Preview

What Motivates Obama?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
893 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Motivates Obama?
Mr. Sampson
Psychology
6 November 2012

What motivates Obama?
Barack Obama, the first African-American president, can in some ways be an inspiration to many people. But, many people do become curious about what motivates Barack Obama. Many people would not be able to try and run for the most responsible and prestigious job in the world, especially if you were under the circumstances that Obama underwent. Understanding theories of motivation can help us understand why people choose to do the things they do.
First, looking at Barack Obama 's personality will help us to understand a little more about him. Obama is a very charismatic speaker. He tends to speak on a level where many can understand him. Obama is a well-known writer and has spent time as a civil rights attorney, as well as a Constitutional law professor and served seven years as an Illinois state senator. To many, all of this success would have seemed out of reach. Obama was born from a white mother and a black father. This was at a time when interracial unions were not liked. Barack 's mother raised him because his father left them when Obama was only two years old. He lived in Indonesia for a bit with his mother before moving in with his grandparents when he was ten years old. Barack 's grandparents lived in Hawaii at the time.
We must look at certain theories of motivation. First, the phsychoanalytic view, or better known as Freud 's theory of motivation, can be used. The theory can be brought down to four basic propositions. They are the principles of (1) determinism, (2) drive, (3) conflict, and (4) the
Montalbano 2 unconscious. Obama may have had an instinct to succeed and may have fought hard to climb to the top of the career ladder, but Obama 's fate may have already been chosen by an unseen force. His actual instinct may have been something different, but society deemed the way he went to be the way to succeed. The closest thing to satisfy the instinct in today 's world may have



Cited: "Barack Obamamotivation." Barack Obama Motivation. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://famous-relationships.topsynergy.com/Barack-Obama/Motivation.asp>. "Theories of Motivation." Theories of Motivation. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www.tutor2u.net/business/gcse/people_motivation_theories.htm>. "The Personality Analyst." Does President Obama Have the Motivation to Succeed? N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-personality-analyst/200905/does-president-obama-have-the-motivation-succeed>.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Motivation Evaluation

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Motivation can help and hinder the choices an individual makes, sometimes simultaneously. People act and behave various ways and some people may never be understood or why may never be pinpointed. However, every action or behavior is an impulse of an experience or the potential of that individual. Whether it is to achieve a goal, better themselves, or gain success people will act or behave certain ways through their specific form of motivation.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the democratic presidential nominee debate in 2008, he competed with Hillary Clinton and won the nomination. For the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States of America and he is also the first black president ever in the history of America. Such tasks can only be accomplished with the help of great leadership skills. Barack Obama leadership skills can categorize as a transformation leadership. A transformational leadership is described as a leader that transforms supporters by incorporating charisma and vision (North house, 2008). Obama has used his charisma to install his vision on how The United States has to become a better nation and more united. He started with his community that he considered as his own in Chicago Illinois which help him gain many supporters. His concerns with healthcare showed that he had values and cared about the health of the…

    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Despite Obama’s race, he is able to confront the criticism that he is faced with in an elegant way. He is able to relate to all races, and therefore breaks the race line.…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Certainty and Doubt

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Politically, President Barack Obama has accomplished what some 50 years ago may have not believed would happen. He became the country’s first African American president and earned a second term in office. Its understandable that while running he may have thought to himself, “Can this really happen? Is it possible that I can win?” That uncertainty obviously had no place in President Obama’s mind. With enough hope, confidence, and positivity he accomplished the unthinkable.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nature vs Nuture

    • 3097 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Weiner, Bernard. Theories of Motivation: from mechanism to cognition. Chicago: Rand McNally College Publishing Company, 1972. Print.…

    • 3097 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    or poor, even conservative and liberal” ( Barack Obama 118). This is mean we should love each other like brothers and sisters lives in one house, do not be racist just because they have different skin colors or never be disregard them just because they are poor people. We must and have to help people that they are need our help because helping people is a chance to helping you to In the course of A Dream Fulfilled: The Story of Barack Obama, Barack Obama delivers three important speeches. One important speech Obama delivers is “ Understand - I’m not ashamed of being half Kenyan. I don’t ask myself a lot of questions about what is all means. About who I really am.”( Barack Obama 80). This quote is important because he reminded people that…

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In this speech, I’ll talk in summary about Barack Obama's road to the presidency. in 1997 he was elected as an Illinois state senator, and 2004 he decided to run for the U.S SENATE,…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    barack obama

