Motivations? What drives your behaviors?

Personal Behavior: What motivates us to do what we do?

We’ve been enjoying a series based on VerAegis LifeLine, the fourth book of the VerAegis, the Legacy Series. We’ve learned that our drive for self-improvement requires relationships and that only through interactions can we achieve our best. But why? Why do we behave the way we do when alone or with others? Abraham Maslow asserted that we are motivated, in part, by our environment and that while on the path of personal growth, we are not inclined to address our needs for social interaction before fulfilling more basic needs. Ultimately, Maslow believed we are driven by the need to love and be loved, respect and be respected, and to realize our full potential based on our set of moral and personal values.

It is easy to accept the premise that we react to our circumstances and our environment, but upon further reflection, it appears our responses stem from something more profound than our environment alone. What drives people to behave so differently under similar circumstances? According to Dr. Taylor Hartman, author of The People Code, each of us is born with our personality, our desires, and motivations, just as we are born with a soul. The fundamental premise of The People Code is that innate motivations drive our behaviors and that to better understand why we and others behave as we do, we first need to recognize each person’s intrinsic motivation.

God-Given Gifts

Yes, we are motivated by our circumstances to respond, but how we react is driven by our personality, our physical, and our mental capabilities—our God-given gifts. According to Dr. Hartman, our personality, forged from our core motivations, is predominately determined at birth. We learn behaviors, but we learn uniquely based on our intrinsic motivations as well as our innate capabilities. Our behaviors, good and bad, stem from our unique combination of motivations and pursuant personality traits, both strengths, and weaknesses. Relating to people according to where they and we are on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and according to intrinsic motivations is essential to effective communication and relationships.

Four Basic Human Motivations

Hartman asserts that there are only four motivations that drive the human race (Figure 4):

1. Power―the drive to get things done,
2. Intimacy―the drive to enjoy close relationships and accomplish our goals through close-knit teamwork;
3. Peace―the desire to accept and be accepted; and
4. Fun―the desire to enjoy each day and each person “in the moment.”

We are gifted unique strengths, which when applied faithfully and diligently improve our lives and the lives of others. Relationships are more fulfilling when we each contribute using our strengths to complement and build up rather than trample and criticize the weaknesses of our loved ones, friends, and colleagues. Our relationships and our productivity suffer when we fail to capitalize on strengths, but instead dwell upon weaknesses. Instead, we apply strengths to offset weaknesses.

Questions to Ponder

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another, the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NLT)

As you ponder the following questions, refer to pages 19 and 20 in VerAegis LifeLine!

Spiritual Gifts and Motivations

The importance of understanding motivations and spiritual gifts is twofold. First, to each is given a unique personality comprised of a distinct combination of motivations and gifts which drive our behaviors. Second, ignoring our intrinsic motivations and talents, similar to ignoring our moral compass, will lead us down a rough road. It follows that we will be happier and healthier (less stressed) if we align our behaviors and actions to both our values and core motivations―which, in turn, fuel our deepest desires. Moreover, our unique (and honed) physical and mental gifts combined with our primary motivations embody our instincts and insights which enable us to succeed in our relationships and in our drive to contribute.

1. How do our circumstances impact our behavior?
2. How do our motivations influence our actions?
3. What is the possible consequence of suppressing our intrinsic motivations and talents?

Some of us have only by a primary motivation; others possess two of the four. “While purists find it easy to relate to examples that reflect primary [motivations], individuals with strong secondary [motivations] do not. They are more complex…” (Hartman). Regardless, we each must learn to exploit our strengths, keeping weaknesses at bay so that they do not undermine our effectiveness.

1. What do you think is your primary motivation? Take the free people code test by clicking here.
2. Do you have a secondary motivation?
3. List a couple of strengths for each of the four human motivations?
4. List a one or two of the potentially limiting weaknesses for each of the four human motivations?

Next steps 

1. Complete Personal Reflections  & SkillWork on pages 21-22 of VerAegis LifeLine.
2. If it is ‘safe’ to do so, share your reflections and learnings with a friend or loved one!
3. In VerAegis Relationships, read: Loving-Kindness and Respectful Humility Are Vital to Lasting Relationships?
4. Sign up for our newsletter and get ready to develop new and healthier habits!

If you haven’t done so already, stop by (online) at Amazon to pick up your copy of VerAegis LifeLine.