Armour-Piercing Motivation

I recently had the chance to tag along and observe a special unit selection course, which got me thinking on the topic of motivation and the analogy of the different components of an armour-piercing bullet and the different factors that motivate us.

For those readers less familiar with the specifics of armour-piercing munitions, there are many kinds, but the basic principle is similar throughout. At the core of the projectile (the part that shoots out of the gun!) is the penetrator, which as the name suggests, is designed to plough through the armour and do some real damage on the other side.

The penetrator is encased in a variety of different compounds, sometimes explosive, and then packaged in a metal jacket. The role of the jacket and the other compounds around the penetrator is to help get the projectile to the target accurately and then begin the process of degrading the armour before disintegrating and delivering the penetrator with enough force to smash through and keep going.

A rough schematic of an armour-piercing projectile can be found below:

Fundamental to how much damage the projectile will do to the intended target are the mass of the projectile and the speed at which it’s travelling when it hits the target. (If you're interested in learning more about this concept, check out my previous article titled How small bullets make BIG holes in things)

Logically, a heavy projectile going very fast will do maximal damage. The force that shoots a projectile out of the end of a gun comes from the propellant (gunpowder) found in the casing that makes up the rest of the bullet. As a generalisation, the bigger the bullet and the more gunpowder it contains, the faster the projectile will be shot out of the gun.

Now that our quick lesson in armour-piercing bullets is complete, let’s turn our attention to how on Earth any of this relates to motivation!

There are many motivational theories and there is ongoing debate as to which model best describes human behaviour. A now somewhat antiquated view on categorising motivation simplistically in a binary fashion was the dichotomous division of motivation into intrinsic (doing something for the inherent interest or pleasure of it) and extrinsic (doing something for a specific external outcome or reward / avoidance of punishment) factors.

While modern motivational theories have extended on the intrinsic vs extrinsic model, I think it is a great place to start when considering motivation for an ambitious life goal such as special unit selection. It is natural to be drawn towards such a goal by factors that fit into both categories, and while both can be powerful motivators, it is the balance and interactions between the two that are fundamental to success.

Having been involved in special unit selection courses, both as a candidate, a Directing Staff, and a supporting doctor, one thing that always strikes me is the candidate dropout rate in the first hours to days of the courses. These candidates have obviously set themselves the goal of joining a special unit, gone through the application process and preliminary barrier testing to get onto selection, presumably done some training towards the course, and then pull the pin almost immediately as selection commences, and well before they could possibly be physically exhausted.

The reason for withdrawal is unquestionably a psychological one, and I feel in many instances a failure of adequate motivation to carry them through the rigors of the course once the reality of what’s required sets in.

Looping back to the metaphor of the armour piercing bullet as motivation, there’s been enough force to get the candidate to the start line of the selection course, however, not enough to penetrate the ‘armour’ of the course, let alone persist to the end.

I suspect that a lot of the time these candidates have been driven towards attempting selection primarily by extrinsic motivational forces as opposed to intrinsic ones, and these simply aren’t enough to motivate them to knuckle down and suffer as required on the course.

Our motivational projectile looks like this:

There’s nothing wrong with extrinsic motivation and indeed, just like it’s metaphoric counterpart here it can be explosive.

Extrinsic factors are often a fundamental part to the ‘ignition story’ (the spark that fires someone’s motivation to pursue an ambitious goal) as well as to help fuel the fire along the path of goal pursuit. However, extrinsic factors are unlikely in themselves to be motivation enough to optimally see a goal to fruition.

This is especially the case in the setting of special unit selection, where the candidate has an existing job within their organisation to go back to if they are not successful, as opposed to say the scenario of being externally motivated by the threat of job loss if you don’t make a deadline for a project. In the special unit selection candidate, once they have hit the ground on the selection course the casing and extrinsic components of their motivational bullet have done their job and it’s time for their intrinsic motivational penetrator to plough through and get them to the end of the course.

When I first set my sights on completing SAS selection and a career with special operations, I was drawn to the environment for a range of reasons.

There was unquestionably extrinsic motivation including the prestige of the units and admiration from others, the ability to grow a beard and long hair, to be able to paint my rifle and wear non-issue boots, and the potential to get around work wearing a baseball cap and with my hands in my pockets without an angry warrant officer exploding at me!

But balancing out these extrinsic factors was a healthy number of intrinsic motivators including the challenge of applying my medical skills in the complex environment of special operations, the chance to challenge myself against one of the hardest courses in the Australian Army, and the opportunity to train and evolve into what I perceived to be the best version of my professional self.

I viewed attempting SAS selection and hopefully serving with special operations as a gateway to pursuing professional mastery and becoming a member of one of the ultimate high-performance tribes. I had a hefty metaphoric motivational penetrator to keep me going on selection once the extrinsic factors had been stripped away after initial contact with the armour of the course.

Moving beyond the dichotomous model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, contemporary psychology has become more interested in multidimensional concepts of motivation, as well as the deconstruction and interplay between extrinsic and intrinsic motivational forces.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is one such model that dissects extrinsic motivation into different categories as follows:

1. External – being pressured by others

2. Introjected – putting pressure on oneself through ego involvement

3. Identified – doing an activity because one finds it meaningful

4. Integrated regulations – doing an activity because it is fully aligned with one’s values and sense of self

Thus, the external environment and consequences (extrinsic factors) impact internal (intrinsic) motivation, muddying the waters of the dichotomous model of intrinsic / extrinsic motivation. (This external influence on internal motivation is described by the sub-theory of SDT known as Cognitive Evaluation Theory for anyone interested in going further down the rabbit hole!)

It can be seen from the list above that the first two categories, external and introjected, are unlikely to sustain true motivation once the going gets tough, however, the last two categories, identified, and integrated regulations, are likely to provide enduring motivation in the face of adversity.

SDT proposes that we all have three key psychological needs, which underpin motivation, Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness.

I consider these three key psychological needs as the propellant in the bullet that fires the motivational projectile.

If an individual feels they are autonomously pursuing a goal, as opposed to being pressured by external forces or threat of punishment, their motivation will be higher.

Feelings of growing competence and the promise of ongoing pursuit of mastery is another strong motivator, as is the need to feel connectedness with others, or a sense of ‘tribe’ (relatedness).

The more of these three factors, the more gunpowder is crammed into the case of the motivational bullet and the faster it impacts the target of the desired life goal.

When it came to my pursuit of SAS selection, six years passed from the time I set my sights on the goal to the day I toed the line of the selection course.

During that period, I industriously trained away at various disciplines that I felt would make me more likely to succeed on the course. I had little to no external pressure on me to attempt SAS selection, it was an almost entirely autonomous choice.

As the years passed, some of the ego-driven (introjected) extrinsic motivational factors began to give way to more ‘identified’ and ‘integrated regulations’ as I began to see myself more and more as being suitable for SAS service and identifying as such.

As I continued to train towards my goal, I began to achieve competence in the physical and technical skills that I would require to successfully complete selection and serve with the unit. All the while, my desire to be a part of the close-knit tribe of special forces fuelled the relatedness component of my motivation.

My motivational armour-piercing bullet was fully loaded to fire me at the course, penetrate its armour, and carry me through to the finish line!

So there it is! A quick lesson in armour-piercing bullets and contemporary motivational psychological theory all rolled into one.

For anyone interested in hearing more about my training for, and completion of, SAS selection, you can read all about it in my book The Combat Doctor

Thanks for reading! If you want to support my content and get a signed copy of one of my books in the process, please subscribe to my brand new Patreon page.

Until next Friday, stay safe, and don’t forget to have some fun!

Cheers,

Dr Dan Pronk

References.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78