Dissecting the Elephant: Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation as Distinct but Intertwined Entities

Cognition, emotion, and motivation are mental processes that can be conceptually separated but nevertheless overlap considerably. Most motivational processes involve cognition, and that cognition typically is motivated. Similarly, motivation often comprises emotion, and emotions can include motivational components. Nevertheless, given that they represent different facets of the mental system, it is still useful to distinguish between the three constructs. The potential intersection also presents a problem for any research on the relations between cognition, emotion, and motivation variables—to the extent that they measure the same phenomena, empirical relations between the measures may be boosted by overlap rather than reflecting relations between independent constructs. These distinctions and points of overlap have implications for the assessment of motivation and for motivation interventions.