Research Paper on:
People and Motivation

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
this in the fact that behavior modification works. People do respond to both positive and negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement sets up a situation where people react due to fear. It  is also considered to be a deterrent effect. And positive reinforcement brings out self-interest. That being said, others may differ in that they feel that motivation extends beyond selfish hopes  and fears. Rather, people act out of selfless regard for others. Mother Theresa is a good example. She helped people out of the goodness of her heart, expecting nothing in  return. Similarly, one can find a multitude of examples in modern life and through history to prove that people are not selfish. The recent attack on the World Trade Center  demonstrated that when there is a crisis, people react favorably. They selflessly risked their lives and gave their time and money to others. On the other hand, and getting back  to the initial statement, it is not hard to destroy such a premise and support the point of view that people do in fact act only in self-interest. People react  when they are given a carrot. They work hard for money and do things to feel good about themselves. Volunteers for example are not selfless. They get the reward of  those good feelings. Another example is that many wealthy people give away money. While some suggest that they have good hearts and are purely motivated, critics say that they give  the money away for selfish reasons. They may engage in philanthropy for that good feeling and not to make others happy. They may be doing it to avoid guilt. Thus,  people give money away due to fear of guilt or for the selfish reason of feeling good. While that is the case, many people will take that a step further