Types of Motives

Psychologists broadly sort human motives into two categories. Biological (or physiological) motives are guided mainly by the physiological mechanisms of the body — hunger, thirst and sex are the classic examples. Psychosocial motives, on the other hand, are mostly learned or acquired through a person's ongoing interaction with their social environment — family, friends, neighbourhood and community all play a part in shaping them; the need for achievement, affiliation, power, curiosity, and self-actualisation are examples. It is important not to treat this as a rigid, either-or split: the two kinds of motives are interdependent.

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