10. ‘Directed Motivational Currents’: Regulating Complex Dynamic Systems through Motivational Surges

Most people will, at some point or other, have come across a curious phenomenon whereby somebody suddenly embarks on a project, invests a great deal of time and energy in it for a period of time and, as a result, often achieves something quite remarkable. Take, for example, an overweight university professor (specialised in motivation), who is coming to terms with the fact that all the time spent sitting in front of his computer, as well as attending delicious business lunches and sumptuous conference dinners, has been causing a very noticeable increase in his waistline, until one day something changes: his friends and family are surprised to see that he has enrolled in a gym, his evening pudding has turned into a single yoghurt, and at conference buffet lunches he does not go back for seconds (and even his first plate contains an uncharacteristic amount of vegetables). As a result, he loses over 20 pounds over a period of three months. Alternatively, consider for example a second language (L2)-related situation when someone decides to start learning a foreign language in preparation for an extended foreign trip, and becomes embroiled in the process to such an extent that she spends virtually all her free time studying the language, while also purchasing dictionaries and computer software to direct her learning, as well as voraciously reading guidebooks and surfing L2 websites to familiarise herself with the L2 culture and environment. In an extreme case she might bore family and friends rigid by talking of the trip and the language incessantly, may dream of the journey at night and cannot help but rehearse the language even while lying in bed. It is as if a new world had opened up for her and, up until the journey, her pursuit of this newly found vision becomes one of the most significant parts of her life.