Use when someone has lost motivation, is doing something but doesn't know why, or suspects their stated reason isn't the real one. Also triggers when someone knows what they want but can't seem to pursue it — ambivalence almost always has a...
Use when:
Not for:
| Type | Signal | Sustainability |
|---|---|---|
| External regulation | For reward or to avoid punishment | Depletes over time |
| Introjected | To avoid guilt/shame or protect self-esteem | Effort with chronic anxiety |
| Identified | Agree it's important, even if not always pleasant |
| More stable |
| Integrated | Part of who I am | Stable and energizing |
| Intrinsic | The activity itself is rewarding | Self-sustaining |
Diagnostic questions:
SDT Needs Assessment (which need is nourished vs starved?):
| Need | Nourishing | Starving |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | "I chose this" | "I have to" |
| Competence | Growth and mastery | Chronic overwhelm or boredom |
| Relatedness | Connects to people/purpose | Isolated, disconnected |
A goal that starves all three will not be sustained by willpower.
Take the stated motivation and ask "why does that matter?" or "what would that give me?" 3–5 times.
Example:
Common root motivations: Worthiness, Belonging, Safety, Autonomy, Meaning/Purpose, Recognition.
Full taxonomy: see ../references/root-motivations-and-fears.md
| Change talk | Sustain talk |
|---|---|
| What would be good about doing this? | What's working about staying? |
| What are you gaining? | What would you lose? |
| What is it costing you not to? | What's scary about changing? |
Both are real. The goal is to see whether the cost of staying exceeds the cost of changing — and what the sustain talk is actually protecting.
Motivation Analysis
-------------------
Stated motivation: [what they say they want / why they say they're doing it]
Intrinsic/extrinsic read: [where on spectrum, with reasoning]
SDT needs: Autonomy [nourished/starved], Competence [nourished/starved], Relatedness [nourished/starved]
Motivation layers:
Surface: [stated reason]
Layer 2: [what that gives]
Layer 3: [what that protects]
Root: [underlying driver — named plainly]
Ambivalence (if relevant):
Change talk: [reasons to pursue]
Sustain talk: [reasons to stay]
Real blocker: [what sustain talk is protecting]
Insight: [single most important thing this analysis reveals]
Practical implication: [what this means for how to approach the goal]
| Claude | You |
|---|---|
| Locates motivation on the intrinsic/extrinsic spectrum | Reflect honestly on the diagnostic questions |
| Peels through layers to find the root driver | Sit with whether the root resonates — don't rush past it |
| Maps the SDT need that is being starved | Notice which need is most depleted |
| Names the ambivalence clearly, without resolving it | Decide what the sustain talk is actually protecting |
values-explorer — when the root driver is a values questionfear-inventory — when the sustain talk is driven by fearidentity-explorer — when motivation is tied to who you are or want to be