Unit 4.2 - Motivation & Emotion

Motivation

a need or desire that energizes behavior

ex: Wanting to do well on a test

Instinct

innate, typically fixed patterns of behavior in animals in response to particular stimuli → automatic responses to the environment

ex: geese fly south (response) for the winter because of cold temperatures (environmental cue)

Drive-reduction

When an uncomfortable physical need motivates you to take action to satisfy the need

• NOT the uncomfortable feeling

• IT IS satisfying the need and removing discomfort

Homeostasis

tendency to maintain a balanced internal state

Arousal theory

People are motivated to obtain a certain agree or optimum (ideal) level of arousal (excitement/stress)

ex: try to stay in the “just right” zone of excitement

Yerkes Dodson Law

Theory that suggests a certain amount, or the right amount, of arousal can improve performance, but too much or too little can hurt performance

Sensation seeking theory

People are motivated to find exciting or new experiences to increase their arousal

Experience seeking

a desire for novel sensory or mental experiences; unique rather than dangerous

ex: trying a new restaurant with an unusual menu

Thrill/adventure seeking

attraction to risky or fear-inspiring activities

ex: climbing Mount Everest

Disinhibition

enjoying a loss of self-control; taking action without thinking of consequences

ex: running near the pool; rule-breaking

Boredom susceptibility

Getting bored easily and prefer new or exciting experiences instead of repetitive activities

Self-determination theory

Proposes that people are motivated by intrinsic (self) or extrinsic (external) motivation

Intrinsic

Motivation that is based on attaining personal satisfaction, or fulfilling personal needs for personal reasons, such as pride or enjoyment

ex: running to beat personal time

Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation that is based on obtaining desirable external factors

ex: running to win a medal

Incentive theory

People are motivated to act based on rewards or avoiding negative consequences

Lewin’s motivational conflicts theory

Choices create conflicts one must resolve as the basis for motivation

Approach-Approach

Choosing between 2 appealing choices

Avoidance-Avoidance

Choosing between 2 unappealing choices

Approach-Avoidance

Making a decision that has both an appealing and an unappealing aspect to it

Ghrelin

stimulates hunger cues

Leptin

lets us know were satiated

Belongingness

the need to belong in a group, build relationships

ex: looking for friend group on cruise with Sofi and Vicky

Ostracism

The experience of being ignored or excluded by others

Achievement

desire for significant accomplishment, for mastering skills, for control, or for attaining a high standard

Grit

passion and ambition to persevere towards a long-term goal

Emotion

a complex psychological process that is distinguished form reasoning or knowledge

Primary emotions

any one of a limited set of emotions that typically are manifested and recognized universally across cultures

• Anger, disgust, sadness, happiness, surprise, and fear

James-Lange theory

The idea that emotions happen after we notice our body’s physical reactions

ex: your feeling or fear follows your body’s response

Facial feedback hypothesis

Your facial expressions can affect the emotions you feel

ex: power poses → feel confident

Cannon-Bard theory

The idea that when something causes emotion, you feel the emotion and your body reacts at the same time, instead of one causing the other

Two-factor theory

You first have a physical reaction (arousal), then you think about what’s happening, and that combination produces the emotion

Well-being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life

Positive psychology

Studying what helps people be happy, deal with stress, and feel good about life

Social comparison

evaluating yourself based on comparison to other members of the society or social circles

Upward Social Comparison

comparing yourself to someone “better” off than you

• can make you feel worse about yourself, or make you more motivated

Downward Social Comparison

comparing yourself to someone “worse” off than you

• can help us cope or be grateful, but can also create contempt for those worse off

Relative deprivation

the perception that we are worse off relative to those with whom we compare ourselves

ex: feeling not as smart as your friend group

Broaden-and-build theory

Positive emotions expand your thinking and help you build lasting skills and resources

Stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events/stressors

Stressors

events that we consider threatening or challenging

Health psychology

studies the effects of stress on the body, then finds solutions and better lifestyles for people to cope with stress

Eustress

the positive stress response that can motivate you and help you perform better

Distress

the negative stress response that can overwhelm you and hurt your performance or health

Fight Flight or Freeze

three primary physiological reactions to a perceived threat

Fight

responding aggressively, verbally or physically, to defend yourself against a threat

Flight

quickly moving away from the perceived danger by running or hiding

Freeze

becoming completely still and silent, often as a way to avoid detection by a predator

Acute Stress

short term stress

Prolonged stress

long term stress, long term effects

ex: exam week

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Explains how your body responds to stress over time

• has three stages

Alarm

Prepares body for fight or flight

• Stage 1

ex: start of exam week → anxiety triggered

Resistance

Using up the mind/body’s resources

ex: starting to study, staying up late

• Stage 2

Exhaustion

After prolonged exposure to a stressor your body finally runs out of reserves to battle the stressor

• Stage 3

ex: giving up on studying for your last exam, irritable with friends → burned out

Problem Focused Coping

directly confronting a stressor in an attempt to decrease or eliminate it

ex: A student has a problem with another student in class, so they asks to be removed from the class

Emotion Focused Coping

Handling stress by managing your emotional response instead of changing the situation

ex: learning to cope/control yourself around a classmates you don’t like

Tend-and-befriend

theory that proposes that some people react to stress by tending to the needs of others, especially children, and seeking connection with others