PSY130 – Chapter 10 Emotions & Motivation
Introduction
- Psychological study of motivation & emotion focuses on inter-related concepts that drive, color, and regulate behaviour.
- Affect – the raw felt experience of emotion; the subjective, valenced “tone” of consciousness.
- Arousal – bodily activation generated primarily by the sympathetic branch of the ANS; measured through heart rate, perspiration, pupil dilation, etc.
- Emotion – a situation-specific, conscious, valenced mental state that integrates affect, cognition, physiology, & behaviour.
- Motivation – the driving force that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-directed activity.
- "Drive" typically originates from a negative or deficit state (e.g., hunger, loneliness).
- Homeostasis – the natural equilibrium point the body attempts to maintain; drives “push” us back toward this set-point.
10.1 The Experience of Emotion
Behavioural components
- Emotions shape both actions and thoughts; facial expressions, vocal tone, posture all shift with affect.
- Facial musculature pattern:
- Positive states = greater activation around mouth (zygomatic major).
- Negative states = greater activation around eyes/brow (corrugator supercilii).
- Universality hypothesis – certain basic facial displays (e.g. joy, fear) are recognized across cultures.
- Cultural “accent” & Display Rules
- Socially learned norms governing when, where, with whom, and how emotion is shown or suppressed; explains cross-cultural nuance.
Physiological theories (sequence problem: Which comes first—arousal or feeling?)
- Cannon–Bard Theory – stimulus → simultaneous cortical emotion & autonomic arousal.
- James–Lange Theory – stimulus → autonomic arousal → perception of those changes is the emotion.
- Schachter–Singer Two-Factor Theory – stimulus → arousal + cognitive label → emotion.
- Misattribution of arousal – labelling the physiological source incorrectly (e.g. shaky bridge experiment).
- Excitation transfer – residual arousal from one event intensifies reaction to an unrelated event (e.g. sport spectators → bar fights).
Functions of emotion
- Communicative signals to others (cry for help, smile to affiliate).
- Prioritize perception & memory (fear ↑ visual field sensitivity; flashbulb memories).
- Physiological mobilization (fight, flee, tend, repair).
Emotion Regulation – deliberate or automatic strategies to modulate experience or expression.
- 5 empirically identified tactics (Gross, 1998):
- Situation selection – approaching/avoiding contexts.
- Situation modification – altering the setting (e.g. open a window, invite a friend).
- Attentional deployment – distraction, concentration, mindfulness.
- Cognitive change (re-appraisal) – reframing meaning (“exam = opportunity”).
- Response modulation – influencing experiential, behavioural, or physiological response after it arises (e.g. deep breathing, expressive suppression).
10.2 Stress and Coping
Stress – physiological & psychological reaction to perceived demands > resources.
- Not exclusively negative; eustress can energize.
Trauma-related disorders
- Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) – intrusive memories, hyper-vigilance, avoidance; duration < 4 weeks.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – same core symptoms lasting ≥ 4 weeks.
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) – Hans Selye’s 3-phase model of chronic stress physiology:
- Alarm (fight/flight triggers).
- Resistance (continued endocrine & sympathetic activity).
- Exhaustion (resources depleted; illness risk ↑).
HPA Axis
- Hypothalamus → Pituitary (ACTH) → Adrenal cortex → Cortisol.
- Cortisol releases glucose into bloodstream, prepares body to confront threat; chronic elevation linked to immune suppression & neurotoxicity.
Health consequences
- Fatigue, depression, impaired immunity, DNA telomere shortening (accelerated aging), hypertension, cardiovascular disease.
Cognitive/affective shift: narrowed focus on negatives, diminished growth & social engagement.
Everyday stress measurement
- Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) assigns Life-Change Units 11–100 (e.g. traffic ticket =11, spouse’s death =100).
- Sum over past 12 months predicts illness risk; omission of chronic social stressors (e.g. prejudice) noted.
- Daily hassles (lost keys, delays) accumulate, predicting poorer health beyond SRRS.
Biobehavioural stress responses
- Fight-or-Flight – mobilize to confront or escape.
- Tend-and-Befriend – seek affiliation & caregiving; oxytocin implicated, adaptive for caregiving mammals.
Ten empirically supported coping strategies
- Eliminate / reduce stressor.
- Give & receive social support.
- Progressive muscle relaxation.
- Meditation / mindfulness.
- Adequate sleep (≈ 7–9 hrs).
- Aerobic & resistance exercise.
- Nature exposure (“forest-bathing”).
- Enjoyable activities & humour.
- Cognitive re-appraisal (change thoughts).
