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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.