Question

Maria dropped her bags on the floor of the dorm room and introduced herself to her new roommate, Denise. They got along easily and after talking for some time Maria left to go to the library. Maria marveled at their very different lives. Whereas Denise’s parents are doctors, Maria’s mother works two jobs to pay the bills. Maria considers herself very lucky to have won a scholarship to college. She worries about leaving her mother alone with her younger siblings-there’s so much work to do and the little ones need lots of supervision if they want to stay out of trouble in the neighborhood. Maria worries that her younger brothers will grow up too quickly and make dangerous decisions like joining one of the many neighborhood gangs. She realizes that she is very fortunate to be able to leave her poor community, but worries that her absence will harm her family. At the same time, Maria is delighted to have the opportunity to learn new things, to study with bright students and professors, and to prepare for a career as a doctor. As a pre-med major, Maria has a very busy semester ahead and she hopes that she won’t disappoint those who have given her such grand opportunities.

Discuss Maria’s achievement motivation.Theory must be applied.

Answer 1

Maria's achievement is based on the achievement motivation theory proposed by David McClelland.
He proposed that the need for achievement, success, power, affiliation motivates an individual. Motivation is an important aspect of life. To achieve something or work towards a goal, a person should be motivated so that he puts in more effort and works hard to achieve what he desires.  
Maria comes from a mediocre family but there are multiple factors that motivate her to achieve her dreams. The scholarship she won for college is an achievement for her to pursue further studies. The conditions of her family motivate her to work hard and support them. The motivational factor should not always be positive, any strong compelling factor may also motivate an individual to work towards achieving his or her desired goals. One another motivational factor for Maria is that she is getting a chance to study with bright students and learn new things. All these together contribute to the theory of achievement.