What Is Your

Motivation Style?
Motivation Assessment
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

Motivation styles aren't mutually exclusive; we share all of them to some extent. But
understanding your primary motivation style can take you a long way toward setting the
right goal—and reaching it!

And Motivation can be broken down into two main types:

● Intrinsic motivation represents all the internal motivational drivers like

self-actualization or helping a friend in need. It involves engaging in a behavior
because it is personally rewarding.
● Extrinsic motivation represents all the external motivational drivers like doing
something for a raise or reward. But once that reward (or penalty in some cases) is
gone, this source of motivation tends to disappear.

If you constantly struggle to stay motivated, or find yourself giving up on a goal one too
many times, then maybe it's time to look deeper into what truly drives you so that you can
start changing things up to make that motivation last!

The Assessment
There are 8 sections in this quiz. Simply read each statement carefully and circle one of
the five options for each statement, indicating how much you agree with that statement:
1. Strongly Disagree
2. Disagree
3. Somewhat Agree
4. Agree
5. Strongly agree

Remember to circle your best, most honest answer. When you’ve completed the test, refer
to the scoring instructions for your personal assessment.

1
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

Section A

I give in to eating or having a snack whenever I feel hungry or

1. 1 2 3 4 5
think of food.

2. I fall in love easily. 1 2 3 4 5

I tend to lose my cool or get frustrated when I'm not being

3. 1 2 3 4 5
understood.

4. I base my decisions on what my 'gut feels'. 1 2 3 4 5

Section B

I enjoy the process of exercising to lose weight more than

1. 1 2 3 4 5
seeing my actual weight loss on a weighing scale.

I would rather learn how to fix something, than have

2. 1 2 3 4 5
someone fix it for me.

3. It's more important to live a full life, than a rich life. 1 2 3 4 5

I want to get promoted at work to increase my career

4. 1 2 3 4 5
satisfaction and not for the salary raise.

2
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

Section C

It's important to me that I am a positive influence on my

1. 1 2 3 4 5
loved ones.

I like to support my colleagues and help them grow and

2. 1 2 3 4 5
succeed.

I enjoy helping the less fortunate or volunteering for

3. 1 2 3 4 5
nonprofits.

I love and appreciate my partner more when I see him/her

4. 1 2 3 4 5
heed my advice.

Section D

I want a promotion at work to learn new valuable skills and

1. 1 2 3 4 5
not because of a higher expected salary.

I want to learn how to cook to appreciate food and it's

2. 1 2 3 4 5
flavors.

I like planning for a holiday, and not just following someone's

3. 1 2 3 4 5
itinerary.

I would rather learn from my mistakes, than make no

4. 1 2 3 4 5
mistakes in life.

3
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

Section E

1. I want promotions at work for a higher salary. 1 2 3 4 5

I work harder when I know I'll be rewarded with something

2. 1 2 3 4 5
specific at the end.

I'll feel I've achieved enough in this life when I receive

3. recognition from my peers or family, thanking me for my 1 2 3 4 5
work.

To show love to my partner, I like showering him/her with

4. 1 2 3 4 5
gifts.

Section F

1. I study for exams mostly because I'm afraid of failing. 1 2 3 4 5

I carry out my responsibilities at work because I'm afraid of

2. 1 2 3 4 5
being replaced or losing my job.

I exercise and diet to lose weight as I'm afraid of looking out

3. 1 2 3 4 5
of shape when standing next to my friends.

I tend to keep certain dissatisfactions to myself as I'm afraid

4. 1 2 3 4 5
of upsetting my partner.

4
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

Section G

I'd feel sufficiently powerful if I could lead a large

1. 1 2 3 4 5
organization, a charitable cause, or a political movement.

I'd feel frustrated if other people didn't give me whatever I

2. 1 2 3 4 5
want and agree with everything I say.

3. I like being in control of situations. 1 2 3 4 5

I feel anxious if I can't envision how my life is going to play

4. 1 2 3 4 5
out in the next year or so.

Section H

To feel sufficiently loved, I need a warm circle of four to

1. eight intimate loved ones I can connect with every few days 1 2 3 4 5
or weeks.

My mood automatically brightens up when a loved one says

2. 1 2 3 4 5
something encouraging or supportive to me.

3. I enjoy social gatherings. 1 2 3 4 5

4. I prefer to have company when I'm feeling upset. 1 2 3 4 5

5
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

Scoring Instructions
Each section from the assessment reflects how strong your preferred motivation style is.
Try to calculate the score for each section:

Section Total Score

A - Physiological

B - Achievement

C - Attitude

D - Competence & Learning

E - Incentive

F - Fear

G - Power

H - Affiliation & Social

Now, identify the top 3 highest scoring sections.

