At the beginning of the story, Okabe holds a strong sense of agency, believing that he has a high degree of control over events, especially through his "mad scientist" persona, Hououin Kyouma. Okabe perceives himself as someone capable of affecting the timeline using his discoveries, like sending "D-Mails" (messages to the past), which significantly impacts how he approaches challenges. During this phase, Okabe feels that he can successfully control time-related experiments. He has confidence in his scientific abilities and believes in his power to make significant changes. This perception of control contributes to positive emotions such as joy and curiosity. Okabe places a high value on knowledge and exploration, considering his scientific pursuits not only intellectually stimulating but also inherently meaningful. For Okabe, the value of making a breakthrough in time travel is tremendous. Okabe’s excitement about time travel reflects this state of mind, he is curious, optimistic, and even joyful, driven by his belief in his control over the experiments. These emotions naturally gain intrinsic motivation. Okabe is motivated by the sheer desire to experiment, discover, and test his boundaries. The sense of curiosity that drives him is purely intrinsic, he finds joy in the exploration itself. His perceived control over the outcomes makes him fearless and confident to explore even morally questionable territory, as he still doesn’t fully understand the ramifications of his actions.

As the series progresses and Okabe faces repeated tragedies, particularly with Mayuri’s death occurring in multiple timelines, despite his attempts to save her, his perception of control experiences a dramatic shift. No matter how many times he jumps back, the timeline seems destined to lead to her death, which severely affects his mental state. At this point, Okabe’s perception of control begins to decline sharply. He starts to feel powerless in the face of fate, and his sense of agency weakens with each failed attempt to change the outcome. During this phase, Okabe’s values shift significantly. The importance of his scientific endeavors is overshadowed by the immediate and emotional need to save Mayuri and later Kurisu. Okabe places immense value on protecting his friends, which elevates his desperation to find a solution. This increase in the emotional value of his friends’ safety, combined with his declining perception of control, places him in a highly vulnerable state. Due to the high value he places on his friends' lives but a low perception of control over saving them, Okabe experiences emotions such as despair, anxiety, and helplessness. Okabe feels both hopeless, due to his inability to save Mayuri, and deeply anxious, fearing further failure and the pain that comes with it. In this later timeframe, Okabe’s motivation shifts dramatically from intrinsic to extrinsic, specifically characterized by a focus on preventing pain and suffering. His motivation becomes avoidance-based—he is no longer motivated by the pursuit of knowledge but by the desire to avoid the unbearable outcomes of losing his loved ones. His repeated failure to save Mayuri and the persistent trauma associated with it also leads to moments where Okabe almost gives up entirely, reflecting a collapse in motivation due to the emotional toll and his dwindling perception of control.

Okabe’s journey in Steins;Gate can be seen as an interesting example of how fluctuations in perceived control and changes in values affect emotions and motivations. Initially, Okabe's high perception of control and his value for scientific discovery create a joyful, hopeful, and intrinsically motivated character. As the story progresses and Okabe's perception of control diminishes, while the stakes become increasingly personal, he is driven by despair, hopelessness, and extrinsic motivations focused on saving his loved ones.