should be when he was most independent and 0 when he was least independent. "Motivation" is too nebulous. For example when you say, research shows that motivation is imperative, I have to ask, what kind of motivation? And imperative to what? I know that clients who are highly motivated are most likely to change. Is that what we're talking about here?
ReplyDeleteI like your use of intrinsic motivation theory but I'd also like a more complete description of what it entails. How is it different from social learning theory?
Have you asked Mr. Anthony what would be the best method to motivate him? How has he gotten motivated in the past? What helps him be independent and what hinders him?