Det finns mycket forskning som visar att motivation påverkar människan i organisationen. Motivation delas upp i inre och yttre motivation. Inre motivation är då individen har ett genuint intresse för något. Yttre motivation är då individen drivs av någon extern belöning. Såväl psykologiska som ekonomiska och sociala förklaringar har getts till varför det är viktigt med motiverade anställda och hur motivation kan skapas.  Forskningsresultat tyder på att de anställdas motivation är betydande för organisationens framgång. Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilken typ av arbetsmotivation, inre eller yttre, som leder till att individen vill utföra ett bra arbete. En enkätstudie utfördes där 61 personer deltog. För att predicera arbetsmotivation genomfördes en multipel hierarkisk regressionsanalys. Resultatet i studien visade att den inre motivationen kan predicera individens vilja att arbeta. Författarna drar slutsatsen att arbetsgivares kunskap om motivation kan vara användbart för att stimulera de behov individen har.

Det finns mycket forskning som visar att motivation påverkar människan i organisationen. Motivation delas upp i inre och yttre motivation. Inre motivation är då individen har ett genuint intresse för något. Yttre motivation är då individen drivs av någon extern belöning. Såväl psykologiska som ekonomiska och sociala förklaringar har getts till varför det är viktigt med motiverade anställda och hur motivation kan skapas. Forskningsresultat tyder på att de anställdas motivation är betydande för organisationens framgång. Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilken typ av arbetsmotivation, inre eller yttre, som leder till att individen vill utföra ett bra arbete. En enkätstudie utfördes där 61 personer deltog. För att predicera arbetsmotivation genomfördes en multipel hierarkisk regressionsanalys. Resultatet i studien visade att den inre motivationen kan predicera individens vilja att arbeta. Författarna drar slutsatsen att arbetsgivares kunskap om motivation kan vara användbart för att stimulera de behov individen har.

Cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death in Canada and other developed countries. Physical activity based cardiac rehabilitation programs have been shown to reduce the likelihood of subsequent cardiac events and even reverse the disease process. However, factors influencing physical activity in cardiac patients are still not clearly understood. The overall objective of this dissertation was therefore to better understand motivation and physical activity in a cardiac rehabilitation context. Specifically, theory-based motivational variables were studied as correlates of physical activity. To accomplish this objective, a two-purpose research approach was taken. First, two articles (Article-1 and Article-2) aimed to test and integrate concepts from two strong motivational theories: Self-Efficacy Theory (SET) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) into one comprehensive model using the novel and rigorous approach of Noar and Zimmerman (2005). The second purpose of this dissertation was to extend the findings from the first purpose by investigating physical activity and motivational patterns over a 24-month period in cardiac patients (Article 3). With regards to the first purpose, Article-1 revealed that the integration of SDT and SET was feasible as the integrated model had good model fit, explained more variance in self-determined motivation, confidence, and physical activity and supported similar number of hypothesised links in a cross-sectional cardiac sample as well two other samples: primary care adults and university students. Due to the cross-sectional nature of Article-1, Article-2 tested the integrated SDT-SET model from cardiac patients with longitudinal data of patients following a cardiac rehabilitation program. Although no motivational variables predicted residual change in physical activity at 4-months, this longitudinal model was found to have good model fit. Across both articles, the integration of SDT and SET was found to be possible. However, more research is needed to further test the integration of these theories. As for the second purpose of this dissertation, Article-3 investigated physical activity and motivational patterns of cardiac rehabilitation participants over the course of 24 months. Distinct patterns were found for physical activity, self-determined motivation, barrier self-efficacy and outcome expectations. In addition, individuals in the higher patterns of the motivational/expectancy variables had greater probability of being in the maintenance physical activity pattern compared to individuals in the other motivational/expectancy patterns. Therefore, this article extended findings from the first purpose by linking SDT and SET variables to long-term physical activity behaviour. SDT and SET should continue to be investigated together in order to increase our understanding of the mechanisms leading to greater motivation and subsequent increases in physical activity levels. Having a theoretically supported pathway to build motivation is ideal to inform future interventions and cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Utgångspunkten för denna uppsats har varit sambandet mellan autonomi, självständig motivation och målkongruens. Sambandet har hämtats från Self-Determination Theory, där autonomi anses vara en förutsättning för att uppleva självständig motivation som i sin tur anses viktigt för att skapa målkongruens i en organisation. Då autonomi inte är en självklarhet inom alla yrken har syftet med studien varit att undersöka sambandet mellan motivation och målkongruens bland anställda med standardiserade arbetsuppgifter på ett produktionsföretag. Fallföretaget för studien har varit Sandvik AB som verkar inom tillverkningsindustrin. Det empiriska materialet har inhämtats på en och samma avdelning genom intervjuer med en produktionschef samt nio anställda. De anställda har även besvarat en enkät om motivation gentemot arbetet. Det empiriska materialet har analyserats utifrån Self-Determination Theory och teori om målkongruens. Studien har visat att respondenterna med standardiserade arbetsuppgifter till övervägande del upplever kontrollerad motivation och trots detta lyckas organisationen skapa målkongruens genom yttre faktorer.

