Human Motivation originally published in 1987 offers a broad overview of theory & research from the perspective of a distinguished psychologist whose creative empirical studies of human motives span forty years. David Mc Clelland describes methods for measuring motives the development of motives out of natural incentives & the relationship of motives to emotions to values & to performance under a variety of conditions. He examines four major motive systems
- achievement power affiliation & avoidance
- reviewing & evaluating research on how these motive systems affect behaviour. Scientific understanding of motives & their interaction he argues contributes to understanding of such diverse & important phenomena as the rise & fall of civilisations the underlying causes of war the rate of economic development the nature of leadership the reasons for authoritarian or democratic governing styles the determinants of success in management & the factors responsible for health & illness. Students & instructors alike will find this book an exciting & readable presentation of the psychology of human motivation.