Motivation Vs Persuasion

To begin this discuss a definition of motivation is presented. Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social and cognitive forces that activate behavior. In everyday usage, the term motivation is frequently used to describe why a person does something (Motivation Psychological Factors That Guide Behavior, 2016).

Every day people want to convince others that their ideas are the right ones. People will engage in arguments to try to prove their claims with reasoning. However, many times, the individuals’ reasoning behind their claims are faulty and erroneously tries to prove their claims. Such type of reasoning is called a fallacy. One particular type of fallacy is called the Straw Man fallacy. In a Straw Man fallacy, a proponent intentionally misrepresents the opponent’s argument to facilitate the process of discrediting it. Analogously, it is much easier to defeat an individual made of straw than it is to defeat one made of flesh and blood (Copi, 113). In similar fashion, in a Straw Man, the proponent will use morally questionable and unfair

Motivation is having a reason or reasons to act/behave in a particular way. It creates “drive” in people whether it is in pursuit of a goal, or the need to complete an activity. It produces enthusiasm and a willingness to achieve in both a work environment and in your personal life. Motivation can be increased and decreased in line with the incentives on offer.

This type of fallacy is known as the Fallacy of Relevance. Attacking the motive fallacy occurs when one person argues on another person’s position.

A clue or information that is intended to be misleading and diverts attention from a question.

Motivation is defined as having a strong reason to act or accomplish something. This reason to act could be a variety of things. The motivation one receives can also come in many forms. For some, the act for themselves; others act for someone else. Still others receive their motivation from another who has complete faith in them to accomplish their task. In the epic poem The Odyssey, by the Greek poet Homer, the main character, Odysseus, is motivated to return home by the courage he receives from the goddess, Athena.

Ad Hominem (Argument to the Person): when you disagree with a human instead of the issue at hand.

Motivation is the “why” behind our behaviors. Behavior that is usually goal-oriented. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional or cognitive in nature. There are, indeed, a plethora of inducements that cause us to act the way we act and do the things we do. They include things like quenching our thirst, reading to gain knowledge, studying to ace an exam, surpassing quotas and meeting deadlines for a promotion, etc. According to Kendra Cherry’s article on “WHAT IS MOTIVATION”, there are three components of motivation: activation, persistence and intensity. Activation is the decision to initiate a behavior. Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though obstacles may exist. Intensity is the

Ad Hominem fallacy attacks the person rather than the argument of the person. J.B Sanford uses this fallacy when he calls the women fighting for suffrage mannish “the kindly, gentle influence of the mother in the home and the dignified influence of the teacher in the school will far outweigh all the influence of all the mannish female politicians on earth.” In this sentence, he is saying that a woman is great at being a mother and a teacher however when women decide to get involved in politics they become "mannish" because this is a man's job. He is attacking the women personally rather than the actual argument of the woman's capability to serve in politics. He gives no good reason for why women should be able to vote other than they will become more manly than the women that are doing what they should be doing.

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel the need to convince another person to think the same way you do? Persuading someone is about trying to sway the other's opinion towards your own. Persuasion can range from controversial topics such as is abortion okay, to every day opinions such as, "hamburgers are better than hot dogs." Persuasive writers include many techniques to improve their argument and support their claims. However, any of us don't distinguish the techniques needed for persuasion.

Ad hominem ethical fallacies; which attacks a person’s character rather than a person’s reasoning would be none existent making a change that would empower and persuade for the better.

One type of fallacy is called ad hominem. This fallacy occurs when an individual attacks the source of the argument rather than the argument itself.

The politician I chose for this journal is Donald Trump. He attacked a lot of people during his 2016 presidential debates. He called TV anchor Megan Kelly a chick and he called Jeb bush low energy. He also said that Ben Carson would make Jeb Bush look like an energizer bunny. His communications team has thought of names to call Donald Trump’s fellow candidates. For example, whenever people see Jeb bush, they will know that he is low energy. Donald Trump is committing a fallacy called Ad hominem. Ad hominem is defined as attacking the person instead of the person’s argument. Based on the media, Donald Trump has a habit of committing this fallacy.

Another example is Old Major using name-calling, which means he’s attacking the person themselves and not that person’s ideas. In the book Animal Farm, Old Major says, “Man is the creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animal.” [Orwell page 19]. The biggest example that uses this tactic is in the presidential debates. One of the candidates always criticizes the other

Ad Hominem comes from latin and means ‘against the man’, is a common fallacy that it is used to attack the person rather than their argument. It is a lazy and easy way to put down your opponent with poor reasoning and bad logic. It plays with people’s emotion. The attack can be true, but has no relevance to the claims of the argument and can bias the audience. Ad Hominem fallacies are often used in politics, media and court.