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Some of the earliest theories of motivation focus on the question of what motivates human behavior; these are called “content theories.” Theories in this area suggest that motivation is an attempt to fill needs. Motivation content theorists focus on identifying what our basic needs are and how we prioritize them. Common content theories of motivation are Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Alderfer's ERG (existence, relatedness, and growth) theory, and Herzberg's two-factor theory. In Table 2.1, we provide a summary of what the authors see as main needs/motivators of human behavior.

Content theories often intimate that lower-level needs must be met prior to achievement of higher-level needs. Maslow, for example, indicates that basic physiological needs, such as sleep, must be met before higher level needs, such as a sense of belonging, can be met. Alderfer, building on Maslow, suggests that needs for basic existence must be met before striving for growth needs occurs. According to Herzberg, what an individual does (i.e., motivation factors) has the capacity to gratify needs, but it doesn't have the capacity to lead to dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction results from unfavorable environmental conditions (i.e., hygiene factors), which cannot on their own lead to satisfaction. Thus, attending to both hygiene and motivation factors is critical to individual satisfaction.

TABLE 2.1. Selected Content Theories: What Motivates Human Behavior?

Maslow (1943)	Alderfer (1969)	Herzberg (1959)
PhysiologicalSafety and securitySocial needsSelf-esteemSelf-actualization	Existence- Physiological- Safety and securityRelatedness- Social needs- Self-esteemGrowth- Self-esteem- Self-actualization	Hygiene: factors that can lead to dissatisfaction, such as security, status, working conditions, payMotivators: factors that can lead to satisfaction, such as:- Achievement- Recognition- Work itself- Responsibility- Advancement

In terms of the classroom, content theories of motivation intimate that before students can focus on college-level learning, lower-level needs must first be met. In other words, students who are hungry because they're rushing between classes and didn't eat or are food insecure, or they are tired because they worked late at their part-time jobs or studied all night for an exam, will be distracted by these fundamental needs and not be able to concentrate as fully on the coursework at hand. Or as another example, basic safety will discourage students from participating in a discussion and saying what they truly think or feel if they are anxious about rejection from their peers or criticism by their professor. Satisfied students are most likely to be learning in favorable conditions that not only provide safety and security but also allow them to do good work while learning.