INHE 1003 Week 5 Discussion Post Example

Introduction to Psychology Walden University Free custom sample in 24 to 48h

This INHE 1003 Week 5 discussion post example begins with a composite adult in their forties who agreed to keep a food diary after a clinic visit, kept it carefully for two weeks and then stopped, with no change in what they said they intended. The second paragraph brings in self-determination theory from Deci and Ryan and its distinction between motivation a person experiences as their own and motivation experienced as outside pressure. The third applies it: the diary began as a request, the entries became a task done "for the nurse," and the theory predicts exactly that kind of fade, with Ng and colleagues' meta-analysis of health studies in support. Walden INHE 1003, Introduction to Psychology, asks BS in Integrative Health students what would make change last, and replies to Andre and Priya follow.

CourseINHE 1003 Introduction to Psychology
WeekWeek 5
Paper typeDiscussion post
LengthAbout 550 words, 4 pages
FormatDiscussion post, APA 7 citations
SchoolWalden University
ProgramBS in Integrative Health
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for INHE 1003 Week 5

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Week 5 Discussion: Motivation That Lasts and Motivation That Fades

Why the Food Diary Stopped After Two Weeks: A Discussion Post Reading a Composite Adult's Fading Diary Through Self-Determination Theory's Line Between Motivation Felt as One's Own and Motivation Felt as Outside Pressure, and Asking What Would Have Made It Last

The Situation

After a clinic visit, a composite adult in their forties agreed to keep a food diary for a month, writing down everything they ate. They kept it carefully for about two weeks, then only now and then, and then stopped. When asked, they said they still intended to eat better and still thought the diary was a good idea. Nothing about their stated goals had changed.

What this page is doingThe post opens with the situation in plain terms, so the theory can be tested against something concrete.
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Self-Determination Theory

Self-determination theory, as set out by Deci and Ryan (2000), distinguishes between kinds of motivation by how much a person experiences the behavior as their own. At one end is autonomous motivation, where a person acts because they value the behavior or find it interesting. At the other is controlled motivation, where a person acts because of pressure, such as wanting to please someone or avoid disapproval. The theory names three basic needs, autonomy, competence and relatedness, and holds that behavior supported in ways that meet those needs is more likely to be sustained. The course textbook draws a related line between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Spielman et al., 2020).

Applying It

The diary began as a request from the clinician, not as something the person chose. Early on, the novelty and the clinician's interest may have carried it. Over time, the entries became a task done for someone else: the person said they felt like they were "writing it for the nurse." By the theory's account, that is controlled motivation, and the theory predicts exactly this kind of fade once the outside pressure weakens, since the next clinic visit was weeks away. The intention to eat better, which the person did value, was not connected to the diary in their mind. Ng et al. (2012), in a meta-analysis of studies applying the theory in health care, found that autonomous motivation went with better mental and physical health and with the behaviors studied, which fits the idea that a behavior experienced as one's own is more likely to continue.

What this page is doingThe application traces how the diary moved from a request to a task, which is the change the theory predicts would make it fade.
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What Might Have Made It Last

If the theory is right, the diary would have been more likely to last if the person had chosen it, or chosen how to do it, and if it had been tied to something they valued, such as having more energy at work. A clinician supporting autonomy might have asked what the person wanted to learn about their eating and let them design the diary around that question, perhaps photos instead of written lists, or tracking only dinners.

Reply to Andre

Andre, your example of a gym membership bought in January and unused by March fits the theory, but I wonder if competence matters too. Did the person know what to do at the gym? The theory suggests that feeling unable to do something well can weaken motivation as much as feeling pushed into it.

Reply to Priya

Priya, you describe someone who meditates daily because their doctor suggested it and they now enjoy it. That is a nice example of motivation that began outside and became their own. What do you think changed along the way?

References

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

Ng, J. Y. Y., Ntoumanis, N., Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C., Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M., Duda, J. L., & Williams, G. C. (2012). Self-determination theory applied to health contexts: A meta-analysis. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(4), 325-340. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612447309

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology-2e

What the INHE 1003 Week 5 instructions ask for

The fifth discussion asks you to explain why a health behavior faded, using self-determination theory. Describe a situation, drawn from life with details altered or invented outright, in which someone started a behavior and stopped. Explain how the theory separates autonomous from controlled motivation, and what it says about basic psychological needs, citing its source. Apply the theory to the situation, showing how the kind of motivation changed and why the theory predicts the fade. Suggest what might have made the behavior last. Use the textbook along with research that tests the theory in a health setting. Keep the initial post to about four paragraphs and reply to two classmates, raising a question their example invites.

Inside the INHE 1003 Week 5 example

The food diary post opens with the composite adult's two good weeks and the stop that followed. The theory paragraph sets autonomous against controlled motivation and lists the three needs it names (autonomy, competence, relatedness), with Deci and Ryan cited and the textbook's intrinsic and extrinsic distinction. The application traces the diary from a clinician's request to a task done for someone else and cites Ng and colleagues' meta-analysis linking autonomous motivation to health outcomes. A section suggests letting the person choose the diary's form and purpose. Replies ask Andre whether competence explains the unused gym membership and ask Priya what changed when outside motivation became her own. The post stays close to four paragraphs, so both replies have room.

Where the marks sit in the INHE 1003 Week 5 rubric

Above all, readers look at the application: they check that the change in the type of motivation is traced through the situation and that the theory's prediction is explained, not merely stated. Accurate description of the theory, including its needs, earns credit. Suggestions for making the behavior last should follow from the theory. Research should support specific points. Replies earn credit for raising a question the theory prompts about a classmate's example. Posts that define the theory without applying it, treat any outside reason as bad motivation, or offer replies without questions fall into the middle band.

INHE 1003 Week 5 help from the desk

Think of a behavior you or someone you know started and stopped, such as journaling or a fitness app. Ask who decided to start it and whose reasons it served. Read the theory's definitions of autonomous and controlled motivation, then decide which describes the behavior at the start and later. Ask which of the three needs was unmet. Suggest a change that would make the behavior feel more like the person's own. Keep the post short. When replying, ask about a need the classmate did not mention. Make sure your suggestion for lasting change gives the person a real choice, not a new instruction. A tutor can help apply the theory, and the food diary post above shows each step.

Get a INHE 1003 Week 5 example written to your instructions

For the motivation thread, the desk works from the prompt, the reply rules in force and whatever reading the thread points to. Post and replies are ready in 24 to 48 hours, and a first sample is free. Nobody's real food records are involved, since the diary and the clinic visit were made up for the example.

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INHE 1003 Week 5 questions, answered

Where can I find a free INHE 1003 Week 5 sample paper?

The food diary discussion post and both replies appear above.

What theory does the INHE 1003 Week 5 sample use?

Self-determination theory, from the work of Deci and Ryan.

Why did the diary fade?

It began as a request and became a task done for someone else, a form of controlled motivation.

What did Ng and colleagues find?

That autonomous motivation was associated with better mental and physical health outcomes.

What might have made the diary last?

Letting the person choose its form and tie it to a goal they valued.