Takeaway
To motivate patients toward long-term behavior change, healthcare professionals should try to identify patients’ intrinsic goals and align care plans.
Passion in the Medical Profession | October 16, 2024 | 2 min read
By Zoobia Chaudhry, MBBS, Johns Hopkins Medicine
To effectively support patients in adhering to their care plans and motivate them toward positive change, it’s essential to grasp the deeper roots of motivation. It drives all conscious thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, with goals representing the desired endpoints. Ibn al-Qayyim, a renowned 14th-century Islamic scholar, categorized goals that motivate actions into two types: extrinsic and intrinsic.
Extrinsic goals
Extrinsic goals serve immediate needs but often lack long-term meaning. For instance, eating healthy to lose weight addresses the immediate need for weight loss.
Intrinsic goals
In contrast, intrinsic goals are tied to a person’s deeper sense of purpose, such as understanding one’s life purpose or seeking long-term fulfillment. These goals become the primary motivators behind a person’s actions. For example, eating less is not just about losing weight, but about nourishing oneself to live a purpose-driven life.
An additional tool for engagement is focusing on the process of change, which brings an immediate sense of accomplishment—such as receiving positive feedback from a healthcare professional, the feeling of achievement after a workout, or avoiding a vending machine while trying to maintain a healthy diet. These short-term incentives help keep patients engaged.
Clinicians can play a crucial role by identifying and aligning care plans with the patient’s intrinsic goals and motivators, as these are key to fostering long-term motivation and adherence. While extrinsic goals may motivate initial change, process motivators and identifying intrinsic goals are critical for sustained engagement.
When patients lose sight of their intrinsic goals or become overwhelmed by the demands of extrinsic goals, they may feel disconnected and struggle to adhere to their care plans. This leads to difficulties in making lasting changes. Thus, reconnecting patients with their intrinsic goals is essential for long-term health behavior change.
Thus:
1. Healthcare professionals should help patients identify and connect with their deeper, purpose-driven motivation. Intrinsic goals are crucial for sustaining long-term behavior changes.
2. Incorporate process motivators, such as positive feedback or celebrating small wins, to keep patients engaged in their care plans and motivated throughout the process.
3. When patients lose sight of their intrinsic goals or become overwhelmed by extrinsic demands, clinicians should redirect and revisit intrinsic goals to ensure ongoing adherence and success.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.