Chapter 9: Motivation & Emotion

Motivation

The force that moves people to behave, think, and feel the way they do; it is characterized by being energized, directed, and sustained.

Instinct

An innate (unlearned) biological pattern of behavior that is assumed to be universal throughout a species.

Drive Reduction Theory

The theory that a physiological need creates an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need to return to homeostasis.

Need

A deprivation that energizes the drive to eliminate or reduce the deprivation (e.g., a physiological requirement like water).

Drive

An aroused state of psychological tension that occurs because of a physiological need (e.g., the feeling of thirst).

Homeostasis

The body’s tendency to maintain an equilibrium or a steady internal state (the ultimate goal of drive reduction).

Optimum Arousal Theory:

The theory suggesting that individuals are motivated to maintain an ideal level of alertness or physical/mental activation.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that performance is best under conditions of moderate arousal rather than either low or high arousal.

Sexual Orientation

The direction of an individual’s erotic interests, whether toward members of the same sex, the opposite sex, or both.

Pansexual

An individual who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender identity.

Asexual

A lack of sexual attraction to others or a low/absent interest in sexual activity.

LGBTQ Community

An acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning; a diverse community of individuals with various sexual orientations and gender identities.

Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s pyramid of human needs; it progresses from basic physiological needs at the bottom to self-actualization at the top.

Self-Actualization

The highest of Maslow’s needs; the motivation to develop one’s full potential as a human being.

Self-Determination Theory:

A theory of motivation proposing that people have three basic organismic needs: competence, relatedness, and autonomy.

Autonomy:

The sense that one is in control of one’s own life and that one’s behaviors are self-selected rather than imposed.

Intrinsic Motivation

Motivation based on internal factors such as organismic needs (competence, relatedness, autonomy) as well as curiosity, challenge, and fun

Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation that involves external incentives such as rewards (money, grades) or punishments.

Self-Regulation

The process by which an organism effortfully controls behavior in order to pursue important objectives.

Emotion

A feeling, or affect, that can involve physiological arousal, conscious experience, and behavioral expression.

James-Lange Theory

The theory that emotion results from physiological states triggered by stimuli in the environment (e.g., you feel sad because you are crying).

Cannon-Bard Theory

The theory that emotional experience and physiological arousal occur simultaneously rather than one causing the other.

Two-Factor Theory (Schachter-Singer)

The theory that emotion is determined by two factors: physiological arousal and cognitive labeling.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

• The idea that facial expressions can influence emotions as well as reflect them (e.g., smiling can actually make you feel happier).

Universal Facial Expressions

Innate emotional expressions (like happiness, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, and surprise) that are recognized across all cultures.

Display Rules

Sociocultural standards that determine when, where, and how emotions should be expressed.

Circumplex Model of Emotion:

A model that categorizes emotions along two dimensions: Valence (how pleasant/unpleasant) and Arousal (activation level).

Oliva M. Espín, Ph.D.:

A pioneer in the psychology of women and Latina psychology.

• Fact 1: She is Professor Emerita of Women's Studies at San Diego State University and is considered a pioneer in feminist therapy.

• Fact 2: She focused her research on the intersection of language, sexuality, and the immigrant/refugee experience.

• Fact 3: She contributed significantly to the field by exploring how cultural displacement and migration affect the identity and mental health of women.