They also have a responsibility to avoid causing severe anxiety in learners by setting ambiguous of unrealistically high goals for them. It is important to help each student set goals and to provide informative feedback regarding progress toward these goals. Setting a goal demonstrates an intention to achieve and activates learning from one day to the next. It also directs the student's activities toward the goal and offers an opportunity to experience success. Both affiliation and approval are strong motivators.
People seek others with whom to compare their abilities, opinions, and emotions.
Affiliation can also result in direct anxiety reduction by the social acceptance and the mere presence of others. However, these motivators can also lead to conformity, competition, and other behaviors that may seem as negative. Many behaviors result from a combination of motives. The general principles of motivation are interrelated. A single teaching action can use many of them simultaneously.