The Push: What Motivates Eclipse Chasers?

Abstract

Now that we have explored the ‘Pull’ of totality, let’s take a look at what motivates eclipse chasers—the Push. Motivation is the drive we have to engage in certain behaviours. People vary in their level and intensity of motivation. They vary in what sustains it over time, and where they direct it. Although much of our motivation is rewarded by external factors, the motivation that drives our behaviour for our passions is our ‘intrinsic motivation’, that is, it is internally driven. It is difficult to fully explain the complex motivational drive of every person with a passion. However, what I aim to do in this chapter is to provide some explanation of what drives the strong motivation—what creates that strong ‘push’, that drive, for our nine eclipse chasers to continue to chase eclipses.