Jingle-Jangle Fallacies in Motivation Science

The term “motivation” is used in a myriad of different ways. This is unfortunate because divergent use of words can lead to misunderstandings and confusion. The jingle-jangle fallacy occurs when one uses the same word to refer to different things (jingle) or uses different words to refer to the same thing (jangle). Nevertheless, despite differences in the range of processes considered, there seems to be a common denominator in the usage of “motivation.” According to this denominator, motivation denotes mental processes that shape the goal direction, intensity, and persistence of behavior. The nature of these processes is left undefined, so a more concrete definition is needed. Thus, core motivation is the mental representation of desired states and actions combined with the feeling of desire.