Which type of motivation is described as being driven by a desire to reach personal goals?

• A. External regulation
• B. Integrated regulation
• C. Identified regulation
• D. Introjected regulation

Answer: (C)

Motivation types along the Self-Determination Theory spectrum describe how autonomous a behavior is to the person. When the drive is a desire to reach personal goals, the best fit is identified regulation. In this case, you recognize the outcome as personally important and you adopt the goal as your own. You pursue the activity because it aligns with what you want to achieve, even if the task itself isn’t inherently enjoyable. This makes the motivation more autonomous than external regulation (driven by rewards or punishments) or introjected regulation (driven by internal pressure like guilt). Integrated regulation is similar but involves fitting the behavior into a broader sense of self; identifying regulation is specifically about the personal importance of the goal at hand, which matches the description of being driven by a desire to reach personal goals.