3.2.3.1.7 Achievement motivation theory, 3.2.3.1.10 Importance of goal setting GapFill

Achievement motivation is the   pessimismdoubtaggressionpersistence an individual displays with a task in order to succeed. 

 Tuckman'sZajonc'sVealey'sAtkinson’s model of achievement motivation

This model, developed in 1964, is based on the willingness of an individual to strive for success. It is divided into personality components and situational components. 

Personality components:

• Need to  archive experiencearrive at greatnessavoid failureachieve (Nach) – concerned with performing successfully and, therefore, display high levels of achievement motivation. These performers usually possess  approachaggressiveassertiveachievement behaviour as they are motivated to engage with difficult tasks in a positive manner.
• Need to  achieve failureavoid fearavoid failureachieve fear (Naf) – preoccupied with thinking that they may perform poorly and, therefore, display low levels of achievement motivation.

Situational components:

•  InternalIncentiveInternationalInterim value – the intrinsic worth that the performer attributes to completing the task successfully.  For example, successful completion of a complex task will have more intrinsic worth than completion of a simple task. 
• Probability of  achievementsuccesswinningfailure – how likely a performer is to succeed in their performance.  This is inversely related to the above, as the greater the complexity of a task, the lower the likelihood that it will be successfully completed.

Achievement goal theory

This theory suggests that the type of achievement goal influences an individual’s motivation. It is broken down into two types of goal:

•  OutcomeProcessTaskPerformance-oriented goals – the comparison of performance with others to achieve an end goal. Those who are focused this way tend not to persist with tasks which they find difficult and perceive their ability to be high when they beat others but low in defeat.    
•  PerformanceTaskProcessOutcome-oriented goals – the comparison of performance with an individual’s own previous performances. Those focused through this type of goal tend to be void of fear of failure and judge their ability in relation to their own personal performance standards.