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Historical Trends in Motivation Research

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Motivation and Action

Abstract

Attempts to explain human behavior have persisted since the beginning of time. Issues related to motives, motivation and volition, discussed in Chapter 1, have been described and analyzed under various headings and have prompted a variety of explanatory models. They all involve a search for the reasons for actions, their individual differences, along with the activation, control, and persistence of goal-oriented behavior. It would not be feasible to review the intricate and involved history of this endeavor. Such a review is provided by Bolles (1975). What Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850–1909) supposedly wrote about psychology, namely that it has a long past but a short history, applies equally to the study of motivation.

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© 1991 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Heckhausen, H. (1991). Historical Trends in Motivation Research. In: Motivation and Action. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75961-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75961-1_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-75963-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-75961-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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