achievement motivation

psychology

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July 23, 2026

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Achievement motivation is a concept in psychology that explores why individuals strive for success and accomplishment. It's understood through cognitive theories, particularly expectancy-value theory, which posits that behavior is driven by the expectation of success and the value placed on the goal. This theory suggests people choose actions that offer the greatest combination of expected success and value.1

Early work by Henry Murray recognized achievement as a key human motivator, with David McClelland and John Atkinson developing methods to measure it using the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). Their model considers a motive for success and a motive to avoid failure, with the difference in their strength influencing whether someone is an "achiever".1

Attribution theory offers another perspective, focusing on how people explain their successes and failures. Attributions to ability, effort, task difficulty, or luck significantly impact future motivation. These attributions can be categorized by locus (internal/external), stability (stable/unstable), and controllability.2

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motivation
Expectancy-value theory
Achievement was initially recognized as an important source of human motivation by the American psychologist Henry Murray in the late 1930s. Although Murray identified achievement motivation as important to the behaviour of many people, it was the American psychologists David McClelland and John Atkinson who…
Read More
Achievement was initially recognized as an important source of human motivation by the American psychologist Henry Murray in the late 1930s. Although Murray identified achievement motivation as important to the behaviour of many people, it was the American psychologists David McClelland and John Atkinson who…
Read More