Motivation is a key concept and concern to occupational therapists; however, no true occupational therapy motivational model exists. Previous studies of motivation by occupational therapists have tended to focus on unidimensional, content theories of motivation, which do not adequately explain this construct. The authors present a review of several major theories of motivation and propose one — Lawler's motivation model — as an appropriate model for guiding occupational therapy practice and research. Based on expectancy theory, this model incorporates many conceptual factors consistent with occupational therapy theories and beliefs.
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