PL3241 W7 - W13

Lecture 7: Motives and Goals - What do We Want in Life?

Lesson Overview

• Motives and Needs: Understanding the key motivations driving human behavior.
  • Three Big Motives to explore.
• Goal Constructs:
  • Idiographic (personal) and Nomothetic (universal).
• Personal Growth
  • Foundation of humanistic and positive psychology.

Motivation

• Motivation is essential in personality research (Freud: drives; self-actualization).
• Goals structure our behavior, thinking, and emotions.
• The diversity of goals:
  • Types of Goals: Short-term vs. long-term, concrete vs. abstract.
  • Links between goal fulfillment and life satisfaction (Pervin, 1989; Palys & Little, 1983).

Motives and Needs

• Definition: Internal states that arouse and direct behavior towards objects/goals.
  • Caused often by deficits (e.g., hunger).
  • Relief occurs when needs are fulfilled.
  • Measurement through projective techniques (e.g., TAT).

Henry Murray's System of Needs (1938)

• Needs as “potentialities” that direct perception and behavior.
  • Psychogenic Needs:
  • Need for Dominance: Control environment, influence others.
  • Need for Understanding: Interest in theory and generalization.

The Three Big Motives (McClelland)

• Need for Achievement (nAch): Striving for excellence, success.
  • Characteristics:
  • Preference for moderate challenges.
  • Enjoyment in feedback-oriented tasks.
  • Better performance in varied tasks, innovation, entrepreneurship.
• Need for Affiliation (nAff): Desire for warm, close relationships.
  • Individuals high in nAff:
  • Focus on relationships, positive emotions around others.
  • Increased social interactions and overall subjective well-being.
• Need for Power (nPow): Desire to impact others’ lives.
  • High nPow individuals enjoy control, dominance, and leadership.
  • Associated with unstable romantic relationships and preference for less popular friends

Needs and Motives in Historical Analysis

• Analysis of U.S. presidents: Power motivations correlate with historical significance (Winter, 1987).
  • Strong nPow linked to presidential greatness and decision-making in wars.

Overlap with the Big Five Personality Traits

• Comparisons of the Three Big Motives with the Big Five:
  • nAch similar to Conscientiousness.
  • nAff similar to Agreeableness.
  • nPow aligns with Dominance in Extraversion.
• Motives seen as less stable than traits; hypotheses regarding genetic influences.

Goal Constructs

• Idiographic Goals: Unique goals specific to a person; generalizability is low.
• Current Concerns (Klinger, 1987): Tasks active in the mind until reached/abandoned.
• Personal Projects: Relevant actions reflecting daily life goals, affected by traits like Openness and Neuroticism.
• Personal Strivings: Broad, long-term goals reflecting core motivations that may conflict.

Categorization of Goals (Grouzet et al., 2005)

• 11 goals organized along: Self-transcendence vs. physical self; intrinsic vs. extrinsic.

Humanistic Psychology

• Focus on conscious experience, free will, choice, and responsibility in human existence.
• Key Figures:
  • Carl Rogers: Emphasis on self-actualization and unconditional positive regard.
  • Abraham Maslow: Hierarchy of needs prioritizing self-actualization post-basic needs fulfillment.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• Levels:
  • Physiological
  • Breathing, food, water.
  • Safety
  • Security of resources.
  • Love/Belonging
  • Feelings of belongingness.
  • Esteem
  • Self-esteem, status.
  • Self-Actualization
  • Achieving one's potential.

Positive Psychology

• Embraces humanistic ideals, focusing on positive subjective experiences, traits, and contributions to happiness.
• Investigates the factors determining happiness (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005):
  • Set-point theory, life circumstances, intentional activities for happiness.

Self-Determination Theory**

• Focuses on the innate needs driving growth and motivation: Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness.
• Highlights intrinsic goals leading to better emotional outcomes.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Goals

• Intrinsic: Personal growth, community.
• Extrinsic: Fame, wealth.
• Emphasis on intrinsic goals leads to increased well-being and lower negativity.

Applying the Concepts

• Effective goal-setting strategies enhancing autonomy, competence, and supportive relationships are crucial for personal growth.
• Understanding individual differences in motivational styles (defensive pessimism vs. optimism) aids in achieving goals.

Key Takeaways

• Motivation provides insight into personality through what people pursue in life.
• Goals structure behavior and perceptions of life quality; achieving them correlates with well-being.
• Understanding one's motives and needs can guide personal development and therapeutic approaches.