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What are intrinsic motivations? They are derived from a theory focused on servanthood that explains why you relate to others in the way you do.

  • Intrinsic motivations are inward drives that strongly influence the way you respond to people, situations and problems in the world.
  • These motivational patterns will also help determine the roles you will adopt as a result of these drives.
  • Intrinsic motivations occur on a spiritual level.

What is servanthood? Servanthood comprises the foundation for understanding

intrinsic motivations. Central to the meaning of servanthood is the word serve. "Serve" is most often defined as "to carry out duties for another person; give aid, assistance, or help to another person". This can occur on at least three different levels.

Level of Serving Description Level of Operation

Servitude

Forced act of serving another person

Body

Service

Decided act of serving another person

Mind

Servanthood

Attitudinal act of serving another person

Spirit


Servanthood, then, can best be described as love acting in life's relationship. Servanthood will express itself in a variety of ways as we will serve each other differently based on the intrinsic motivations at work within us.

How is intrinsic motivation related to personality? When personality is understood as the totality of qualities and traits that are peculiar to a specific person, then intrinsic motivation is a part of personality.  However, when personality is understood as synonomous with the psychological nature of a person, then intrinsic motivation is distinct from that understanding as it addresses the spiritual domain of a person rather than the psychological domain.

Where do the definitions used in IMAGE come from? Some of the most thorough recent research and application of this theory has been conducted over the last two decades by Dr. Bill Millard. His work traces its roots back to research first done with adolescents and later expanded to encompass adults as well. During this time he has assessed thousands of individuals and has enabled them to discover their own pattern of the seven different intrinsic motivations working within them in a special way to make them unique. The concept of intrinsic motivation can be traced back as far as classical Greek philosophy. Dr. Millard, however, organized his classification of intrinsic motivations identified in IMAGE to seven, which he patterned after seven identified in the first century writings of Paul of Tarsus, a keen oberver of human nature.

IMAGE was developed as an important part of the process to identify the strength of each of the seven motivations in an individual. These results can be used to enable people to 1) better understand themselves, 2) plan for their lives, 3) improve relationship skills, 4) identify roles with which they will be most comfortable when they are in group situations, 5) evaluate career decisions, and 6) act more effectively in service to the world.

Based on historical context, plus testing of thousands of individuals, the seven intrinsic motivations can best be labeled and defined as follows. Click on the names of the motivations below or in the menu to the left if you wish to view more information about them.

...the inward motivation to publicly speak out from internal convictions concerning what is perceived as right and wrong

...the inward motivation to detect legitimate needs others have and to find practical ways to provide for these needs

...the inward motivation to carefully research truth and to clearly present what they discover to others in such a way that it will be easy to learn

...the inward motivation to encourage others through counsel and to outline practical steps of actions others should take to overcome problems

...the inward motivation to financially invest in and support other worthwhile projects and to wisely use and invest money to provide for such support

...the inward motivation to organize and coordinate the activities and efforts of others and to set goals for them to meet in these activities and efforts

...the inward motivation to identify with the emotions of others and to provide comfort to those who are in emotional distress


Life Discovery uses the seven point star depicted above as a symbol of the seven motivations and their interaction.

  1. First, the star gives a picture of completeness, with each of the seven points part of a single star. Relationships in organizations of people require each of the seven motivations. Each is good and valuable. The seven points in one star also depict that each of the seven motivations is at work within everyone at some level.

  2. Second, the star portrays balance. The qualities of "justice" and "mercy" find balance between Proclaiming and Comforting. "Research" and "practicality" find balance between Researching and Exhorting. "Leading" and "serving" find balance between Managing and Helping.

  3. Third, the star depicts dependency. Each of the six other motivations to some extent relies on its ability to be supported and underwritten by Giving, the rarest of the seven motivations.

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