Question

Abby is a college student, who enjoys taking challenging classes so that she can learn skills that will be helpful to her in the future. Although she has high A's in all of her courses, she strives to do the best she can on every test and assignment because it is important to her to meet her own standards of excellence. Abby has a high need for:

a. achievement.
b. power.
c. extrinsic motivation.
d. all of these.

Answer 1

Abby displays high intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy, mainly driven by her need for achievement, which is demonstrated through her pursuit of challenging classes and high academic standards.

Step-by-step explanation:

Abby, a college student who strives for high academic achievement and sets personal standards of excellence, has a high need for achievement. It's clear that she is driven by her internal desire to excel, which is more related to a concept known as self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation.

Abby is intrinsically motivated because her motivation comes from within, and she enjoys learning as a means of personal growth. This relates closely to educational psychology theories, including those proposed by Albert Bandura and Abraham Maslow, which explain that individuals with high self-efficacy are more likely to take on challenging tasks and exhibit persistence. The need for achievement, as described by Henry Murray et al., is an ambition-driven social motive that propels individuals like Abby to perform well and meet their own expectations.

Therefore, the answer to the question is a. achievement. Abby's motivation is not primarily driven by a need for power or external rewards, but rather an internal strive towards excellence and mastery of her subjects.