Motivation is a complex psychological concept that refers to the inner state of arousal or incentive that drives individuals to take action or behave in a certain way. It involves the processes that initiate, guide, and maintain goal-directed behaviors. Motivation can be influenced by various factors, including internal needs, wants, desires, and external stimuli.
Let's understand what all motivational conflicts user faces while buying a product.
Motivational conflicts involve situations where individuals face competing desires or goals. There are different types of motivational conflicts:
- Approach-Approach Conflict: This occurs when a person must choose between two desirable alternatives. For example, deciding between two attractive job offers. The conflict arises because both options are appealing, but choosing one means forgoing the other.How to Resolve- Faced with competition, marketers can utilize a "positioning map" to effectively communicate their brand's competitive advantage. This visual tool allows them to highlight their product's superior qualities while strategically pointing out potential drawbacks of competing options. By emphasizing their commitment to high standards and quality, marketers can effectively sway consumer preference towards their own offering.
- Approach-Avoidance Conflict: This occurs when a person is faced with a single option or goal that has both positive and negative aspects. For instance, wanting to buy a product but being concerned about its potential drawbacks. The conflict is between the desire to obtain the positive aspects and the desire to avoid the negative aspects. Unless there is an obvious winner in their mind, they will typically feel a sense of loss for not being able ‘have it all’.How to Resolve- Explaining the benefits of your products and also can market the product highlighting how the negative impacts are reduced. A good option to minimize the downside is to offer?complimentary?products or services.
- Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict: This arises when a person must choose between two undesirable alternatives. It involves weighing the negative aspects of each option to determine the lesser of two evils.How to Resolve- We can give some suggestions in the decision-making process to help the customer making a decision for our favor.
Understanding these motivational conflicts can be valuable for marketers, psychologists, and individuals in various fields to comprehend decision-making processes and help people navigate conflicting motivations. It also provides insights into consumer behavior and the factors that influence choices and satisfaction.
