What Drives A Person to Exercise?
There are many reasons why people choose to exercise, become healthier, or try their hand at bodybuilding. As a personal trainer or fitness specialist, it is helpful to have a grasp on some of the personality theories best fit your clients so that you can target your motivation specifically at what drives them the most. While the three example theories that are discussed below, in my opinion, are the most common, it is certainly worth noting that there are many other theories regarding personality. Having a basic grasp on the fundamental personality theories will not only make you a better trainer, but assist you in maintaining your client base by motivating your clients in the manner that best suits them.
Psychoanalytical
"I want to look better, and so long as I don't indulge myself, I should do OK."
Freud founded psychoanalytic theory based on psychology, which Freud help found, and analysis, which is listening to what an individual says. Psychoanalytic theory tells us that we all have unconscious influences and drives, which essentially control our urges, thoughts and actions. In essence, there is a large portion of ourselves that we are not aware of, yet they drive us to do what we do. These influences can be summarised as the Id. The Id is basically the "pleasure principle" that is common to every individual that just wants to satisfy their urges and needs. As we grow and begin to interact with the world around us, we develop what is called the Ego, which can be said to be the "reality principle", recognizing that you can't always get what you want straight away. The Ego though has to balance against another force that develops, which is called the Super Ego, which could be called your "moral conscience".
In summary, Freud believes that an individual's primary driving force is to please themselves, but at the same time are being judged and reined in by their own through process based on their past experiences, their relationships, and the way that they were raised.
Ericson, a student of Freud, went on to argue that personality is formed through 8 "crisis" in your life, which helped from your personality. These crises, which occurred at very specific times such as "baby", "adolescent", "adult", and "aging" affected your personality based on how successfully or unsuccessfully you dealt with them.
Within the fitness industry we can easily see these principles in action. Pick up any fitness magazine, look in any gym, and you'll see that we are constantly judging ourselves, often far too harshly. The mirrors in the gym speak directly to the Super Ego, providing us with hard evidence that we fall short of our expectations. The Id, on the other hand, can be seen in those that struggle to lose fat, to exercise, or to maintain a program. They are driven by a desire to please themselves, and dieting and exercise are not pleasurable experiences.
Behaviourialism
"If I do what everyone is doing, and follow instruction, I'll become what I want to be."
Skinner, behaviourialim's most important theorist, believed that an individual their personality based on what they learn, or in other words, conditioning. There are two types of conditioning; positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement would be something like praise, or pleasant rewards. Negative reinforcement could be seen as something unpleasant which you remove when you do what is needed, such as nagging, or shouting like a drill sergeant, etc. It is important to remember though, that negative reinforcement is never punishment, it is only something unpleasant which is removed when the recipient does what is wanted of them.
This leads into social learning theory, which indicates that personality develops as we model it on somebody, normally a parent. This is achieved by copying their behaviours and an individual responds to the reinforcements proved them by their parents and/or role models. For Sw352 fitness tracker , your father is a tough guy, and as a child you like this. At given moments, your father rewards your behaviour when it falls in line with his, thus reinforcing your developing personality into a similar mould. Learned behaviours can be socially desirable, such as being neat or punctual, or undesirable such as violent or lazy.
It is important to remember that behaviourialism doesn't explain every person. Statistically there are many who do not fall into its parameters. Plenty of people who come from violent or harsh upbringings become gentle and loving adults, which causes the theory of behaviourlism to break down.
Within the fitness industry, we can see this in the way a personal trainer will positively reinforce a client after a good workout with praise. Conversely, a trainer would negatively reinforce a client by saying that they will never achieve their goals without one more set, or using a drill technique in the coaching style.
Humanism
"I can be the unique person I am, if I attend to my basic needs first, and let myself be."
Maslow founded Humanism by studying mentally and socially healthy individuals. Essentially, Humanism states that everybody wants to realise their full potential, and that each person is unique and worthy of respect. We each have a desire to express the nature of who we are, but before we can do that we have to fulfil some more basic needs. The first of these needs is physiological; food, water, etc. It is important to remember that two thirds of the world's population cannot currently satisfy this need, meaning that they cannot develop their personality fully by satisfying this need. The second need is safety, such as security and stability. The third is love and belonging, which includes affiliation and acceptance. The forth is esteem, which is your success and status. Once all of these needs are fulfilled, you are able to become yourself. Humanism believes that there are diseases, like addictions, which cripple you early on, preventing them from becoming themselves.
In regards to the fitness industry, a person needs to have a regular diet and a stable home, which satisfies the first two needs. The third need is fulfilled by a feeling of belonging or being a member of the gym, which leads to the fulfilment of the forth need; recognition - they are recognized for their achievements in their personal fitness and training, acquiring a status somewhat more than being just a "member". Finally, with all these conditions met, an individual can be themselves, their personality which has always been there but waiting for the base needs to be met, spontaneously appears.
