Question

Sandy is an executive assistant of a luxury apparel brand. She has skipped lunch and other
social gatherings for the last six months so she can save sufficient money to buy a Hermes
handbag which costs more than three times her monthly salary. Sandy explained that she
wanted a good quality handbag that can last for a long time.
a) Explain the meaning of manifest and latent motive. Identify the
manifest and latent motive that may drive Sandy to desire for a Hermes
handbag.
b) Explain the meaning of intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
Identify the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation behind Sandy’s desire to
buy a Hermes handbag.

Answer 1

a)

Motives can be classified in a way into two types which are latent and manifest motives. Manifest motives are those reasons behind a certain action which is consciously accepted and expressed by an individual while the unconscious or inner motives which might or might not be known to the individual is known as the latent motives. It has been said that the latent motives are what mainly drives a person to act in a certain way.

In this case of Sandy, the manifest motive is what she has expressed and that is having a bag with longevity. Hermes handbags has been trending for a long time due to the reason that they are handmade and have been a style statement in the present scenario. Thus, the latent motive of Sandy can be belonging to a higher group or a group of higher status by having a hermes handbag.

b)

Motivation can also be classified into two types which are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. An individual can be said to be intrinsically motivated when certain internal factors like interest, satisfaction and feeling of significance drives him towards a particular goal. On the other hand, a person can be said to be extrinsically motivated when certain external factors like rewards, bonus or promotions drives him towards a certain goal.

In the case of Sandy, it can be said that the intrinsic motivation can be of a feeling of importance and worth by having a hermes handbag. On the other hand, the extrinsic motivation can be of having a bag with high longevity and a bad which is trending and been loved by most.