Unit 6- Motivation and Personality

Achievement Motivation

a desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills, and for attaining a high standard

• higher achievement motivation = higher achievement

• predicts performance

Approach-Approach

least stressful type when we have two pleasant but mutually exclusive goals to choose between, a “win-win”

• two positives

• ex. “should I go to Paris or Hawaii?”

Approach-Avoidance

a single event/goal has both desirable and undesirable consequences

• positive and negative

• ex. Do you take a job that has a higher pay but is further away

Arousal Theory

the theory that the physical environment can affect arousal levels by stimulation and by stress created when psychological or physical needs are not met

Avoidance-Avoidance

More stressful when we have two unpleasant options and we have to pick “the lesser of two evils”

• two negatives

• ex. “You can either tell Ms Anderson you were cheating or I can”

Big Five Personality Traits

Personality can be broken down into five main traits

• openness to experience- new things

• conscientiousness- competence and achievement

• extraversion- sociability

• agreeableness- goodness of others

• neuroticism- emotional stability

Broaden and Build Theory

suggests that positive emotions (such as happiness, and perhaps interest and anticipation) broaden one's awareness and encourage novel, exploratory thoughts and actions

• positive emotions broaden thinking

• allows to build resources

Cognitive Appraisal of Emotion

the process where an individual interprets and evaluates a situation, determining its personal significance and thus influencing their emotional response to it

• emotions depend on situation

Defense Mechanism

the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

• avoiding hard situations

• avoiding anxiety

Denial

refusing to believe or even perceive painful realities

• girlfriend refuses to believe evidence of boyfriend cheating

• not believing

Displacement

shifting sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person

• kid kicks dog when mad at parent

• punching a wall

Display Rules

a set of socially learned norms that dictate when, where, and how it is appropriate to express emotions within a given culture

• social cues

• when we can and cannot show emotion

Drive

a concept used to understand the relationship between the psyche and the soma (mind and body)

• why we do things

• ex. hunger

Drive-Reduction Theory

the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need

• when a physiological need increases, so does the psychological drive

• need + incentive = strong drive

Ego

the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality

• operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain

• mix of id and superego

External Locus of Control

the belief that outside forces, like luck, fate, or other people, are primarily responsible for what happens in one's life

• success is from external factors

• ex. luck and fate

Extrinsic Motivation

desire to engage in an activity based on the expectation of a reward or to avoid punishment

• doing school work for required classes

• knowing there will be a reward after completing a task

Facial Feedback Effect

the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness

• smile- feel happiness

• pen in mouth example

Ghrelin

a peptide secreted by endocrine cells in the stomach that binds to growth hormone receptors in the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary, stimulating appetite and the release of growth hormone

• hunger hormone

Homeostasis

a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry around a particular level

• ex. body temp

• keeping the body at a consistent state

Humanistic Approach to Personality

view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

• self Determinism and actualization

• maslows theories

Id

a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives

• operates on the pleasure principal, demanding instant gratification

• ex. feeling hungry and immediately getting up and leaving important meeting

Incentive

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

• ex. being able to go to sleep

Instinct

a complex, unlearned behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species

• ex. infants reflexes

• shows that our genes can influence our behaviors

Internal Locus of Control

the belief that a person has a significant degree of control over the events in their life, attributing their successes and failures primarily to their own actions and choices, rather than external factors like luck or fate

• success is from actions and choices

• they control their life

Intrinsic Motivation

desire to engage in an activity based on genuine interest and pleasure

• why most people do sports

• having interest in what you are doing

Leptin

a hormone produced by fat cells that signals the brain about the body's energy stores

• energy

• high levels- ow appetite

Optimal Arousal Theory

some motivated behaviors actually increase arousal

• well fed animals will leave enclosure without a need based drive

• curiosity

Personality Inventory

a questionnaire (often with true - false or agree-disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits

• assess several traits at once

• questionaire

Projection

disguising one’s own threatening impulses by attributing them to others

• “the theif thinks everyone else is a theif”

• blaming others

Projective Test

a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics

• TAT

• Rorschach Inkblot

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts

• techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions

• exploring the unconscious

Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality

a psychological perspective developed by Sigmund Freud, which posits that our personality is shaped by unconscious conflicts between the "id" (primitive desires), "ego" (reality-based decision-making), and "superego" (moral conscience), largely influenced by early childhood experiences and repressed memories

• we have a “Devil and angel on our shoulders”

• childhood

Psychodynamic Theory of Personality

modern day approaches that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

• personality due to childhood social experiences

• Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, and Carl Jung

Rationalization

offering self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening unconscious reasons for one’s actions

• “I only drink to be sociable”

• trying to justify actions

Reaction Formation

a defense mechanism where a person unconsciously expresses behaviors or attitudes that are the opposite of their true feelings or desires, often in an exaggerated manner, to mask anxiety-provoking thoughts or impulses that are considered unacceptable by the ego

• an unconscious process

• ex. being rude to someone you have feelings for

Reciprocal Determinism

states that a person's behavior is influenced by and influences both their internal personal factors (thoughts, beliefs) and their external environment, creating a continuous interaction between the three elements: behavior, cognition, and environment

• behavior + cognitive factors + environment

• Bandura

Regression

retreating to a more infantile psychosexual stage, where some psychic energy remains fixated

• ex. thumb sucking on first day of school

• back to childhood stages

Repression

the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories

• underlies all other defense mechanisms

• blocking out memories

Self-Actualization

according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self - esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s potential.

• top of the pyramid

• knowledge about oneself

Self-Determination Theory

intrinsic motivation produces better outcomes than extrinsic motivation

• passion>required work

• ex. scoring better on an essay about something you like instead of on a required reading

Self-Efficacy

one’s sense of competence and effectiveness

• how smart they are

• can be high in some areas and low in others

Self-Esteem

one’s feelings of high or low self worth

• how we feel about ourselves

• higher self esteem is good

Sensory-Seeking Theory

one’s level of need for varied or new experiences is the basis of motivation

• not liking repition

• wanting to experience new things

Social Cognition Theory of Personality

views behavior as influenced by the interaction between peoples traits and their social context

• individuals + situation

• social interactions

Sublimation

transferring of unacceptable impulses into socially valued motives

• aggressive man becomes surgeon

• becoming socially acceptable

Superego

the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement (the conscience) and for future aspirations

• focuses on how we ought to behave

• strives for perfection

Trait Theory of Personality

attempt to define personality in terms of stable and enduring behavior patterns

• trait- a characteristic pattern of behavior or a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self - report inventories and peer reports

• describe our differences rather than explain them

Unconditional Positive Regard

according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person

• acceptance

• discovering that you are still accepted after revealing darkest secret

The Unconscious

the part of the mind, according to Freudian theory, that houses thoughts, desires, and memories that are actively repressed from conscious awareness, yet still influence behavior without the person realizing it

• what we are not aware of

• effects behavior

Yerkes-Dodson Law

the principle that performance increases with moderate arousal

• people who are calm but not bored for a test are going to do the best

• medium level of nerves