Control -Value

 Past, Present, Future

    Control value theory focuses on motivation and emotion. It is a combination of personal control across time frames, and personal values for obtaining success. It also works to combine a multitude of other theories such as expectancy value theory, self- efficacy theory, and attribution theory. Within control value theory, the control aspect is counted as past, current, and future. It then takes those “timing” of control and analyzes the relation to the values at that point in time. Due to this, as time goes by aspects of control and value can then become more inter-related and emotions will lead to motivation, and motivation can lead to emotion as well. 

An example of this can be seen throughout Azula’s storyline in Avatar the Last Airbender. This is because Azula begins her journey in the series as a someone who is very goal oriented and does not feel as if she needs to rely on people to complete her journey or help her in her accomplishments. However, her motivation then changes, and she invites her two childhood friends to join her journey and help her in completing her mission of capturing the Avatar and bringing glory to her nation. This shows how her past and current control and value inter-connected and changed outcome of how Azula feels and the things she wanted in her life and felt that she needed to be able to complete her goals towards her future. 

Azula shows control value theory again towards the end of the series. This is because Azula unintentionally embarks on a self-growth journey when her brother returns with her to the fire nation. This is seen in the episode known as ember island. In this episode, Azula shares with her friends as how she felt as if she was a monster growing up because her mother did not care for her the level that she did Zuko. This brings about her past and her values and how she continued to live and be who she wanted to be despite that. However, this moment comes to haunt Azula as the series begins to close, because she is then betrayed by her close friends and abandoned by her brother. Azula feels very enraged and is set on a revenge and paranoia streak. Due to this, when the final battle commences, she is not at her best and loses to her brother. This makes her feel desperate and ashamed because all of her goals and ambitions for the future are now canceled and she feels like a failure and weak. 

These moments show how Azula’s past, present, and future were inter-connected and how her emotions lead to motivation, as well as how her motivation then led to emotions. While all of them were not good, they were still an interesting piece of Azula’s story.