Final Reflection

It is said that if you enjoy what you do, the results will come. Starting the notoriously difficult second semester of second year in the Life Sciences SSP program, I perceived myself as highly motivated towards achieving success through self-satisfaction, over my grades. This would be challenging as a results-oriented individual, but I felt a need to discover my interests relative to future career choices. The semester was successful by academic standards, but I lacked a positive morale, I experienced a disconnection from course content, and I developed apprehension towards third year course selection.
The first factor that hindered my success is described well by Dan Pink’s TED Talk, “Drive”. Pink described how if/then rewards work for well-defined tasks because they narrow your focus. My semester was treated as a potential for a direct result. Consequently, forgetting that my winter courses were not my final opportunity to achieve self-satisfaction caused me to become my own source of stress. Worrying about the realization that I was not enjoying

As colleagues seemed to be completing readings and assignments more easily, I understood this as being more engaged in the work. Due to the situational context of the pressures of fulfilling my need; this became a discouraging factor. The inputs of myself and my colleagues appeared synonymous, but my output of self-satisfaction seemed subpar, creating a perception of inequity as emphasized by the Process Theory of Equity. This contributed to a lower morale at the end of the semester as I adjusted my perceptions to see disappointment in myself. Reduced motivation over time was derived from a developing belief that regardless of my effort in the courses, I would not be able to fulfill the need for self-satisfaction, as stated by the Process Theory of