Personality, Motivation, & Emotion (4.4-4.7)

Instincts

A complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned.

Drive-Reduction Theory

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

Homeostasis

The tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level.

Ghrelin

Hormone secreted by an empty stomach; sends 'I'm hungry' signals to the brain.

Leptin

Hormone secreted by fat cells; when abundant, causes brain to increase metabolism and decrease hunger.

Hypothalamus

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Pituitary Gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Belongingness

The human emotional need to be an accepted member of a group.

Arousal Theory

The theory that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of alertness and physical and mental activation.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases.

Sensation-Seeking Theory

The search for experiences and feelings that are varied, novel, complex, and intense.

Thrill Seeking

Pursuing activities that provide a rush of adrenaline.

Adventure Seeking

Engaging in unusual and exciting activities.

Disinhibition

Acting impulsively, without considering the consequences.

Boredom Susceptibility

Tendency to experience boredom and frustration when not engaged in stimulating activities.

Incentive Theory

A theory that states that behavior is motivated by a desire for reinforcement or incentives.

Extrinsic Motivation

A desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment.

Self-Determination Theory

A theory of motivation that is concerned with the beneficial effects of intrinsic motivation and the harmful effects of extrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic Motivation

A desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake.

Lewin's Motivational Conflicts Theory

A theory that describes situations in which conflicting motivations produce indecision and difficulty.

Approach-Approach Conflicts

Conflict that results from having to choose between two attractive alternatives.

Avoidance-Avoidance Conflicts

Conflict that results from having to choose between two distasteful alternatives.

Approach-Avoidance Conflicts

Conflict that results when a single action or event has both attractive and unattractive features.

Emotion

A response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience.

Facial-Feedback Hypothesis

The idea that facial expressions can influence emotions as well as reflect them.

Display Rules

Culturally determined rules about which nonverbal behaviors are appropriate to display.

Elicitors

Stimuli that trigger emotional responses.

Broaden-and-Build Theory of Emotion

Theory proposing that happiness predisposes us to think more openly.

Universal Emotions

Basic emotions that are expressed by all cultures around the world such as happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, and surprise.

Psychodynamic Theory

A view that explains personality in terms of conscious and unconscious forces, such as unconscious desires and beliefs.

Unconscious Mind

A reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories.

Denial

Psychoanalytic defense mechanism by which people refuse to believe or even to perceive painful realities.

Displacement

Defense mechanism that shifts sexual or aggressive impulses toward a more acceptable or less threatening object or person.

Projection

Defense mechanism by which people disguise their own threatening impulses by attributing them to others.

Rationalization

Defense mechanism that offers self-justifying explanations in place of the real, more threatening, unconscious reasons for one's actions.

Reaction Formation

Defense mechanism by which the ego unconsciously switches unacceptable impulses into their opposites.

Regression

Defense mechanism in which an individual faced with anxiety retreats to a more infantile psychosexual stage.

Repression

Defense mechanism by which anxiety-provoking thoughts and feelings are forced to the unconscious.

Sublimation

Defense mechanism by which people re-channel their unacceptable impulses into socially approved activities.

Humanistic Psychology

A historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people.

Unconditional Regard

An attitude of total acceptance toward another person.

Self-Actualizing Tendency

The human motive toward realizing our inner potential.

Social-Cognitive Theory

Views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits (including their thinking) and their social context.

Reciprocal Determinism

The interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment.

Self-Concept

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, 'Who am I?'

Self-Efficacy

One's sense of competence and effectiveness.

Self-Esteem

One's feelings of high or low self-worth.

Trait Theories

Theories that endeavor to describe the characteristics that make up human personality in an effort to predict future behavior.

Big Five Theory

The theory that there are five basic personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (emotional stability).

Personality Inventories

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.

Factor Analysis

A statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie one's total score.

Openness to Experience

One of the five factors; willingness to try new things and be open to new experiences.

Conscientiousness

One of the five factors; a tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement.

Extraversion

One of the five factors; energy, positive emotions, and the tendency to seek stimulation and the company of others.

Agreeableness

One of the five factors; a tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.