Conclusion
As can be seen, there are many motivating factors that cause a person to start exercising. The key factor is maintaining their interest beyond the initial honeymoon period. By understanding their driving factors and utilizing basic personality theories in ascertaining the goals, you will have a higher rate of retention. While these psychology techniques have been focussed towards the fitness industry in this article, the same principles would apple to other fields such as massage, physiotherapy, club memberships, etc.
Psychoanalytical
"I want to look better, and so long as I don't indulge myself, I should do OK."
Freud founded psychoanalytic theory based on psychology, which Freud help found, and analysis, which is listening to what an individual says. Psychoanalytic theory tells us that we all have unconscious influences and drives, which essentially control our urges, thoughts and actions. In essence, there is a large portion of ourselves that we are not aware of, yet they drive us to do what we do. These influences can be summarised as the Id. The Id is basically the "pleasure principle" that is common to every individual that just wants to satisfy their urges and needs. As we grow and begin to interact with the world around us, we develop what is called the Ego, which can be said to be the "reality principle", recognizing that you can't always get what you want straight away. The Ego though has to balance against another force that develops, which is called the Super Ego, which could be called your "moral conscience".
In summary, Freud believes that an individual's primary driving force is to please themselves, but at the same time are being judged and reined in by their own through process based on their past experiences, their relationships, and the way that they were raised.
Ericson, a student of Freud, went on to argue that personality is formed through 8 "crisis" in your life, which helped from your personality. These crises, which occurred at very specific times such as "baby", "adolescent", "adult", and "aging" affected your personality based on how successfully or unsuccessfully you dealt with them.
Within the fitness industry we can easily see these principles in action. Pick up any fitness magazine, look in any gym, and you'll see that we are constantly judging ourselves, often far too harshly. The mirrors in the gym speak directly to the Super Ego, providing us with hard evidence that we fall short of our expectations. The Id, on the other hand, can be seen in those that struggle to lose fat, to exercise, or to maintain a program. They are driven by a desire to please themselves, and dieting and exercise are not pleasurable experiences.
Behaviourialism
"If I do what everyone is doing, and follow instruction, I'll become what I want to be."
Skinner, behaviourialim's most important theorist, believed that an individual their personality based on what they learn, or in other words, conditioning. There are two types of conditioning; positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement would be something like praise, or pleasant rewards. Negative reinforcement could be seen as something unpleasant which you remove when you do what is needed, such as nagging, or shouting like a drill sergeant, etc. It is important to remember though, that negative reinforcement is never punishment, it is only something unpleasant which is removed when the recipient does what is wanted of them.
This leads into social learning theory, which indicates that personality develops as we model it on somebody, normally a parent. This is achieved by copying their behaviours and an individual responds to the reinforcements proved them by their parents and/or role models. For Sw352 fitness tracker , your father is a tough guy, and as a child you like this. At given moments, your father rewards your behaviour when it falls in line with his, thus reinforcing your developing personality into a similar mould. Learned behaviours can be socially desirable, such as being neat or punctual, or undesirable such as violent or lazy.
It is important to remember that behaviourialism doesn't explain every person. Statistically there are many who do not fall into its parameters. Plenty of people who come from violent or harsh upbringings become gentle and loving adults, which causes the theory of behaviourlism to break down.
Within the fitness industry, we can see this in the way a personal trainer will positively reinforce a client after a good workout with praise. Conversely, a trainer would negatively reinforce a client by saying that they will never achieve their goals without one more set, or using a drill technique in the coaching style.
Humanism
"I can be the unique person I am, if I attend to my basic needs first, and let myself be."
Maslow founded Humanism by studying mentally and socially healthy individuals. Essentially, Humanism states that everybody wants to realise their full potential, and that each person is unique and worthy of respect. We each have a desire to express the nature of who we are, but before we can do that we have to fulfil some more basic needs. The first of these needs is physiological; food, water, etc. It is important to remember that two thirds of the world's population cannot currently satisfy this need, meaning that they cannot develop their personality fully by satisfying this need. The second need is safety, such as security and stability. The third is love and belonging, which includes affiliation and acceptance. The forth is esteem, which is your success and status. Once all of these needs are fulfilled, you are able to become yourself. Humanism believes that there are diseases, like addictions, which cripple you early on, preventing them from becoming themselves.
In regards to the fitness industry, a person needs to have a regular diet and a stable home, which satisfies the first two needs. The third need is fulfilled by a feeling of belonging or being a member of the gym, which leads to the fulfilment of the forth need; recognition - they are recognized for their achievements in their personal fitness and training, acquiring a status somewhat more than being just a "member". Finally, with all these conditions met, an individual can be themselves, their personality which has always been there but waiting for the base needs to be met, spontaneously appears.
Conclusion
As can be seen, there are many motivating factors that cause a person to start exercising. The key factor is maintaining their interest beyond the initial honeymoon period. By understanding their driving factors and utilizing basic personality theories in ascertaining the goals, you will have a higher rate of retention. While these psychology techniques have been focussed towards the fitness industry in this article, the same principles would apple to other fields such as massage, physiotherapy, club memberships, etc.
