Psychology: Distinguish Between Motives, Incentive and Stimulus
 

In Psychology, I am somehow confused in Distinguishing the Following terms: Motives
Incentive
Stimulus.

I wonder if someone could help with some proper notes.

?

Motive is the underlying reason for which you do something. It is something very fundamental about your personality.

Incentives are the negative or positive stimuli in our environment which compel us to do something.

Stimulus is what initiates our behaviour. It can be thought of as a signal in our environment that is sensed. Upon its perception (which occurs after sensation), it may/may not influence our behaviour. It is anything detectable in the enviroenment.

Motives are an engine inside of you while incentives are external. An employer can pay his employees to make them want to do what he wants them to do. They are motivated to do it due to an external incentive - money. As soon as that external incentive is removed - the employer stops paying them - the employees will stop working for him. They did not have an internal will to work for the firm. They needed some other reason to work for it and it was provided by the external incentive.

You can remember the three concepts in the following way:
Incentive is the stimulus in our environment that motivates our behaviour.

The difference is important to understand but it is one of those things which are better understood if you can differentiate them yourself in your own words I guess

Hmmm..