Motives and Emotions

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to theories of motivation, hunger, sex drive, sexual orientation, success, and emotion.

Motive

A need or desire that drives a person's actions.

Motivation

The process by which needs or desires lead to behavior.

Incentive Theory of Motivation

A psychological framework that explores how external stimuli and rewards influence human behavior.

Evolutionary Theory of Motivation

Members of a species with physical or behavioral attributes that allow them to better deal with environmental pressures would survive and reproduce passing along this biological structure

Grehlin & Neuropeptide Y

Increase hunger.

Leptin, Insulin, CCK, and GLP-1

Reduce hunger.

Menstrual cycle

Fluctuating hormones can cause changes to hunger and cravings

Emotional eating

Can drive us to eat as a coping mechanism.

Dieting

Restricting our intake generally leads to deprivation and increased hunger, eventually driving us to eat more.

Factors That Determine Sexual Attraction - Biological

Triggers of adrenaline, liking the way someone smells, the mood you're in when you meet someone

Factors That Determine Sexual Attraction - Psychological

Subconsciously seeking out others who reinforce your values and emotions, the positive feeling of winning someone over

Factors That Determine Sexual Attraction - Other

Where you live determines access to various people, the fewer people available, the more likely you'll settle, past experiences with similar looking people

Sexual Inciters - Physiological

Testosterone, Aphrodisiac Drugs, Physical/Genital Stimulation

Sexual Inciters - Psychological

Attractive Partner, Erotic Stimulation, Fantasy, Love, Courtship

Sexual Suppressors - Physiological

Hormone Disorders, Drug with Sexual Side Effects, Depression

Sexual Suppressors - Psychological Inhibitors

Unattractive Partner, Negative Thoughts, Anti-Fantasies, Negative Emotions, Stress and Anger

Evolutionary analysis of human sexual motivation

Suggests that humans possess specialized psychological adaptations that influence their mating strategies, particularly regarding short-term and long-term relationships.

Sexual orientation

A term used to refer to a person's pattern of emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction to people of a particular gender.

Heterosexual

Refers to sexual or romantic attraction to or between people of the opposite sex.

Bisexuality

Generally refers to people who feel attracted to more than one gender.

Homosexuality

Refers to attraction between people who are the same sex.

Biological theories of homosexuality

Suggest that same-sex attraction, like many other human traits, is influenced by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and prenatal factors.

The behavioural theory of homosexuality

Suggests that learned behaviors and social influences can play a role in shaping sexual orientation.

Psychoanalytic theory of homosexuality

Views homosexuality as a variation in the development of the sexual function, not an illness. It suggests that homosexuality can arise from unresolved childhood conflicts, fixations at certain stages of development, or difficulties in object relations.

Power

Those who seek positions and relationships in which they can demonstrate their leadership and decision-making.

Achievement

Those who seek projects / tasks that are sufficiently challenging and highlight their skills.

Affiliation

Those who seek connections with others. They prefer working in groups and enjoy building relationships.

Cognitive Component of Emotion

Mental processes accompanying an emotion & involved in appraisal of the situation

Behavioral Component of Emotion

Immediate outward reaction to an emotion that is involuntary & automatic

Physiological Component of Emotion

Bodily processes that accompany an emotion

Display rules

Guidelines we learn about when and how to express our emotions

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

Emotions are the result of physiological arousal. The specific emotion that a person experiences is determined by their interpretation of the arousal.

Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

Physiological arousal and the experience of emotion occur simultaneously, rather than emotion being the result of physiological arousal.

Schachter-Singer theory of Emotion

Emotional experiences are based on two factors: physiological arousal and cognitive label.

Evolutionary theory of Emotion

Emotions developed because of their adaptive value, allowing the organism to avoid danger and survive. We often know how we feel before we know what we think.