Chapter 8 Motivation and Emotion PDF

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PSYC 102 10/16/2019

Chapter 8 – Motivation & Emotion

Chapter 8 Motivation & Emotion Key theme: Motivation refers to the forces acting on or within an organism to initiate and direct behavior 

Forces can be internal or external Motivation

Motivation: Biological, emotional, cognitive, or social forces that activate and direct behavior

  

3 basic characteristics: Activation: Things that push us to do certain things/behave in certain way Persistence: continuous effort to achieve a particular goal Intensity: magnitude to which motivation is working on an organism – high/low intensity Instinct Theory

Instinct: complex, fixed behavior that is innate, and biologically determined throughout a species; hardwired into brain 

Ex) unlearned body mechanism to flinch hand away when touching hot stove

Instinct Theory: (James and McDougal): our natural instincts motivate our behavior - all behavior is a result of evolutionary programming 

Ex) dog shaking when wet

James and McDougal attempted to extend this theory to humans   

Developed list of human instincts that are believed to be hardwired (fear, disgust, curiosity, attachment, etc.) Humans have the ability to feel and perceive more emotions than any other organism Didn’t hold very well in academia, wasn’t supported by research Drive Theories – Biological Needs as Motivators

Instinct theories were replaced by drive theories Behavior is motivated by the desire to reduce internal tensions caused by unmet biological needs   

Drive Drive state Homeostasis (tendency of the body to want to maintain consistent & constant levels of certain aspects such as temperature) Motivation and Drive Theories

Behavior = motivated by biological drives to maintain homeostasis, or an optimal internal balance

PSYC 102 10/16/2019  

Chapter 8 – Motivation & Emotion

Useful in explaining biological motives like hunger, thirst, and fatigue, but are less useful in explaining psychological motives Ex) why boys are thirsty after playing basketball all day, but not why they want to play basketball Incentive Motivation – Goal Objectives as Motivators

Incentive Theories:   

Behavior is motivated by “pull”, or external goals, such as reward, money, or recognition o Ex) going to college for incentive of getting good job, etc. [theoretically] Motivation = related to EXTERNAL goals Based on learning principles from Pavlov, Watson, Skinner, and Tollman o Tollman stressed the importance of cognitive factors and expectation of goal in motivation

Arousal Theory: 

People are motivated to maintain a level of arousal that is optimal – neither too high nor too low  Arousal can be emotional, physical, cognitive, etc. – generally referring to levels of activity

Too high or too low levels of arousal = reportedly unpleasant  

High arousal = stressed over midterms, have a lot of chaos going on Low arousal = sad, lonely, & depressed

Low arousal = boredom; motivated to increase arousal High arousal = overwhelmed; motivated to reduce arousal Yerkes-Dodson Law – encompasses arousal theory as whole, abides by a curve of low-high arousal on xaxis, low-high performance on y axis   

Low arousal = lower performance Medium arousal, best, most level of performance High arousal, low performance Optimal Stimulation as a Motivator

Sensational Seeking: degree to which an individual is motivated to experience high levels of sensory and physical arousal associated with varied and novel activities 

Ex) risk takers such as cliff jumpers, rollercoaster lovers; adrenaline junkies

Humanistic Theory: Proposed by Rogers and Maslow   

Emphasized psychological and cognitive factors in motivation Proposed that people are motivated to realize their own personal potential Developed humanistic model of motivation (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid)

PSYC 102 10/16/2019

Chapter 8 – Motivation & Emotion Human Potential as a Motivator

Like humans, animals are also motivated to seek out stimulation and explore novel environments  

Harry Harlow (1953) found that arousal was a powerful motive for animals Ex) monkeys working together to tirelessly open a lock without any incentive o Believed to be because they were in a new situation Psychological Needs as Motivators

Key theme: according to the humanistic motivation theories, psychological needs must be fulfilled for optimal human functioning 

PRQ needed before attaining state of fulfillment, or optimal human functioning

Motivation Theories: According to motivation theories of Maslow and of Deci and Ryan, psychological needs must be fulfilled for optimal human functioning  

Imposes questions – are there universal psychological needs? Are we internally or externally motivated to satisfy psychological needs? Maslow and Self-Actualization

Contributions:   

encouraged psychology to focus on motivation and development of psychologically healthy people strayed away from biological factors & external motivation wanted people to be happy with who they are & what they are doing in their lives

Critiques:   

vague and almost impossible to define in a way that would allow it to be tested scientifically Initial studies on self-actualization were based on limited samples with questionable reliability Most people do not experience or achieve self-actualization o Human subjects of research cannot account for or represent humanity as a whole Affiliation and Achievement: The Need to Fit In and the Need to Stand Out

Need to belong: a fundamental human motivation   

drive to form lasting positive relationships Social bonds = key to survival Social isolation can lead to loneliness

Ostracism: social rejection by group members   

Activates physical areas in the brain Reinforces the psychological/physical need to belong Ex) bullying

PSYC 102 10/16/2019

Chapter 8 – Motivation & Emotion Competence and Achievement Motivation

Competence Motivation: is displayed as people strive to use their skills to be capable and exercise control  

Being skilled/good at something, able to exercise control and be fluent in something Ex) Manager at McDonalds

Achievement Motivation: involved the drive to excel, succeed, or outperform others at some task 

Ex) try hards in class

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) - projective personality test that involves creating stories about ambiguous scenes  

Need for achievement measures Power motivation Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

People are actively growth-oriented, and they move toward a unified sense of self and integration with others 3 innate and universal psychological needs must be satisfied:   

Autonomy: the need to control one’s own behavior/goals so that you are in harmony with one’s own interests Competence: need to learn and master appropriately challenging tasks Relatedness: need to feel attached to others and experience sense of belonging, security, and intimacy

In a supportive environment, people pursue activities that satisfy needs  

enhances psychological growth and intrinsic motivation Naturally find a task or behavior desirable – ex) someone who gets good grades has intrinsic to learn

When people have satisfied needs, they actively internalize and integrate different external motivation as part of identity and personal values...