CHP 9 outline 1030: Motivation, Hunger, and Emotion Concepts

Understanding Motivation

• Definition of Motivation
  • Motivation is the process by which activities are initiated, directed, and sustained to meet physical or psychological needs.
  • Types of Motivation:
  • Extrinsic Motivation: Performing an action to attain an outcome external to oneself (e.g., working for a paycheck).
  • Intrinsic Motivation: Performing an action for its own sake because it is personally rewarding (e.g., reading for enjoyment).

Early Approaches to Understanding Motivation

• Instincts:
  • Biologically determined patterns of behavior found in both humans and animals.
• Drive-Reduction Theory:
  • Behaviors arise from internal drives aimed at satisfying physiological needs (e.g., hunger, thirst).
  • Key Definitions:
  • Primary Drives: Biological needs (e.g., hunger, thirst).
  • Secondary Drives: Learned needs (e.g., need for money, social approval).
  • Homeostasis: The body's tendency to maintain a balanced internal state.

Psychological Needs

• McClelland’s Theory:
  • Need for Affiliation (nAff): Desire for friendly social interactions.
  • Need for Power (nPow): Desire to influence or control others.
  • Need for Achievement (nAch): Strong desire to achieve and succeed in challenging tasks.
• Carol Dweck’s Self-Theory of Motivation:
  • A belief in personal control leads to more efforts to succeed; a lack of belief leads to learned helplessness.

Arousal and Incentive Approaches

• Arousal Theory:
  • Suggests people seek to maintain an optimal level of stimulation.
  • Sensation Seekers: Individuals who seek higher levels of arousal than average.
• Incentive Approaches:
  • Motivation can be influenced by external stimuli and their reward properties.

Humanistic Approaches to Motivation

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
  • A pyramid of human needs:
  1. Physiological Needs
  2. Safety Needs
  3. Love/Belonging Needs
  4. Esteem Needs
  5. Self-Actualization: Achieving one's true potential.
  • Peak Experiences: Moments of intense joy and fulfillment related to self-actualization.
• Self-Determination Theory (SDT):
  • Proposes three essential needs for motivation:
  1. Autonomy
  2. Competence
  3. Relatedness

Factors Influencing Hunger

• Physical and Social Factors:
• Hormonal Influences:
  • Insulin: Reduces glucose in the bloodstream; regulates fat, protein, and carbohydrate levels.
  • Glucagon: Increases glucose in the bloodstream.
  • Leptin: Signals fullness to the hypothalamus, reducing appetite.
• Role of the Hypothalamus:
  • Ventromedial Nucleus (VMH) and Lateral Hypothalamus (LH) regulate eating behavior.
• Set Point and Metabolism:
  • Weight Set Point: The weight the body tries to maintain.
  • Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): The energy burned while at rest.
• Social Influences:
  • Cues for meal times, cultural practices, and using food for comfort or escape.

Obesity Factors

• Contributors to Obesity:
  • Heredity
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Overeating
  • Stress
  • Metabolic rate

Emotion

• Elements of Emotion:
  • Consists of physical arousal, behavior revealing the emotion, and conscious awareness of feelings.
• Physiology of Emotion:
  • Amygdala: Key role in emotion processing.
• Behavioral Aspects:
  • Universality of facial expressions for primary emotions.
  • Display rules: Socially learned expressions of emotion control.

Theories of Emotion

1. James-Lange Theory:
   • Physiological reactions lead to the labeling of emotions.
2. Cannon-Bard Theory:
   • Emotion and physiological reaction occur simultaneously.
3. Facial Feedback Hypothesis:
   • Facial expressions influence emotional experience.
4. Cognitive Arousal Theory:
   • Both physical arousal and labeling are needed for emotion.
5. Cognitive-Mediational Theory:
   • Appraisal of stimuli leads to emotional response.

Applying Psychology in Daily Life

• Time and Task Management:
  • Systems can aid in managing commitments and achieving goals.
  • Recognizing barriers to implementing structure can enhance success in personal management.