'Motivation' is derived from the word 'motive. Motive refers to the needs, wants, drives, impulses within individuals.
Definition
Motivation may be defined as the process of stimulating people to action, to accomplish desired goals. It involves arousing needs and desires in people to initiate and direct their behavior in a purposive manner.
According to Dalton E. McFarland, "motivation refers to the way in which urges, drives, desires, aspirations, and strivings or needs direct, control or explain the behavior of human beings".
Motivation is a psychological phenomenon, which arises from the feeling of needs and wants of individuals. It causes goal directed behavior.
Motivation can be described as the driving force within individuals that impels them to action. This driving force is produced by a state of tension, which exists as the result of an unfulfilled need. Individuals strive-both consciously and subconsciously-to reduce this tension through behavior that they anticipate will fulfill their needs and thus relieve them of the stress they feel. The specific goals they select and the patterns of action they undertake to achieve their goals are the results of individual thinking and learning.