Looking at the
different styles of motivation a person uses can give insight into his or her
reasoning and choices. Take Walt Disney
(1901-1966), for example. Disney was a
beloved and creative man, who provided the world with such animated classics as
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi,
and Cinderella (JustDisney,
n.d). Although Disney spread joy to
those who knew him and to those who could participate in his many dreams, he
maintained a very imaginative view of childhood. Looking at Disney’s decisions to pursue childhood
fantasies may be better expressed when the views of motivation are applied:
psychoanalytic, humanistic, and diversity.
Disney is
described as “a creator, a[n] imaginative, and aesthetic person” (JustDisney,
n.d, para. 4). Applying a
psychoanalytic view to Disney’s motives would attribute his behaviors to
primitive drives and instincts; Freud indicates that sexuality and aggression
are the predominate drives behind the psychoanalytic view of motivation
(McAdams, 2006). Applying this view would
suggest that because of constraints and daily conflicts, Disney’s expression of
these constraints through fantasies and dreams affect his daily behaviors. It is of no secret that Disney’s father was
known to beat his children in an effort to motivate them to work harder
(Association for Natural Psychology, 2011).
The psychoanalytic view for Disney’s relentless drive and volatile
temper stem from the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious region of the
mind. Repressed memory from the
unconscious mind, according to McAdams (2006), are those experiences that cause
people to judge themselves negatively.
As these experiences well up they are expressed through debilitating
symptoms, Disney was no different; “he had a temper and was explosive at times,
was a work and smoke-aholic” (Association for Natural Psychology, 2011, para.
11). Psychoanalytical applications of Freud’s model
of the psyche would indicate that Disney’s unconscious instinctual impulses of
sex and aggression, from the id, are what create his wishes, fantasies,
inclinations, and drives. Outlandish
motivations are controlled by the ego, which bring reality and rational thought
to preserve and maintain acceptable behavior and reduce stress. The superego is the internal control that
houses moral anxiety; keeping not only Disney, but everyone, from
overexpressing all wishes, fantasies, and inclinations.
Looking at Disney’s motivations from the humanistic
view would suggest that his drives are motivated by a desire to distinguish
himself; that he was “striving to actualize and perfect the self” (McAdams,
2006, p. 266). Disney was obviously
successful in his efforts to achieve self-actualization and became a fully
functioning person; able to view his entire life and integrate all aspects into
a coherent whole. Humanistic views
provide for the possibility of a person to live without conflict and to accept him
or herself unconditionally (McAdams, 2006).
Looking at Maslow’s needs hierarchy, Disney’s progress from fulfilling
his physiological needs through self-actualization needs can be traced. As a young boy, his family struggled to put
food on the table, and provide for a safe environment. Disney found belongingness and love at age 24
when he married, his first Academy Award fulfilled esteem needs, and Disney’s
major achievement, Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs was his first full length feature marking his fulfillment to
self-actualization. Throughout his
remaining days Disney continued his propensity for peak experiences:
exceptional moments of transcendence.
The diversity view allows many motivations
to affect decisions and choices: goals, incentives, achievement, or recognition
are but a few. According to Henry
Murray’s motivational view theory, Disney’s choices stemmed from past
experiences and the anticipation of future events. Disney’s desire to communicate life’s
situations to children would be considered his need, the constraints and opportunities
for this need are called press (e.g. difficulties and the making of family
films). The motivation comes in the
interaction between the need and the press, Murray calls this span of time thema
(McAdams, 2009). Disney’s need to
express himself created tension and to reduce tension he created movies. Although Disney is not able to take Murray’s
Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT), his stories provide some insight into his
motivational tendencies of achievement, power, and intimacy; doing well and achieving
success, making an impact and feeling strong, and having warm, close, and
communicative interaction with others (McAdams, 2009).
Regardless of the
motivational view used to review Disney’s decision to pursue and communicate
childhood fantasies, it can be said that he was successful. Psychoanalytically, he learned to accept and
channel his daily constraints into a meaningful outlet. The drives of conscious, preconscious, and
unconscious thought propelling his decisions to success. A humanistic view reflects Disney was compelled
to distinguish himself and became a fully functioning person. Disney worked hard to achieve
self-actualization with continued periods of transcendence. According to diversity views, his history and
his future goals were his motivations for achievement, power, and
intimacy. Motivation in making choices
can take on many facets, but whatever the motivation of Disney’s decisions to
pursue childhood fantasies, the world has benefited greatly because of it.
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