These articles cover three key aspects of psychology: morality, values, motivation. First, we will discuss Lawrence Kohlberg’s stages for moral development. (UCF. 2015). This helps us categorize the chronological development in our morality. These stages are pre-moral, conventional morality and postconventional.

The second piece (WSU, 2015), covers our values. In other words, it explains how we choose what to do, and then how that shapes who we are. The article explains the process of discovering our values, and how they can make us happier or more at peace. In the final and third article (Stuart Kotze, 2015), we discuss motivation theory. Four theories are covered, and I will again summarize them briefly. Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is the first theory. This classification is often referred to as a “pyramid” and works in a step-by-step manner, starting at the bottom of the pyramid and working up. The steps are, from the bottom up, physiological, belonging, safety, esteem, then self-actualization. This is where you achieve your full potential and do your best. Fred Herzberg developed the dual-factor theory. This theory divides our motivations into two main goals: to be satisfied through work and to avoid being dissatisfied. Motivators are used to make us feel good, and hygienes help us avoid feeling bad. David McClelland’s Need for Achievement is next. McClelland focuses his theory on how people balance their need to be powerful and their need to belong. This theory touches upon how much we want to achieve in life and how it can affect the motivation that we have to complete certain tasks. Victor Vroom has developed a theory called Expectancy. Vroom’s Theory challenges the notion of immediate satisfaction when completing a task. He proposes that workers accomplish tasks to achieve an external goal. The task itself is not the goal; it is simply a means to achieve the true goal. They consider their behavior a way to influence secondary goals, so they aim for a voluntary level of productivity.

What does this really mean for a sophomore college student? It is definitely more than what’s credited. While many college students don’t give this much thought at the beginning of their career, understanding what they want is essential to establishing motivation. Many ask the institution “How can I be motivated?” without thinking about what they hope to achieve after school. Before deciding what they really want, students must examine their values and the way they live them. The level and intensity of motivation will depend on how realistic and challenging the value you choose is. College graduates can use their knowledge and understanding of values to help them find a rewarding career.

In order to determine what I should be motivated by, I examine my values. After looking at my past behavior and attitudes for some time, my two biggest values are happiness and love. In my mind, if I imagined a world that was perfect, these values would usually be contradictory. I believe in doing what makes you happy as long a it doesn’t hurt others. You can do what you want, as long as you don’t ruin the lives of others. It is this value that drives my career choices. I currently pursue a wide, open-ended bachelor’s program in order to be able to earn enough to support my family and afford my hobbies. It means that I will not become a doctor, because it is too much work to be happy. Although I wouldn’t be directly happier with a lucrative cell phone career, it would take me less time, cost less and make me happier sooner. It is unlikely that a psychology bachelor would make me rich or successful. I’m more interested in what I feel about myself, than what other people think. In the end, I care more about what I think of myself than what others may think.

When I am wronged, I would do my best to protect myself as well as those who I love. It’s much easier to just ignore an offensive comment or unappreciative disservice than face the pain and fear of confrontation. This fear of confrontation has made me and others unhappy recently. It encourages the same kind of behavior and makes those close to me question whether I truly care for them. The long-term happiness I could achieve if i stood up and demanded justice for others as well as myself would make me happier. This value falls under the idea of social acceptance in the chart. This value would fall under the chart’s idea of social recognition.

This is how the human being develops. Many of us also mature mentally as we age physically (though some may still be in the first stage, such as prisoners). As our mental maturity increases, we move through Kohlberg’s three stages (UCF,2015) of moral development. Each stage is accompanied by a reassessment or revision of the values that are most important to us. The premoral stage is not the time to expect children to know what they want to do in life. Even though I would like the world to believe that my moral development is more advanced than others of my age’s, I know I am still at the second stage. This is a stage I reached early in my life and have been coasting for quite some time. What has changed in my morals or values since I reached this level? Sincerity tells me that the answer to this question is quite upsetting. If I take an introspective look at my life, I can see that there are many discrepancies or inconsistencies in the frequency with which I express these values. In order to provide for myself and my family in the future, I should have earned a degree. Because I know it won’t bring me the happiness I expect, I refuse to pursue a career that would be a good investment for my future. It is likely that if I was to find a career with a commendable and real impact on my local community, it would have been a result of convenience or coincidence. As I grow older, I realize that my desire to make the world a more beautiful place is less important than making myself better and achieving my happiness and love values. My values seem to have shifted as I grew up.

I am [name omitted] a sophomore college student at Saint Charles Community College. So I answer when people ask me what I do, and that’s pretty much who I would say I am. But there’s more. Below that, there is someone who enjoys creating and entertaining. I tell people jokes and write stories in order to stimulate their imagination. It makes me feel good about myself. If you asked me what I’m studying, I would not reveal that side to you. If you asked me what I was studying at college, I would tell you I was a business student. Or I might say that I will be going to an up-state university to finish a four-year degree. But you wouldn’t know what my true passion is. It’s fine with me, because I don’t want people to miss out on the things that make me unique. I can make enough with this job and my cookie-cutter college degree to keep me in the cycle of student debt. I’ll make enough money for my bills, and to live comfortably. If I marry the woman that I love, I can help her to build a home. And when the week begins, I am satisfied. Even if my work doesn’t thrill me every day – I will still love my friends and my stories. Because I want to know more about life, I’m studying a blank spot on my bachelor’s. I am motivated to fulfill my values and my major will be just a way to get there.