The motive perspective

The power of need and motive

can impact your thoughts and actions on a daily basis. We are not always conscious.

Motive

Refers to the reason or cause of a persons actions or behaviour. It is why someone does something.

Theoretical components of behavioural outcomes.

Needs, press and Motive

Needs

internal influences on motive (e.g. motives, nutrients, pain) biological (water, air, food, avoidance of pain) Psychological (need to achieve, connect, or be with other people.

Press

The. external influences on motive e.g. accessibility, time-pressure. Need to eat and motive state is hunger and someone offers you a donut (press)

Motive

The psychological state of desire (or avoidance) that an individual experiences that motivates them to engage in a particular behaviour e.g. hunger, thirst, romantic desire.

Assessment

Ask people, but they may not always be aware of why they do what they do, Picture Story Exercise (PSE)

Major dispositional motives

Need for achievement, need for power, need for affiliation and need for intimacy.

Need for achievement

Desire to do things well, to feel pleasure in overcoming obstacles. The need for achievement can impact on decision making,task engagement, persistence and how much effort isinvested.

Need for power / influence

Desire to have an impact on others, to have prestige, to feel strong. Desire to control how other people think or feel about them. Energized by interactionswith other people and take the lead when leadership is needed.

Types of power

Socialised power• Influencing or having an impact on people for the purpose of making other people stronger and more capable. Personalised power• Influencing or having an impact on people for the purpose of making yourself feel and appear stronger and more capable.

Need for affiliation

Desire to spend time with others, develop and maintain relationships. A focus on being around others as a goal and time spent thinking and looking after relationships.• A preference to be accepted or liked.

Need for intimacy

Desire for warm, close, sharing relationships with another. xFocus is on the being with others rather than the doing things with others that is characteristics of affiliation.• Prefer one on one exchanges rather than large groups.

Approach motives - pushing forward. Always try your best• Work hard and things will be ok• Lead by example• Almost any approach motive canhave an opposite avoid motive

Avoid motives - pushing away Fear of success• Fear of failure• Study to avoid failing• Exercise to not gain weight• Avoid being late so not judged.

Implicit and self-attributed motives•

The TAT/PSE measures implicit motives, which we're not always consciously aware of. In contrast, self-reports reflect motives in specific situations and conscious awareness. People often report different motives than those revealed by the TAT/PSE. A mismatch between implicit and self-attributed motives can lead to stress or discomfort.

Difference between motives and traits

Broadly motives and traits are different.• Motives appear to be more fundamental desires and traits guide how these are expressed.• Motives and traits therefore interact to form behaviour.

Problems and prospects for themotive perspective

Motives go beyond just achievement, power, and affiliation—McAdams added intimacy as a fourth key motive. However, people may have motives that don't fit neatly into these categories. While motives are often studied separately, they likely overlap and influence each other in real life.

Behaviour change from a motives perspective

Becoming aware of underlying motives can help individuals find healthier ways to meet them. For example, Jo realizes their pornography use is linked to a need for intimacy, hindered by shyness. Kim sees her drinking is tied to a need for power, but struggles to maintain influence due to low agreeableness. Identifying core motives like achievement, power, affiliation, or intimacy can guide personal growth.