Theories of motivation have been developed by various scientific schools over a long historical time, and today a lot of scientific approaches to explain this phenomenon have been formed. A.N. Leont'ev, for example, believed that motive and motivation in psychology represent a whole sphere of scientific interest, in the framework of which the questions of abilities, the dynamics of mental processes associated with knowledge and their assimilation are studied. Therefore, the answer to the question of what a motive is, he sought in his sources - practical activity. This approach in science has been called cognitive, where consciousness and knowledge occupy a central place.
Other approaches have investigated motivation as a factor in behavioral origin and significance. In particular, Atkinson developed a concept according to which, in addition to the knowledge aspect itself, the motive was considered as a regulator of behavior, that is, its significance expanded, extending to almost the entire sphere of social relations.
In the most general form, motives can be interpreted as stable incentive reasons for a person to commit any actions, actions, or even leading a certain lifestyle. Motivation in this context appears as a dynamic process, which includes the initialization of human behavior, determining the direction of this behavior, explaining it to yourself and others, organization and activity, that is, the degree of activity sustainability in accordance with this motive.
Understanding what a motive is is the initial parameter of the characterization of human needs. This shows its strength, the frequency of manifestation and occurrence, methods and methods of implementation. Another important significance of the motive as a concept acquires in the study of the purpose of human activity. Here his nature is manifested in the fact that he determines the relevance of the goal and the degree of its awareness. The fact is that behavior motivation quite often manifests itself as conscious and unconscious
In order to more systematically imagine what a motive is, what scientific interpretations are accepted and formed in science, it is best to show the content of concepts that have developed in psychology in relation to this problem.
Darwin's evolutionary theory gave impetus to the study of the psychic nature of man, first at the level of instincts. Freud, MacDougall, Pavlov and others sought to explain many (if not all) forms of human behavior by the action of innate instincts, which they considered as the main motivational attitudes. Then the limitations of such an interpretation led to the appearance of a behavioral theory (behavioristic).
This direction in psychology was most clearly defined in the works of Watson, Hull, and Skinner, in which they tried to explain the motive as determining behavior, stimulus-reactive factor. Bernstein and Anokhin made a significant contribution to the development of this area of psychology and clarification of what a motive is and what its nature is.
In the second half of the last century, the well-known doctrine of the “consumer society” was formed, one of the theorists of which was W. Maslow. Representatives of this scientific school interpreted the motive as a dynamic phenomenon that develops in accordance with the evolution of human needs. They represented such as follows. Needs are formed sequentially and accompany the whole person’s life. Their dynamics is as follows: first, physiological (hunger, thirst, etc.) needs arise and develops, then, subsequently, needs for security, for belonging and love, for respect, for knowledge and skills (cognitive), for self-actualization (realization of one’s goals) . In parallel with this process, there is a process of development of a person’s motivational sphere, which may be late in relation to needs, or may be ahead of it. This discord or harmony, ultimately, determines the behavior of a person in society.