Ap Psych Unit 7: Motivation, Emotion, and Personality

Motivation

A need or desire that serves to energize and direct behavior. The why.

Instinct Theory

Why we do unlearned behavior, basic primal needs. Think survival.

Evolutionary Theory

Act to increase the chance of survival of self and genes (procreation).

Drive-Reduction Theory

Physiological needs create psychological drives.

Homeostasis

Keeping a steady internal and emotional state.

Incentive Theory

Behavior is driven by a pull to external stimuli.

Optimal Arousal Theory

We do things to experience optimal levels of stimulation.

Yerks-Dodson Law

We tend to perform best at a moderate level of arousal.

Maslow’s Hierarchy

Simple needs motivate first.

Physiological Needs

Hunger, thirst, warmth, etc.

Safety Needs

Shelter, security, and feelings of safety.

Belongingness and Love Needs

Avoid loneliness, form relationships, acceptance.

Esteem Needs

Achievement, recognition, and respect.

Self-Actualization Needs

Self-fulfillment, and being the best you can be.

Body Chemistry

All the processes that occur within the human body from cell production to your heartbeat.

Glucose

Low glucose=hungry, high glucose=not hungry.

Insulin

Diminishes blood glucose by storing it within fatty cells.

Grehlin

(Stomach) makes you hungry.

Orexin

(Lateral hypothalamus) makes you hungry.

Leptin

(Fat cells) make you not hungry.

PYY

(Digestive tract) makes you not hungry.

Hypothalamus

Controls hunger.

Lateral Hypothalamus

On the sides, and triggers hunger.

Ventromedial Hypothalamus

Lower-middle, and depresses hunger.

Set Point

A particular weight that the mind tries to keep one at by triggering or suppressing hunger.

Metabolic Rate

Energy used at rest/how much your body burns off.

Externals

People whose hunger is triggered by the presence of foods.

Anorexia Nervosa

Limit food intake.

Bulimia Nervosa

Binge and purging eating behavior.

Binge/Overeating Disorder

Obsession/addiction to eating.

Causes of Anorexia

Being in a competitive family.

Causes of Bulimia

Being in a family with alcoholism or depression.

Alfred Kinsey

Some of the 1st research into sexual behavior. Tried to show it’s normal.

Excitement

Erection and lubrication.

Plateau

Excitement peaks, breathing and pulse speed up.

Orgasm

Full body muscle contractions, tension released.

Resolution

Blood is released, and body resets.

Refractory Period

Unable to have orgasm during this time.

The Rape Myth

Material may depict coercion leading to enjoyment.

Ostracism

Being socially excluded or set aside.

Social Networking Pros

Friends are always present, and you get quick feedback.

Social Networking Cons

It takes time, it’s distracting, narcissism, and false projections.

Achievement Motivation

Desire for accomplishment, control, mastery, and reaching a high standard.

TAT Test

Showing someone an image and the story they create for it shows their motivation.

High Achievement Motivation

Desire for difficult but attainable takes. Actually wanting to learn/understand.

Low Achievement Motivation

Desire for easy or very difficult tasks. Driven to complete, not necessarily succeed.

Grit

Passionate and dedication to a goal. 

Origins of Grit

Parents who encourage independence, intrinsic motivation, and goal setting.

Leadership Styles

Leaders can have a big impact on achievement motivation.

Task Leadership

Organize, direct, and goal focused.

Social Leadership

Mediate, team build, and delegate.

Theory X of Leadership

Workers/people are lazy, incompetent, and extrinsically motivated.

Theory Y of Leadership

Workers/people are competent, hard-working, and intrinsically motivated.

Emotions are 3 pronged

Physiologically, expressive behavior, and psychologically.

Yerks-Dodson Theory of Arousal

We tend to be best at a moderate level of arousal.

Polygraph Tests

Physical arousal telling the “truth” of our emotions.

Nonverbal Communication

Transmission of messages or signals through a nonverbal platform such as eye contact, body language, social distance, touch, voice, physical environments/appearance, and use of objects.

Facial Feedback Effect

Facial muscle state triggers emotion.

Izard’s Theory of Emotion

Studied babies, said there are 10 basic emotions.

Plutchik’s Emotional Wheel

There are 8 primary emotions that can be combined.

Catharsis

A big emotional release.

Feel Good, Do Good Phenomenon

When you feel good (happy) you do good.

Stress

The process by which we respond to stressors.

General Adaptation Syndrome

Alarm reaction, resistance, exhaustion (often accompanied by illness). 

Tend and Befriend

Provide and seek support (more often women).

Psychophysiological Illness

Stress related physical illness.

Opponent Process Theory of Emotion

Every emotion has can opposite emotion. It will lessen the intensity of the original emotion, and then it’ll linger.

Adaptation-Level Phenomenon

Emotion is relative to the previous experience.

Relative Deprivation Principle

The belief that a person will feel deprived or entitled to something based on the comparison to someone else.

James-Lange Theory

Physiological arousal is the key to emotion.

Cannon-Bard Theory

Emotion and physiology happen simultaneously.

Schachter Two-Factor Theory

Cognition is involved along with physiology.

Personality

A combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive behavior.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Blame and then discover what is in the unconscious. That’s where personality comes from.

Id

Satisfy base drives (all unconscious). Works off the pleasure principle. Instincts.

Pleasure Principle

Immediate gratification.

Ego

The executive/decision maker. Works off the reality principle. Reality.

Reality Principle

How do we realistically get what we want. 

Superego

Personal/societal pressure of what should be. Morality.

Defense Mechanisms

What the ego does to deal with anxiety/guilt/etc.

Repression

Pushes anxiety out of consciousness.

Regression

Retreat to an earlier stage in life.

Reaction Formation

Ego switches unacceptable desires to opposite behavior.

Projection

Deals with anxiety by blaming others (faults).

Rationalization

Explain away the “real reasons”.

Displacement

Diverts aggression from unacceptable outlets (not the source). 

Sublimination

Transforms unacceptable into valued.

Denial

Refuse to believe negativity.

Projective Tests

Ambiguous items described to reveal the unconscious. 

Free Association

What do people associate a word/image with and what does it mean?

Thematic Apperception Tests (TAT)

Using pictures to understand what is going on internally with another person.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Answers to follow ups are crucial. What do you see in the image?

Neo-Freudians

They worked with or off of Freud’s ideas.

Alfred Adler

Neo-Freudian that said social issues form personality.

Inferiority Complex

Conquer feelings of inferiority.

Karen Horney

Neo-Freudian that adapted Adler’s theory to be less sexist.

Carl Jung

Neo-Freudian that said social factors don’t matter much.

Collective Unconscious

Species wide tendencies.

Traits

Deescriptions of characteristic patterns.

Gordon Allport

Founder of trait theory. Identify before explaining.