Motivation Checklist
The following checklist may prove helpful in getting at the sources of poor motivation. If you want to improve your motivation, you may want to choose a self-directed improvement program or use the information as a focus for counseling.
1. Preferring something other than attending this university:
____Would prefer not to go to college.
____Would rather attend another college.
____Would prefer a different kind of training.
2. College as means to an end other than learning:
____To avoid getting a job
____To find a mate
____To have a good time
____To get away from home
____To prove self-worth
3. Distracting personal problems:
____Conflict with same sex
____Conflict with opposite sex
____Conflict with parents
____Lack of confidence
____Undefined resistance to college
____Angry at the world
____Overuse of drugs or alcohol
____Fear of evaluation
____Difficulty in making decisions
____Lack of financial resources
____Marriage problems
____Phobias and other anxieties
____Insecurity
____Loneliness
4. Lack of interest:
____Undefined vocational goals
____Undefined educational goals
____Course material is not what I think is important
____Interest in school is not the "in" thing among my friends.
5. Continuing self-defeating behavior patterns:
____Excessive dependence on parents or others
____Fear as a motivator
____Parents as motivators
____Grades or academic achievement as motivator
____High school habits