The paper emphasises the necessity for research on motivation, particularly, in the context of the NTP, to achieve the goal of getting TB patients to remain sufficiently long on treatment. For any such study, motivation needs to be viewed as a psychological process wherein various social, cultural and situational factors, either singly or in combination may influence motivation and thus, the patient’s behaviour, leading to regular or irregular patterns of treatment. The definition of a motive and its characteristics are presented in a model. The application of the model, explained in terms of the DTP, provides a broader focus in motivational research than the current, limited scope described in the DTP manuals. Viewing motivation as a psychological process allows for the identification of some of the patient’s intrinsic factors, the external factors in the patient’s environment and the factors pertaining to health institutions that could be manipulated for effective motivation. Therefore, the model can serve to make the NTP’s motivational research efforts, comprehensive.