Objectives: Advancements in womens reproductive technology have resulted in women having to face the decision whether to undergo prenatal testing (PNT). This study explored the factors involved in womens decisions around PNT and assessed the extent to which the decision making process differed between women that chose not to have PNT and those that chose to have PNT. The Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) was used as the theoretical framework. <p>Study Methods: 30 pregnant or recently pregnant women over the age of 35 participated in semi-structured interviews and completed a brief survey. Content analyses were completed on the interview transcripts, and correlational analyses were performed on the survey data. Results: Womens personal values, feelings of social support, and perceived competence played major roles in the decision process. Some women in this study indicated the PNT choice gave them a feeling of control and offered feelings of reassurance, while some said having to make the choice was a burden that they found difficult to bear. Women in the testing group appeared to place a great importance on the need for information, while women in the no testing group placed greater importance on the need for social support. Each testing group also appeared to differ in facets of their personal values, such as religiosity (only women in the no testing group discussed this issue) and need for a sense of control (only women in the testing group discussed this issue). The women in the no testing group showed higher levels of uncertainty and decisional conflict, and lower levels of decisional self-efficacy than women in the testing group. <p>Conclusions: Each testing group appears to be individual in their needs during PNT decision making. The study findings suggest women should be counseled differently depending on their supports, values, and need for knowledge regarding testing. The findings suggest that women opting against PNT experience elevated decisional distress, and perceive themselves to be less competent and more conflicted over the decision than women choosing PNT. Special attention to these women during the PNT decision may improve their feelings of being socially supported during the decision.

According to the Canadian Community Health Survey, fifty-nine percent of Canadian women are not getting enough exercise to receive health benefits (Canadian Fitness & Lifestyle Institute, 2001). Engaging in regular exercise has been found to provide significant psychological and physical health benefits, such as reduced depression, anxiety, and increased well-being (Bouchard, Shephard, Stephens, Sutton, & Mcpherson, 1990; Georgia State University, 1997; National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 1999; Roth & Holmes, 1987). Therefore, increasing exercise participation contributes to enhancing the well-being of women. The purpose of this study was to examine how self-compassion would be related to self-determined motives to exercise and to outcomes in the exercise domain, and whether self-compassion would explain unique variance beyond self-esteem on those variables. There were two main hypotheses. First, that self-compassion would be positively related to identified, integrated, and intrinsic motives to exercise and to task goals; and negatively related to external and introjected motives to exercise, ego goals, social physique anxiety, and obligatory exercise. Second, it was hypothesized that self-compassion would predict unique variance over and above self-esteem with motivation, goal orientation, physique anxiety, and exercise behaviour. The participants were 252 adult female exercisers, ranging in age from 17 to 43 years, recruited from a small mid-western Canadian university. Participants completed an online survey including the Behavioural Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire (Wilson, Rodgers, Loitz, & Scime, 2006), Rosenbergs Self-Esteem Questionnaire (Rosenberg, 1965), the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003b), the Goal Orientation in Exercise Measure (Petherick & Markland, 2005), the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (Martin, Rejeski, Leary, McAuley, & Bane, 1997), the Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire (Pasman & Thompson, 1998), and the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin & Shepard, 1985). Correlational analyses revealed that self-compassion was positively related to intrinsic motivation (r = 0.19), and negatively related to external (r = -0.24) and introjected (r = -0.41) motivation, ego goals (r = -.20), social physique anxiety (r = -.57), and obligatory exercise behaviour (r = -.24). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that self-compassion contributed negative unique variance over and above self-esteem on introjected motivation (∆R2 = .035), ego goals (∆R2 = .028), social physique anxiety (∆R2 = .042), and obligatory exercise (∆R2 = .018). The present study provides evidence that self-compassion is related to motives to exercise and various outcomes of exercise. Further, this study extends the use of self-determination theory and supports that future research continue to explore the role of self-concept in motivation. Outcomes of well-being were found to be related to self-compassion, suggesting that perhaps self-compassion is a promising construct that may be used to foster long-term womens exercise motives.

