Editing Motivation (section)

=== Conscious and unconscious ===
Conscious motivation involves motives of which the person is aware. It includes the explicit recognition of goals and underlying values. Conscious motivation is associated with the formulation of a goal and a plan to realize it as well as its controlled step-by-step execution. Some theorists emphasize the role of the self in this process as the entity that plans, initiates, regulates, and evaluates behavior.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Fiske|Gilbert|Lindzey|2010|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=W3aznFeYHc8C&pg=PA288 288]}} |2={{harvnb|McClelland|1988|pp=[https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/human-motivation/conscious-and-unconscious-motives/A1924F59E13A3A849BC9AB57DB803279 11–12]|loc=Conscious and Unconscious Motives}} }}</ref> An example of conscious motivation is a person in a clothing store who states that they want to buy a shirt and then goes on to buy one.<ref>{{harvnb|McClelland|1988|pp=[https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/human-motivation/conscious-and-unconscious-motives/A1924F59E13A3A849BC9AB57DB803279 6]|loc=Conscious and Unconscious Motives}}</ref>

[[File:Sigmund Freud, by Max Halberstadt (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|alt=Photo of Sigmund Freud|Unconscious motivation plays a central role in [[Sigmund Freud]]'s [[psychoanalysis]].]]
Unconscious motivation involves motives of which the person is not aware. It can be guided by deep-rooted beliefs, desires, and feelings operating beneath the level of consciousness. Examples include the unacknowledged influences of past experiences, unresolved conflicts, hidden fears, and [[defense mechanisms]]. These influences can affect decisions, impact behavior, and shape habits.<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Silva|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-RW_AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA72 72]}} |2={{harvnb|Fiske|Gilbert|Lindzey|2010|pp=288}} |3={{harvnb|McClelland|1988|pp=[https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/human-motivation/conscious-and-unconscious-motives/A1924F59E13A3A849BC9AB57DB803279 15–16]|loc=Conscious and Unconscious Motives}} }}</ref> An example of unconscious motivation is a scientist who believes that their research effort is a pure expression of their altruistic desire to benefit science while their true motive is an unacknowledged need for fame.<ref>{{harvnb|McClelland|1988|pp=[https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/human-motivation/conscious-and-unconscious-motives/A1924F59E13A3A849BC9AB57DB803279 15–16]|loc=Conscious and Unconscious Motives}}</ref> External circumstances can also impact the motivation underlying unconscious behavior. An example is the effect of [[Priming (psychology)|priming]], in which an earlier stimulus influences the response to a later stimulus without the person's awareness of this influence.<ref name="auto7">{{harvnb|Fiske|Gilbert|Lindzey|2010|pp=288}}</ref> Unconscious motivation is a central topic in [[Sigmund Freud]]'s [[psychoanalysis]].<ref>{{multiref |1={{harvnb|Silva|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-RW_AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA72 72]}} |2={{harvnb|McClelland|1988|pp=[https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/human-motivation/conscious-and-unconscious-motives/A1924F59E13A3A849BC9AB57DB803279 5]|loc=Conscious and Unconscious Motives}} }}</ref>

Early theories of motivation often assumed that conscious motivation is the primary form of motivation. However, this view has been challenged in the subsequent literature and there is no academic consensus on the relative extent of their influence.
<ref name="auto7"/>