Definition
Over-motivation is what happens when caring about a result becomes so intense that it begins to damage the very performance it is trying to drive. It is the singer whose throat tightens because she wants the high note too much, the golfer who hits the ball further off the tee in practice than in a tournament, the candidate who blanks in an interview on questions he can answer in his sleep.
Maxwell Maltz argued that human skill, like any cybernetic system, has an optimal level of input intensity. Below it, performance is sluggish. Above it, the system jams. Over-motivation is the second condition — useful effort tipped past the point of usefulness into self-interference.
Why it matters
How it works
The cybernetic system performs best when conscious effort sets the goal and then steps back, letting trained sub-systems execute. Over-motivation refuses to step back. Conscious effort grips every micro-action, interferes with timing, generates extra tension, and produces a worse output than a relaxed attempt would have produced.
Maltz's prescription is the practiced art of not trying. Set the target clearly, picture the relaxed competent self, and then perform with the lightest possible touch. The performer who treats the championship like a Tuesday practice has solved over-motivation by refusing to grant the moment its weight.