Which are your top 3 motivation styles?

Read on to find out what these motivation styles mean.

6
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

What Each Motivation Style Means

Intrinsic Motivation

Section A - Physiological Motivation

Often, humans are driven by some internal force beyond their explanation. Your actions
are motivated by deep physiological feelings that are primal and cannot be ignored,
regardless of how hard we try.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory states that all humans are motivated by basic needs
such as food and shelter, as well as higher-level psychological needs and self-fulfillment.
These needs are innate in all of us and we are motivated to achieve them.

Section B - Achievement Motivation

If you scored high on achievement motivation, it means you are driven by the achievement
of a task or goal itself, and not necessarily because of the reward that’s attached.

If you’re driven by achievement motivation, you are typically self-motivated and

process-oriented, meaning that you value the process of getting better more than the end
result itself. While the achievement of a goal might be seen as an external reward, the
actual reward that this type of motivation gives is largely internal.

Section C - Attitude Motivation

Attitude motivation refers to the type of motivation that is cultivated through the desire
to change the way you or other people think and feel. People who are motivated by
attitude engage in actions and interactions with the express intent of making themselves
and the people around them feel better in a positive and uplifting way.

7
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

Section D - Competence & Learning Motivation

Competence motivation, also known as learning motivation, states that people are
motivated more by the process itself rather than by the reward at the end.

If you scored high in this, it means that you're motivated by the act of learning or getting
better as you move towards accomplishing your goal or task instead of the destination
itself. This is an extremely valuable motivator and should be used in almost any
motivational strategy.

This is because the process of getting to your desired outcome is often more valuable
than the eventual goal, reward or accomplishment. And these are experiences and that no
one can take away from you.

Extrinsic Motivation

Section E - Incentive Motivation

If you scored high on this, it means you're motivated more by the reward than by the
achievement of the goal itself. Instead of being motivated by the pursuit of a goal or task,
those who are motivated by incentives are driven to take action because of an expected
(and often specific) reward.

But this isn't always a bad thing! In fact, it's good to have incentive motivation added in the
mix so you can be both externally rewarded as well as internally fulfilled. Seek goals or
tasks that have incentives as well as elements of achievement motivation.

Section F - Fear Motivation

Fear motivation is a motivational type that uses (often negative) consequences to drive
people into action. It can be thought of as a “negative motivator” in that you aren’t
motivated by a reward but by the avoidance of pain or consequences.

8
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

Rather than incentivizing yourself or others with positive motivators, fear motivation uses
punishment or negative motivators as a way to keep you productively moving towards
specific goals, tasks, or deliverables.

While fear motivation sounds bad, it can sometimes be used as a positive stressor or
positive constraint that helps you outsmart your future self, overcome bad habits, and live
the life you want (but might be too afraid to go after).

Section G - Power Motivation

If you scored high on this, it means you're motivated by control over your own life and/or
the lives of others. Everyone wants choices, and people are often motivated to increase
their overall life-options. For this reason, power motivation manifests itself in the desire
to affect the direction of our lives and sometimes the lives of those around us.

Power motivation, when taken to its extreme can be negative as it becomes overbearing
and controlling. However, when scaled back, power motivation can actually be positive.

For example, while it might be bad to control others, trying to place control over your own
life can be a good thing. Power motivation motivates you to be intentional in your thoughts
and actions so that you can manifest the life you want to live.

Section H - Affiliation and social Motivation

Humans have an innate desire to connect with others, and social motivation causes us to
seek connections by contributing to a social group.

If you scored high on this, it shows you're motivated by social factors like belonging and
acceptance, so it’s important to always seek new connections as well as continue to grow
the connections you already have. Finding a group of people who love and accept you can
motivate you to new heights and result in true happiness.

9
 KNOW YOUR MOTIVATION STYLE TO MASTER MOTIVATION - LIFEHACK.ORG

Maximizing your Motivation

The best motivational strategy is to blend multiple types together, giving yourself
maximum motivation. However, from what you've learnt above, you can see that Intrinsic
motivation is still the key to sustaining your motivation in the long run.

And that's simply because you have greater control over what you can do. You're not at the
mercy of external factors.

So if you've scored high on the Intrinsic motivational styles, then that's great!

But if you scored low on the Intrinsic motivational styles, or high on the extrinsic
motivation styles, then chances are you may have a harder time sustaining your
motivation as you're letting external factors dictate your motivation level.

It is not a bad thing to rely on extrinsic motivation at times as they definitely help give you
a more tangible boost. However, your underlying motivation should still come from
intrinsic drivers as that's the key to long term, sustainable objectives.

To learn more about nurturing Intrinsic motivation to make true motivation last, stay
tuned with our email newsletter.

10