First published 2009
This book examines how people stay motivated throughout their entire lives. Heckhausen presents a social-cognitive framework that treats goal-oriented motivation as a distinct force shaping thoughts, feelings, and actions. She rejects approaches that reduce motivated behavior to simple information processing or personality expression. The work traces how motivational systems develop from their earliest origins through critical life transitions. Heckhausen draws from four major psychological traditions: achievement motivation, action theory, causal attribution and perceived control, and personal causation with intrinsic motivation. The chapters span all age groups and identify key developmental turning points. This process-focused perspective helps readers understand how motivational elements connect and change over time. The book offers insights into effective developmental interventions by mapping the developmental trajectory of motivational processes across the human lifespan.
Genres: psychology, adult, non-fiction, academic
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, developmental
472 pages · Paperback · Cambridge University Press