Daryl J. BurtonHon 394- Midterm Paper2-3-14 Mapping MotivationMotivation is a fascinating and unique experience, varying from one individual to another and depending on its situation. Given its relevance to human existence, the idea of ​​motivation has been both much studied and contested. Intellectual disagreements gave rise to various theories of motivation aimed at explaining the internal phenomenon. Throughout the study of motivation, three widely accepted theories have become the most important: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Alderfer's Existence Relationship Growth (ERG) model, and Doug's Renovated Pyramid Kendrick. Common foundations strengthen these motivational theories: logic, repeatability and flexibility. This review aims to compare and contrast each theory of motivation and analyze their description of how the individual interprets their situation to generate motivational forces. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the oldest motivation theory covered, bases its constituents on the developmental stages of life and the need to achieve and transcend each stage. Maslow, a psychologist, first came up with his idea in the 1940s. The hierarchy, usually visualized as a pyramid, consists of five steps: the bottom is achieved earliest and the top is achieved latest. . The order of the stages from bottom to top is: physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Regarding the rigidity of Maslow's hierarchy, the ability to move from one stage to the next depends on the completion of the previous state. The steps also seem to become more complex as they move up the pyramid; the lowest rung, physiological needs, comes to fruition with middle of paper...... supplanted by three of the most important topics in evolutionary psychology: mate acquisition, mate retention, and parenting . Alongside Kendrick's additional attention to reproduction is the structural change that his research shaped in Maslow's original model. Kendrick posits that higher levels of the hierarchy do not necessarily entirely replace lower levels when satisfied, but rather that motivations can coexist. For example, an individual may have satisfied their need for status and esteem sufficiently to focus on satisfying higher-level motivators, while viewing their needs for status and esteem in a more passive light; actively triggered in relevant contexts. Kendrick's modifications parallel Alderfer's work on the ERG model, emphasizing that stages of motivation exist on a continuum rather than a rigid series..