- Ask for professional or informal help.
10.3 The Power of Happiness
Subjective Well-Being (SWB) – self-reported happiness + life satisfaction.
- Twin studies: heritability ≈ 30\text{–}40\%.
- Basic needs fulfilment essential; once met, extra income shows diminishing marginal utility and may ↓ happiness via upward social comparison.
- Relationship transitions (marriage, divorce, widowhood, parenthood) yield mixed SWB effects contingent on context, support, and expectations.
PERMA model (Seligman) – five building blocks of flourishing:
- Positive Emotion – cultivate via gratitude, regulation skills.
- Engagement – “flow” states, present-moment immersion.
- Relationships – supportive, intimate social ties.
- Meaning – service to something larger than self (work, faith, activism).
- Accomplishment – pursue SMART goals:
- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound.
Core mindsets
- Optimism – dispositional expectation of favourable outcomes; predicts persistence & immune resilience.
- Self-Efficacy – belief in one’s capability to execute behaviours necessary for desired outcomes (Bandura); mediates stress appraisal & performance.
10.4 Motivation: Eating, Sex, and Achievement
Eating
Dual influence: biological & sociocultural.
- Biological
- Hypothalamus integrates glucose, leptin, ghrelin, insulin cues.
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) – calories burned at rest; major determinant of weight set-point.
- Environmental
- Meal timing cues; portion norms; modelling of peers while dining; cultural cuisine.
Eating disorders (ranked by prevalence)
- Binge-Eating Disorder (BED) – recurrent binges without compensatory purge; \approx75\% female, 25\% male; often overweight.
- Bulimia Nervosa – binge + purge (vomit, laxative, exercise); weight may be normal; 86\% female, 14\% male.
- Anorexia Nervosa – severe caloric restriction, significantly low weight, body-image disturbance, intense weight-gain fear; 85\% female, 15\% male; highest mortality of psychiatric disorders.
Sexual Behaviour
Beyond reproduction; includes bonding & pleasure (seen across social species).
Sexual Response Cycle (Masters & Johnson):
- Arousal – vasocongestion, lubrication.
- Plateau – vitals escalate, orgasm imminent.
- Orgasm – rhythmic myotonia; oxytocin surge.
- Resolution – body returns to baseline; refractory period (short-none in many females).
Gendered Orgasm Gap
- In heterosexual encounters, men climax more frequently than women.
- Lesbian encounters & female masturbation report higher orgasm rates → anatomical reality: most female orgasms clitoral; P-V intercourse alone often insufficient.
- Cultural scripts emphasising male pleasure perpetuate gap → ethical call for inclusive sexual education.
Ovulation-linked behavioural shifts
- Near ovulation females’ scent, facial symmetry, and vocal pitch rated more attractive by all genders.
- Increased flirting, revealing attire, & sexual openness in females; male partners display heightened jealousy & testosterone after smelling ovulatory pheromones.
- Economic impact: lap-dancer earnings peak during ovulation – real-world market evidence of subtle biological signals.
Achievement
Intrinsic Motivation – activity undertaken for inherent satisfaction (e.g., reading for curiosity) → correlated with creativity & persistence.
Extrinsic Motivation – actions performed for external reward (salary, grades).
- Expectancy Theory (Vroom) – motivation = E \times I \times V (Expectancy × Instrumentality × Valence):
- Expectancy – belief effort → performance.
- Instrumentality – belief performance → reward.
- Valence – value of reward.
- Clear, achievable incentives ↑ employee output.
Perseverance / Grit – long-term passion + sustained effort; common denominator among high achievers.
Mindsets (Dweck)
- Growth – ability can be developed; encourages challenge-seeking & resilience.
- Fixed – abilities static; fosters avoidance of failure, learned helplessness.
- Educational & managerial implication: praise effort and strategies, not inherent talent.
Ethical / Practical Implications & Connections
- Emotion-recognition universality suggests common human ground; yet display rules remind clinicians/educators to be culturally sensitive.
- Misattribution & excitation transfer findings caution legal systems (e.g., eyewitness arousal) & marketing (fear-based ads) for potential bias.
- Chronic stress physiology (HPA/GAS) underscores public-health need for socio-economic policies that reduce prolonged threat (poverty, discrimination).
- PERMA & mindset research inform school curricula, workplace wellness, therapy (e.g., CBT re-appraisal, positive psychology exercises).
- Understanding sexual response & orgasm gap promotes comprehensive, pleasure-inclusive sex education, reducing dysfunction & gender inequity.
- Expectancy theory & self-efficacy guide organisational reward structures, coaching, and rehabilitation programs.