1.1.

3-
Motivations
for seeking
outdoor
experiences
- The range of motivations that inspire,
encourage and drive people to
participate in different outdoor
experiences.
What is motivation?
• Motivations are the driving forces or reasoning
behind a person’s desire to do something; the
explanation a person may give for wanting to
achieve a particular feet, complete a task or
realise a dream.
• Motivations are almost always linked to some
advantage we gain from doing something.
• Motivations can be broken into two main types:
- Intrinsic motivations
- Extrinsic motivations
Intrinsic motivations:
These are motivations that come from within us.
What motivates us in this way?
Think of and write down an activity that you enjoy doing
and are motivated to do… ask yourself and record:
“What keeps me coming back to do this activity?”
Examples of intrinsic motivations:
• Adrenaline rush
• Satisfaction
• Achievement
Extrinsic motivations
These are motivations that come from outside of us.
One of the biggest extrinsic motivators is money. Many people
do the activities they do in the outdoors because, at some
point, they will be paid for it.
Eg: professional sports people, park rangers, farmers.
This may not be their only motivation- many people are
attracted to activities intrinsically, but the extrinsic motivation
keeps them going.
An other example could be when people are motivated by
physical reward (other than money).
Competition – when we are challenged by other people –
could also be an extrinsic motivation.
“If you risk nothing, you gain nothing”
Bear Grylls

What do you think is his motivation for

participating in outdoor experiences?
Motivations for outdoor experiences
A desire for an adrenalin
rush

To be the first person to

accomplish something
(nationality, age, gender
etc..)
A desire to experience a
feeling of achievement

A desire to prove
something

To set a record
To share the wonders of
the natural world with
others via shared
experiences, writing,
photography, artwork,
etc…
To experience
challenge, risk, hardship
and / or uncertainty

To carry out research

To seek a feeling of
independence

The escape from the

reality of everyday life
and ascribed roles
 Motivations for outdoor experiences
Read about the different explanations for motivations
for participating outdoor experiences– pg.20-21 of text
Write a definition for each in your work book:
1. Competence/mastery
2. Stimulus avoidance
3. Socialisation
4. Cognitive reward
Aaron Ralston
‘Flow’ – an example of motivation
The “Flow” model of concentration and engagement
suggests that people are at their happiest when they
are fully and completely engaged in an activity; that is,
when they are in a state of flow.
Flow is:
Being completely involved in an activity for its own
sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action,
movement, and thought follows inevitably from the
previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is
involved and you’re using your skills to the utmost.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
When you’re in a ‘flow’
experience:
• you feel at one with
the world
• You forget about your
problems/worries
• You are completely
focused in the activity
and the moment
• You are satisfied with
what you are doing
• You’re happy, but
don’t really realise it
due to being
engrossed in the
activity

Can you think of a time or an

activity that allows you to
experience a “flow” state?