Download - Dental Asia

CLINICALFEATURE
by Drs Fanny Young & Ricky Wong
The Use of
Motivational Theories
in Dentistry
This article reviewed the theories of
motivation and suggested their applications
in dentistry. These included Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs theory, McGregor’s
Theory X and Theory Y, Motivation-hygiene
theory, Three-needs theory, Goal-setting
theory, Reinforcement theory, Equity theory
and Expectancy theory. An understanding of
each theory can evolve a combined strategy
that can motivate the most difficult patients.
All dentists want to motivate their patients, for example, to improve the
oral hygiene, to proceed to a certain treatment or to wear a certain
appliance. Besides, as an employer or team leader, dentists would like
to motivate their employees, subordinates or team members. In other
words, understanding motivation can be a half way to success. Motivation is the
process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained
towards attaining a goal. It is the result of an interaction between the person and
a situation; it is not a personal trait. In this article we would like to explore the
theories of motivation in an attempt to improve our effectiveness in motivating
others. We start with early theories of motivation, and then the more
contemporary ones.
Early Theories of Motivation
Three early theories of motivation, namely: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs;
MacGregor’s Theories X and Y; Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory provide the bestknown
explanations for motivation, even though their validity has been
questioned.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory
This was developed by psychologist Abraham Maslow 1 . This theory states that
there is a hierarchy of five human needs, from bottom to top: physiological (basic
food, drink, water, shelter, and sexual needs); safety (security and protection
from physical and emotional harm); social (affection, belongingness, acceptance,
and friendship); esteem (internal factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and
achievement, and external factors such as status, recognition, and attention);
24 Dental Asia • May / June 2008