Under hösten 2012 genomfördes en enkätundersökning med syfte att undersöka pojkars och flickors inställning och motivation till ämnet idrott och hälsa i olika åldrar. Syftet var även att undersöka inställning och motivation till ämnet idrott och hälsa hos elever som är fysiskt aktiva respektive inaktiva på fritiden. Totalt ingick 124 elever i årskurs 5, 7 och 9. Dessa valdes ut på två skolor i en kommun i södra Sverige. Enkäten bestod av både öppna och slutna frågor för att på så vis ge utrymme för elevernas tankar. Resultatet visade en övervägande positiv inställning samt inre motivation för ämnet idrott och hälsa. Elever i årskurs 5 och 7 visade en något mer positiv inställning än elever i årskurs 9. Av resultatet framgick även en högre grad av yttre motivation hos elever i årskurs 9. Resultatet visade slutligen att det finns en tendens till samband mellan en positiv inställning samt en hög inre och yttre motivation.

Cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death in Canada and other developed countries. Physical activity based cardiac rehabilitation programs have been shown to reduce the likelihood of subsequent cardiac events and even reverse the disease process. However, factors influencing physical activity in cardiac patients are still not clearly understood. The overall objective of this dissertation was therefore to better understand motivation and physical activity in a cardiac rehabilitation context. Specifically, theory-based motivational variables were studied as correlates of physical activity. To accomplish this objective, a two-purpose research approach was taken. First, two articles (Article-1 and Article-2) aimed to test and integrate concepts from two strong motivational theories: Self-Efficacy Theory (SET) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) into one comprehensive model using the novel and rigorous approach of Noar and Zimmerman (2005). The second purpose of this dissertation was to extend the findings from the first purpose by investigating physical activity and motivational patterns over a 24-month period in cardiac patients (Article 3). With regards to the first purpose, Article-1 revealed that the integration of SDT and SET was feasible as the integrated model had good model fit, explained more variance in self-determined motivation, confidence, and physical activity and supported similar number of hypothesised links in a cross-sectional cardiac sample as well two other samples: primary care adults and university students. Due to the cross-sectional nature of Article-1, Article-2 tested the integrated SDT-SET model from cardiac patients with longitudinal data of patients following a cardiac rehabilitation program. Although no motivational variables predicted residual change in physical activity at 4-months, this longitudinal model was found to have good model fit. Across both articles, the integration of SDT and SET was found to be possible. However, more research is needed to further test the integration of these theories. As for the second purpose of this dissertation, Article-3 investigated physical activity and motivational patterns of cardiac rehabilitation participants over the course of 24 months. Distinct patterns were found for physical activity, self-determined motivation, barrier self-efficacy and outcome expectations. In addition, individuals in the higher patterns of the motivational/expectancy variables had greater probability of being in the maintenance physical activity pattern compared to individuals in the other motivational/expectancy patterns. Therefore, this article extended findings from the first purpose by linking SDT and SET variables to long-term physical activity behaviour. SDT and SET should continue to be investigated together in order to increase our understanding of the mechanisms leading to greater motivation and subsequent increases in physical activity levels. Having a theoretically supported pathway to build motivation is ideal to inform future interventions and cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka introjektiv motivation och arbetsrelaterad stress. Studien grundades i Self-determination theory och delades upp i studie 1 och 2. Syftet med studie 1 var att undersöka huruvida introjektiv motivation kan delas upp i två motivationstyper. Ett mätinstrument utformades för att undersöka sambandet, med data från 77 respondenter. Resultatet visade på ett signifikant, positivt medelstarkt samband. Syftet med studie 2 var att undersöka huruvida det fanns ett samband mellan introjektiv motivation och arbetsrelaterad stress. Mätinstrumentet från studie 1 användes även i studie 2, med ett tillägg av Work Stress Questionnaire vilka 69 respondenter besvarade. Resultatet visade på ett signifikant, positivt svagt samband mellan introjektiv motivation och arbetsrelaterad stress. Studie 1 tyder på att introjektiv motivation kan vara ett unisont begrepp men vidare studier krävs. Studie 2 tyder på att introjektivt motiverade medarbetare upplever högre negativ stress alternativt att negativ stress leder till introjektiv motivation.

Studien genomfördes i syfte att undersöka vad som driver en människa att arbeta mot en låg eller ingen monetär belöning. Det teoretiska ramverket Self- Determination Theory möjliggör kategorisering av en individs motivation i såväl inre som yttre motivation och även att mäta graden av motivation. Tidigare studier på området har indikerat att individer kan välja yrken med låg lön tack vare inre motivationsfaktorer. Denna studie ämnar fylla ett forskningsgap i redogörelsen för huruvida yttre motivationsfaktorer som social bekräftelse och kändisskap kan driva personer till att arbeta mot en låg monetär ersättning. Datainsamlingen skedde genom besöksintervjuer med människor som arbetar som fotomodell. Studien kunde påvisa att yttre motivationsfaktorer som kändisskap och social bekräftelse kan ersätta inre motivation i valet av ett yrke som innebär ingen eller låg monetär belöning.