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Running head: QUIT SMOKING MOTIVATION PAPER Quit Smoking Motivation Paper July 22, 2009 Quit Smoking Motivation Paper Smoking behavior is reinforced by a number of mechanisms. Most smokers report that they smoke in order to help them concentrate, to enhance positive experiences and to cope with or alleviate stress or negative impact. Some researchers also claim that smoking behavior is reinforced by the reduction of negative affect along with the facilitation or enhancement of positive affect. Therefore, in order to develop an effective quit smoking strategy it is very important to understand the brain structures and functions of quit smoking with the motivation to engage in smoking cessation. The paper also evaluates the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including heredity and the environment, on the motivation to engage a person in quit smoking behavior.
While discussing quit smoking motivation, it should be mentioned that there are motivational concepts leading to alterations in human behavior, both in learning of good habits and breaking bad habits. In order to understand these concepts better, it is important to provide explanations of the specific brain areas and structures involved in motivation and to discuss how they relate to changes in behavior. Motivation is defined as the internal condition that activates human behavior, directs it, stimulates, controls and directs goal-oriented behavior in individuals. There are two types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation concepts. Intrinsic motivation takes place when there is a reward inherent to an activity or task itself (for example, a smoker enjoys a process of smoking). At the same time, extrinsic motivation comes outside the person, who performs a specific action (for example, the individual does not like smoking, but his environment encourages him to smoke).
According to the researchers, brain function plays an important role in motivation (Masters, 2005). The prefrontal areas in human brain store our values hierarchically, virtually segregating what people dislike at the one end and what people like at the other. As an individual moves towards a certain goal, brain circuits start bringing positive emotionally toned thoughts to mind, and act as a cheering section. While the brain reminds an individual of the satisfaction and enjoyment that is supposed to come with the accomplishment of the goal, the individual is motivated to move toward the goal. Although the specific stimuli vary, the desire to perform specific functions or activities to reach the goal originates in one common neural pathway. Left prefrontal-based circuits quit negative feelings or worry or frustration that can prevent an individual continuing toward the accomplishment of the goal.
The extent of efficiency of the prefrontal circuits fostering positive motivating feelings and controlling negative discouraging ones, distinguish pessimists from optimists. The researchers also claim that although external motivators (e. g. , recognition, money, etc) can encourage better performance, the internal motivators are more important as individuals perform at their best because of intrinsic motivation (Masters, 2005). In fact, both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors can encourage the person to smoke but, if applied appropriately, they can be used for the benefit of smoker in his attempts to quit smoking. For example, according to Curry, Grothausa & McBride (1997), most popular intrinsic motivation factors for smoking cessation include health concerns and self-control, while the most popular extrinsic motivation dimensions include immediate reinforcement and social influence. Gender also plays role in motivation to quit smoking.
Women compared to men are less motivated to quit smoking due to risk to develop serious illnesses and diseases, and are more motivated by immediate reinforcement. Age factor is also important. Smokers above age 55 report lower health concerns and higher self-control motivation (Curry, Grothausa, & McBride, 1997). How can smoker be motivated to engage in quit smoking behavior? According to Abraham Maslows theory, before the person can be motivated intrinsically, he must first satisfy basic human needs.
According to Maslow, there are five levels of human needs, namely, physiological needs (e. g. , when applied to quit smoking behavior, the person can be motivated to satisfy needs ensuring his physical survival. As for some people physiological needs are dominant by nature, being the biggest and the most important needs in their lives, the importance of these needs cannot be underestimated), safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and the need for self-actualization. According to the researchers, intrinsic motivation will not take place until these five basic needs are satisfied (Gilbert, 1995). Although extrinsic motivation is not as effective as intrinsic motivation, it is used relatively more often and can come from outside sources (e. g. , the environment) in form of positive rewards or fears for a specific behavior.
For example, the smoker can be motivated extrinsically when he will get praise from family or friends or when he will realize the threat of illness (e. g. , cancer) from smoking. It should be mentioned that heredity plays an important role in smoking, as in this case both genes and parent as a role model can play role (Gilbert, 1995). Lifestyle and the environment also affect the smokers motivation, as the play role in heart, cancer, and lung diseases associated with smoking. For example, if the smoker has a family history of lung cancer or heart disease, the risk to develop diseases will obviously increase with his lifestyle choice of smoking. In conclusion it should be said that individual motivation is a very complex phenomenon and while developing an effective strategy for smoking cessation, it can be difficult to find external incentives to initiate and encourage motivation to quit smoking.
Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators should be used to facilitate smoking cessation and to motivate smokers. References Curry, S. , Grothausa, L. , & McBride, C. (1997). Reasons for quitting: Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for smoking cessation in a population-based sample of smokers. Addictive Behaviors, 22 (6), 727 - 739. Gilbert, D. (1995). Smoking: Individual Differences, Psychopathology, And Emotion (Series in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine).
Taylor & Francis. Masters, K. (2005). Role development in professional nursing practice. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.
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