Motivational interaction between living systems

The concept of motivation applies not only to animal organisms, but also to other levels of living systems as well. Indeed, any two living systems, such as a psychologist and a pigeon or a business firm and an employee, may be seen as interacting in order to motivate each other. Motivational influence, far from being unidirectional as it is often pictured, is usually reciprocal both simultaneously and serially. Furthermore, such interaction subjects motivation to a variety of influences that cause it to shift in intensity and direction. In this paper Tracy's (1984) dynamic living-systems model of motivation is extended to show the motivational interaction of two interdependent systems. By realizing the interactional nature of motivation, managers and others who are concerned with motivating behavior may be able to do a better job of it. Motivational research should gain friom measuring the effects of interaction on all parties, not just the “subject”.