{"id":"mymindmine-knowledge-motivation-v1","slug":"motivation","domain":"mind","title":"Motivation","deck":"Processes that give behavior direction, energy, and persistence.","directAnswer":"Motivation describes forces that give behavior purpose or direction and influence willingness to expend effort toward an outcome.","mechanism":["Motivation can arise from internal goals, needs, values, interests, or external incentives.","Expected reward, effort, uncertainty, identity, and perceived attainability can all alter action selection.","Motivation changes with state; the same goal can compete differently under different conditions."],"whyItMatters":["Knowing an action is useful does not guarantee that the current state makes it selectable.","Trajectory models need both desirability and feasibility."],"questions":["Why can someone want an outcome but still not act?","What is intrinsic motivation?","How do rewards change motivation?"],"related":["decision-making","executive-function","self-regulation","agency"],"sources":[{"label":"APA Dictionary: motivation","url":"https://dictionary.apa.org/motivation","publisher":"American Psychological Association"}],"updated":"2026-09-20","canonicalUrl":"https://www.mymindmine.com/mind/motivation","author":{"name":"John Brajer","url":"https://www.mymindmine.com/people/john-brajer"},"publisher":"MyMindMine","knowledgeSystem":"MyMindMine Knowledge System v1","epistemicBoundary":{"externalSources":"Sources support the external factual orientation.","originalLayer":"Brajology and MyMindMine interpretations are original framework material and are not attributed to external sources."}}