Achievement Motivation Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Achievement Motivation Theory - Research Paper Example According to McClelland (1962, cited Miner 2007), individuals tend to behave as per the significance they levy on achievement, power and affiliation. Even external pressures and expectations drive individuals towards achieving their goals. From a personality perspective, the need or urge experienced by individuals to influence others and/or change people or situations point at their motivation towards achieving power. A need to earn and establish cordial relations refers to need for affiliation. Achievement need refers to excellence, competition, goals and being focussed. Achievement motivation points to these characters. These achievement needs can be characterised by certain behaviors. When individuals are driven by their needs for achievement, they tend to be focused, self-confident and have high energy levels. Such individuals tend to set achievable goals and are driven towards challenge and excellence. These individuals are also calculative in risk-taking as well as seek constant feedback on their performance or action. These individuals constantly strive towards improvement and can think innovatively (Lussier & Achua, 2009). According to McClelland’s research, the inherent need for achievement in the US population was bare minimum, which was also an indication of the number of entrepreneurs during that time. Moreover, these individuals are inclined towards high achievers and tend to adopt unconventional approaches to achieve their goal or to tackle the challenge. aspects of application of the achievement motivation theory. General Electric’s immense success and growth during Welch’s leadership conveys a theme much contrary to McClelland’s findings related to the achievement motivation quotient among the Americans. The findings from previous studies were probably true from an individual perspective; however, considering the external factors’ perspective, it would be