What Motivates Obama?

Mr. Sampson Psychology 6 November 2012 What motivates Obama? Barack Obama, the first African-American president, can in some ways be an inspiration to many people. But, many people do become curious about what motivates Barack Obama. Many people would not be able to try and run for the most responsible and prestigious job in the world, especially if you were under the circumstances that Obama underwent. Understanding theories of motivation can help us understand why people choose to do the things they do. First, looking at Barack Obama’s personality will help us to understand a little more about him. Obama is a very charismatic speaker.

He tends to speak on a level where many can understand him. Obama is a well-known writer and has spent time as a civil rights attorney, as well as a Constitutional law professor and served seven years as an Illinois state senator. To many, all of this success would have seemed out of reach. Obama was born from a white mother and a black father. This was at a time when interracial unions were not liked. Barack’s mother raised him because his father left them when Obama was only two years old. He lived in Indonesia for a bit with his mother before moving in with his grandparents when he was ten years old.

Barack’s grandparents lived in Hawaii at the time. We must look at certain theories of motivation. First, the phsychoanalytic view, or better known as Freud’s theory of motivation, can be used. The theory can be brought down to four basic propositions. They are the principles of (1) determinism, (2) drive, (3) conflict, and (4) the Montalbano 2 unconscious. Obama may have had an instinct to succeed and may have fought hard to climb to the top of the career ladder, but Obama’s fate may have already been chosen by an unseen force.

His actual instinct may have been something different, but society deemed the way he went to be the way to succeed. The closest thing to satisfy the instinct in today’s world may have been success in his career. Aggression may have had a role as well. Obama was unable to vent his aggression in a way that society deemed appropriate. He may have fueled his drive to succeed with it. Conflicts within himself may have started when he felt that he could not have other things that others had, being African-American in a time of racial inequalities.

This may have led to Obama’s motivation as well. His unconscious may have also led him to be anxious and to let out his anxiety by . Another theory of motivation is the humanistic view. From the humanistic perspective, the supreme motivator is the striving to actualize and perfect the self. Obama wanted to make himself the best that he could be, wanting to break racial barriers along the way. He wanted to show everyone his full potential. Obama did this by growing as a person, putting to use what he was best at and learned how to be good at other things as well.

Obama wanted to be liked and accepted by others. He showed that he wanted that by being a public servant and help to others. His motivation started by his needs. He obviously needed to start working for basic necessities. This grew into belonging, self-esteem needs, and finally self-actualization needs. These steps are from the hierarchy or Maslow’s Need Hierarchy. Last, but not least, is the diversity view. This is another theory of motivation. This theory argues that human beings are motivated by many different things. Obama was motivated because of his race.

He wanted to prove his worth to others. Maybe he was motivated for his wealth, or Montalbano 3 he was encouraged by those around him. It could have been a mixture of things. Many things can influence a person to do the things that they do. A person is motivated by basic needs. Obama was motivated to run for the presidency because he needed to feel accepted by others. The press is a situation for need expression in the environment. When others encouraged Obama, he found himself a likely candidate for the presidency. This further fulfilled his need for acceptance.

The more he was encouraged, the more he felt that need fulfilled. He felt accepted. This is also seen as tension-reduction. Wanting to achieve and be successful is one of Obama’s psychogenic needs. In conclusion, many theories of motivation can be applied when you try to see the reasoning behind Barack Obama’s decision to run for president of the United States. Without some motivation, Barack Obama may have not become anyone of any importance at all. The psychoanalytic view, humanistic view, and diversity view have all helped Obama with him becoming the president. Works Cited Barack Obamamotivation. ” Barack Obama Motivation. N. p. , n. d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://famous-relationships. topsynergy. com/Barack-Obama/Motivation. asp>. “Theories of Motivation. ” Theories of Motivation. N. p. , n. d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www. tutor2u. net/business/gcse/people_motivation_theories. htm>. “The Personality Analyst. ” Does President Obama Have the Motivation to Succeed? N. p. , n. d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www. psychologytoday. com/blog/the-personality-analyst/200905/does-president-obama-have-the-motivation-succeed>.