A clinical perspective on motivation: pawn versus origin.

Occupational therapy is founded on the principle of "actively engaging" the patient in tasks of therapeutic benefit. This method of treatment necessitates matching a patient's needs with interests and abilities in an attempt to motivate the individual to perform. A lack of motivation is often the most difficult and most unsuccessfully overcome obstacle in the occupational therapy clinic. Classical drive-reduction theories of motivation prove inadequate for therapists to arrest and reverse the behavior of an unmotivated individual. This article offers the concept of personal causation as an alternative means of understanding human motivation. This notion is examined in two modes of behavior, namely pawm and origin, in an attempt to further the understanding of the complex process of self-initiated and self-guided behavior. Four perspectives are proposed for therapeutic intervention that will promote motivated behavior in patients. They include a consideration of the following factors: expectancies of success or failure, internal versus external orientation, belief in skill, and sense of efficacy.