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, in the state of Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. (1936–1982) (born in Rachuonyo District,Kenya Colony, British Empire) and Stanley Ann Dunham, known as Ann (1942–1995) (born in Wichita, Kansas, United States). Obama spent most of the early years of his childhood in Honolulu, where his mother completed college after his parents divorced. Obama started a close relationship with his maternal grandparents. His mother remarried in 1965, to Lolo Soetoro, from Indonesia. Two years later, she took Obama with her to Indonesia to reunite him with his stepfather. In 1971, he returned to Hawaii to be raised by his grandparents and attend Punahou School. Obama later educated at Occidental College, Columbia University, and Harvard Law School, and worked at various times as a community organizer, professor (Lecturer and Senior Lecturer) of constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School, and authored his memoir Dreams from My Father before beginning his political career.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He grew up with a single mom and his grandparents, which in today’s era is common. When a person grows up with his or her grandparents, they are taught the old ways- respect, honesty, and discipline. This has helped him become a role model and a respectable person that everyone can look up to. Barack Obama also grew up with humble ways. Since his family struggled to make ends meet, he learned that life was not easy. However he developed the character qualities of self-reliance, self confidence, respect, and dignity. He worked his way through life by taking loans for college, and working to pay them off. He as well mentions that he rejected job opportunities at Wall Street, so then he could instead travel to devastated parts of the nation due to major company lay-offs. Due to his learning’s from his early life and to his dedication to his people, Barack Obama is portrayed as a common man who will represent the common people of the United States of…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As of Tuesday, January 21, 2009, President Barack Obama has proven to me that it is no longer a theory that I can be whatever I aspire to be. President Obama has the desire to see every individual in this nation succeed, and is charismatic enough to draw people together to achieve this goal by running the country, which is a beneficial need for all of us. Yet, President Obama and his wife Michelle have African ancestors like me. They also look like me, sound like me, and understand my experiences as a black American, and this is the point that I believe many black Americans wanted this nation to understand. This is the first time in my life that I feel like an American, and am proud to be an American.…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    There is an innumerable amount of ways someone can measure Obama’s first two years in office to try to define whether his presidency has been a success or failure. Issues relating the economy, domestic policy, and national security and foreign policy are the major topics in which many of those controversial issues lie. The easiest ways to determine whether or not Obama has been successful, is to look at his accomplishments as President, look at the principle promises he made regarding those issues prior to and during his time in office, and lastly the public’s overall rating of his presidency. After looking at all of those factors, I have determined that Obama has failed as President after the first two years being in office.…

    • 2166 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Senator Barack Obama

    • 2291 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Barack Hussein Obama was born August 4, 1961, and lived much of his childhood in the state of Hawaii. Being the son of a black Kenyan father and a white American mother, he has been able to live a very culturally diverse life, and also has had the chance of living life as a minority citizen. This, combined with the fact that he received degrees from both Columbia University and Harvard Law School obviously show evidence that he is a well educated and worldly candidate who can truly understand and appreciate the ideals of the common man; without discrimination. Obama believes so much in this equality of the common man, that upon his graduation from Harvard Law School in 1991, his chosen career was fighting for it as a civil rights lawyer; right up until his election into the Illinois Senate in 1997. After serving 7 years in the state senate, in 2003, Barack Obama launched his campaign for U.S. Senate, and won by a landslide in the 2004 election. Since his election into congress, he has been involved in resolving many key legislative issues, and has used this previous experience and knowledge to help in developing his campaign for presidency, which he announced in February of 2007.…

    • 2291 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A. He became the first black president. He harnessed the motivation despite the fear of defeat, ridicule and opposition to become President where some had attempted without success…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Among the many factors that led to Obama’s identity, his grandparents had a grand impact on it. His grandpa Lolo, spoke words of wisdom, preaching that “if you can’t be strong, be clever and make peace with someone who’s strong. But always better to be strong yourself. Always.” (p.41) He taught Barrack that being strong mentally is key in order to develop into a young man. The strong people in life always come out on top, by staying positive and level headed. Even today, Obama has shown peaceful tactics that work. Without Barrack’s grandfather Lolo, his strong nature would have been put to shame. Although parents and grandparents can have a great impact on one’s life, a lack of a parent can too. Barrack truly didn’t know who or what his dad was like, he was only able to…

    • 1737 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Barack Obama Biography

    • 5095 Words
    • 21 Pages

    Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., a Kenyan national of Lou Muslim ethnicity, and mother is Ann Dunham, a Christian American citizen of British descent. His parents were married on 1961. In 1964 his parents divorced while he was 5 years old. His father returned to Kenya and died in automobile accident in 1982. His mother later re-married with Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian college student in Hawaii in the year same was divorce happened. Then they left to Indonesia in 1967 with Obama. Between the ages of 6 to 10, Obama attended in the local Jakarta Catholic School. And, then he and his mother moved back to Honolulu, Hawaii where he was looked after by grandparents. In 1979, he graduated with his high school at Punahou Academy in Honolulu. Obama continued in two years at the Occidental College in Los Angeles then be transferred to New York’s Columbia University where he graduated with his political science degree in 1983. He moved and worked in Chicago as a community organizer with a low salary. He went to visit Kenya two times, 1988 and 2006.…

    • 5095 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Powerful Essays