A lot of how adults learn relates to motivation, and for good reason! Adults have agency to choose what they learn. One interesting facet here is the role goal setting plays in learning and what it reveals about your motivation. 1/
First, let's consider expectancy-value theory. If you expect you might not do well in something, you're likely to devalue it, thereby avoiding it. If you expect to do well, you may value something and set goals related to it. 2/
There are several types of goals, but two common types are mastery-driven and performance-driven goals. The different between the two can help you recognize where your motivation lies and what barriers might be limiting you. 3/
Performance-driven learners are often extrinsically motivated, choose tasks that maximize opportunity for demonstrating competence, avoid tasks that might reveal incompetence, and seek positive feedback. 4/
Mastery-driven learners are often intrinsically motivated, choose tasks that maximize learning opportunities, seek challenges, and embrace critical feedback that pushes mastery forward. 5/
Mastery is more about an internal drive toward achieving competence, whereas performance is more socially driven and related to proving competence to others. 6/
The differentiation between those who are performance versus mastery driven often defines who accumulates experience faster and distinguishes high performers. Of course, choosing the right goals matters too. 7/
Competence is a tricky thing because it messes with us. Someone may have mastery-driven goals, but once they get to a certain point, others recognize their expertise. This added social pressure makes the person set more performance-driven goals, slowing down learning. 8/
I usually refer to the aforementioned scenario as a competence trap. A socially-induced shift from mastery to performance driven goals after acquiring a higher level of knowledge in a topic. We are REALLY susceptible to them in infosec because of so much tacit knowledge. 9/
It's hard to recognize you've fallen into a competence trap because it means admitting we care a lot about what people think of us. Some folks don't want to do that and some are wholly incapable of it. 10/
Motivation is a complex thing. You have to consider expectation, value, goals, social dynamics, margin, and many more intricate concepts. It's helpful to grasp some of these concepts because they help you understand artificial barriers to learning that we all put up. 11/11
