The Way We Know - Psychologically

The psychology of knowing relates to the way that a person chooses to learn or to use knowledge or to interpret what they know. One strongly represented topic in academic literature concerns motivation and learning. The psychology of motivation, as it relaters to knowledge however, does not only affect learning. The psychology of motivation also affects how one applies knowledge and whether one chooses to volunteer or disclose knowledge or withhold it. This particular aspect of knowledge is often discussed as knowledge sharing in business and it is recognised that people may not always wish to share their knowledge.

Psychology affects the way that people, who are free to chose, wish to pursue the acquisition of knowledge. They may often prefer to select learning goals that are intended to encourage others to see them in a better light. They may select learning goals that they think will enable a better or higher position in society.