Impact of Racism-Related Stress on Motivation

Motivation is the internal process that initiates, guides, and sustains goal-directed behavior. It’s the “why” behind everything we do, why we study, work, create, compete, rest, or help others. Motivation is the psychological force that drives you to act, stay focused, and persist toward a goal. It shapes your attention, effort, and direction in life. Motivation influences what you choose to do, intensity, and persistence. (Deci & Ryan, 2000). There are two common types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is doing things that bring pleasure or fulfillment, and joy that are aligned with their personal values. Extrinsic motivation is driven by external outcomes such as receiving awards or avoiding punishment. 

Racism-related stress powerfully affects motivation and decision-making, especially through its influence on the brain’s reward systems, stress response, and cognitive control processes. The impact of racism-related stress on motivation is both profound and multifaceted. Racism doesn't just cause emotional pain it can fundamentally shift how individuals see themselves, their goals, and their capacity to achieve them (Berger, & Sarnyai, 2015).

Persistent racism or discrimination undermines an individual’s ability to believe in themselves and the ability to succeed. Individuals that experience persistent racism eventually will begin to doubt whether their efforts will be rewarded, especially in the arenas in which they may excel such as school, the workplace, or in social settings. This may also create learned self-helplessness which may lead to feelings of powerlessness and create a lack of motivation. Additionally, repeated exposures to stereotypes or racism can lead to the individual to stop trying to achieve their goals because it seems that the outcome is out of their control (Hagiwara et al., 2020).

Repeated exposures to stereotypes or messages of inferiority can be internalized which decreases motivation to achieve because the individual may feel that they don’t possess the skills necessary or that other groups are more deserving. This can produce racial hypervigilance which has the ability drain mental capacity or energy to stay motivated and to stay goal focused. The individual may also be involved in goal disengagement which protects them from chronic failure and rejection which may lead to withdrawal of aspirational goals particularly in places where they feel marginalized (Hagiwara et al. 2020).

Not only does the individual have to use resources that drain the ability to use motivation to achieve goals, but racism also activates the body’s stress system, which impact regions like the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for planning and goal setting, and the dopamine system which is responsible for reward and motivation. Over time, chronic activation can blunt motivational pathways, causing a lack of drive or pleasure from previously meaningful activities (Williams & Mohammed, 2013).

In conclusion, racism has multiple negative implications on the individual that constantly exposed to such toxic and detrimental behavior. It can be hard to maintain motivation when the goal seems unachievable, or the outcome is something that cannot be controlled. It is important for People of Color to understand the many implications of experiencing racism constantly in one’s life and begin to develop strategies to maintain or regain motivation within these difficult set of circumstances. 

References

Berger, M., & Sarnyai, Z. (2015). More than stress: The impact of stress-related neurobiological mechanisms on neurocognitive functioning. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00452.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

Hagiwara, N., Dovidio, J. F., Eggly, S., & Penner, L. A. (2020). The effects of racial stereotypes on Black patients’ motivation and anxiety to participate in clinical research. Health Psychology, 39(6), 500–508. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000853.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020.

Williams, D. R., & Mohammed, S. A. (2013). Racism and health I: Pathways and scientific evidence. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(8), 1152–1173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764213487340.