How to Control What People Do

• Proponent

  MindfulThinks
• Year Proposed

  2017
• Understanding the three psychological motives can...

  (1) Use these for personal gain, (2) Aid in effective interaction and influence, (3) Influence interactions
• The three fundamental psychological motives shape human behavior and shape susceptibility to influence
• Three Fundamental Psychological Motives 


  Humans avoid pain, humans need to be accepted, humans like being right
• Humans avoid pain

  People seek pleasure over pain hence influencing their choices and behaviors. Individuals make choices to avoid or minimize pain
• According to Sigmund Freud's Pain-Pleasure Principle...

  Decisions are driven by minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure
• According to Freud, the pain-pleasure principle is the core of all the decisions we make. Beliefs, values, actions, and decisions are built upon this principle.
• Examples of "Humans Avoid Pain"

  Harsh and strict penalties lead to compliance. Strict curfews are followed by teenagers to avoid being grounded
• Complexities of "Humans avoid pain"

  Although punishment can encourage compliance, it can also backfire. (Example: strict curfews can lead to a child's secretive behavior)
• Humans need to be accepted

  People are motivated by a need for acceptance and validation from others which drive their actions and responses in social situations
• Social acceptance contributes to mental well-being. It provides a sense of safety and security and a greater sense of belonging and purpose.
• Social norms...


  (1) Play a significant role in shaping behavior, (2) They are unwritten rules that dictate how individuals are expected to behave.
• Examples of "humans need acceptance"

  (1) Norms: wearing formal attire to work, (2) conformity: when a group runs in panic, you would most likely feel the need to do so too, (3) obedience: the extent of obedience to authority include dangerous choices and harm to others
• Complexities of humans need acceptance 


  (1) Balancing personal beliefs with group pressures and (2) Responding to authority dynamics, (3) The two factors can lead to misunderstandings, internal conflicts, and ethical dilemmas.
• Humans like being right

  People have a strong desire to validate their beliefs and opinions, leading to confirmation bias (looking for and processing information that are already consistent with their own beliefs and opinions)
• The need for correctness affects decision-making.

  The desire to be correct makes us susceptible to being influenced.
• The problem in wanting to be correct is that...

  Being right becomes more important than being compassionate and meaningful
• Examples of "Humans like being right"

  (1) Informational influence: companies use social proof (e.g. bestseller tags) to influence consumers, (2) Persuasion: systematic persuasion relies on reasoning while heuristic reasoning appeals to emotions, which both impact consumer choices (3) cognitive dissonance wherein individuals strive for internal consistency in their actions and beliefs
• Self-determination theory


  It is a theory that links personality, human motivation, and optimal functioning.
• Two main types of motivation according to STD

  Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
• Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are highly influential in determining our behavior and drive us to meet the three basic needs identified by the STD model: AUTONOMY, RELATEDNESS, COMPETENCE
• Avoiding pain by giving people autonomy (the ability to make decisions without being controlled or constrained by someone else) fosters well-being.
• Fulfilling the need for acceptance through relatedness boosts motivation and mental health
• The desire to be right through providing opportunities to be competent helps individuals feel capable and validated.
• Objective of the study shared in How to control what people do

  To explain student engagement in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigating the relationships between need satisfaction and student engagement.
• Results of the study

  When students felt disconnected or lacked competence in online learning, their engagement dropped. By supporting autonomy and competence, the discomfort of engagement was minimized which helped students' well being.
• Feeling socially connected and accepted helped students remain engaged


  results of the study
• Results of the study

  Providing feedback and tasks that build competence increased student engagement by allowing them to feel "right" and validated in their learning progress
• Self-Determination theory encapsulates the three human psychological motives by showing how social environments that fulfill the needs for human autonomy, competence, and relatedness lead to higher levels of motivation, reduced psychological discomfort, and overall well-being.