Ma`rifat Akhlaqi

Moral motivation is a fundamental element in explaining ethical behavior, and understanding its sources and foundations can contribute to the development of ethical and educational models. This study aims to analyze and comparatively examine the sources and structure of moral motivation within two distinct intellectual frameworks: Allameh Misbah Yazdi’s Islamic moral philosophy and Abraham Maslow’s humanistic psychology. Using deductive content analysis and document-based research, the primary works of both thinkers were extracted, coded, and compared. The findings indicate that, in Misbah’s view, moral motivation is rooted in human nature (fitrah), a theistic worldview, and the innate inclination toward perfection and nearness to God; and it is structured through the interaction of cognition, inclination, and will. In contrast, Maslow understands moral motivation as an outcome of hierarchical human needs and the emergence of Being-values within the process of self-actualization. The comparative analysis reveals that although both perspectives emphasize the internal nature of moral motivation, they differ fundamentally in their anthropological assumptions, motivational sources, and ultimate moral goals.