Psychology 101: Motivation and Emotion

Psychology 101

Chapter 8: Motivation and Emotion

Introduction to Motivation

  • What is Motivation?

    • Defined as: The state in which an organism experiences an inducement or incentive to do something.

    • It explains the "why" behind behaviors.

  • Discussion Questions:

    • What do you consider motivation?

    • What kind of praise do you value more: from peers or family? Why?

The Psychology of Motivation

  • Components of Motivation:

    • Motives:

    • A state that activates behaviors towards goals.

    • Needs:

    • Basic physiological requirements essential for survival (e.g., food, water, and air).

    • Drives:

    • Generated by unmet needs, drives encourage action and are stronger with prolonged deprivation.

    • Reflect on personal deprivation and how it has shaped goal achievement.

    • Incentives:

    • Objects, people, or situations that satisfy a need and may be desirable intrinsically.

Paradigms and Results

  • Definition of Paradigm:

    • A multitude of habits fixed in our subconscious that influences our actions without conscious thought.

    • Actions produce results, which leads to awareness and self-image.

  • Components:

    • Conscious Mind: Dreams / Goals

    • Attitude

    • Subconscious: Paradigms / Alignment

    • Self-Image

    • Body: Action

Theories of Motivation

  • Instinctive Behaviors:

    • Species-specific, inborn, and genetically transmitted behaviors.

  • Key Theorists:

    • William James and William McDougall:

    • Argued humans possess instincts that support social behavior and survival.

    • James identified social instincts including love and sympathy, while McDougall classified 12 fundamental instincts.

Drive-Reductionism and Homeostasis

  • Drive-Reduction Theory:

    • Learn to engage in behaviors that diminish tension.

    • Process:

    1. Physiological need (like hunger) creates a tension state (drive).

    2. This motivates actions to satisfy the need (e.g., getting food or water).

  • Homeostasis:

    • The tendency of the body to maintain a balanced internal state.

  • Types of Drives:

    • Primary drives (related to basic survival) vs. Acquired drives (gained through experience).

Search for Stimulation

  • Stimulus Motives:

    • Drive individuals to seek increased stimulation, providing evolutionary advantages.

    • Both animals and humans pursue new and novel experiences.

Humanistic Theory: Maslow

  • Hierarchy of Needs:

    • Proposed by Abraham Maslow, indicating that people are motivated to achieve personal growth.

    • Self-Actualization:

    • The drive to realize one's fullest potential.

    • Hierarchy Levels:

    • Basic needs (food, water) to higher needs (self-fulfillment).

Levels of Needs:

  1. Physiological Needs: Food, water, warmth, rest

  2. Safety Needs: Security, safety

  3. Belongingness and Love Needs: Intimate relationships, friends

  4. Esteem Needs: Prestige and a sense of accomplishment

  5. Self-Actualization: Achieving one's full potential, including creative activities

Self-Motivation

  • Observations:

    • Pursuing happiness is a luxury; pursuing meaningfulness is a moral obligation.

    • Consider sacrifices made for security or strength, and whether to update skills.

Biological Influences on Hunger

  • Satiety:

    • Defined as: The state of being full or satisfied.

  • Regulating Factors:

    • Mouth and digestive tract signals hunger and satiety.

    • Blood sugar levels and liver receptors influence hunger patterns.

Influences of the Hypothalamus

  • Role of the Hypothalamus:

    • A key player in hunger regulation.

    • Ventromedial Nucleus (VMN):

    • Functions as a "stop-eating center".

    • Damage may lead to hyperphagia (excessive eating).

    • Lateral Hypothalamus:

    • Functions as a "start-eating center".

    • Damage may cause aphagia (lack of eating).

Psychological Influences on Hunger

  • Emotional Factors:

    • Feelings of depression, anxiety, and boredom directly affect eating behaviors.

    • Evidence suggests a direct link between inactivity and weight gain.

    • Mindful Eating:

    • Awareness of the eating process can influence meal choices.

Overeating and Influences

  • Psychological Factors Leading to Overeating:

    • Factors include:

    • Obesogenic environment, negative emotions, lifestyle stress, and education levels.

  • Biological Factors:

    • Include adaptive thermogenesis and metabolic differences.

Eating Disorders

  • General Characteristics:

    • Eating disorders represent gross disturbances in eating patterns.

  • Types:

    • Anorexia Nervosa:

    • Individuals are excessively thin.

    • Female Athlete Triad:

    • Characterized by low energy, menstrual issues, and decreased bone density.

    • Bulimia Nervosa:

    • Involves dangerous methods for weight maintenance.

Origins of Eating Disorders

  • Contributing Factors:

    • Family dynamics, role of dieting, child abuse (especially sexual abuse) and cultural pressure to be slim.

  • Statistics:

    • Two out of five young girls wish to be thinner.

    • Nearly half of girls aged 9-11 have dieted.

    • Over 90% of college women have engaged in dieting at some point.

Sexual Motivation and Behavior

  • Physical Attraction:

    • Importance in human behavior and relationship dynamics.

Motives for Having Sex

  • Categories of Sexual Motivation:

    • Physical: Pleasure, physical desirability, experience seeking, stress reduction

    • Goal Attainment: Resources, social status, revenge, utilitarian purposes

    • Emotional: Love, commitment, and expression

    • Insecurity: Self-esteem boost, obligation, mate guarding.

Hormones and Sexual Motivation

  • Sex Hormones:

    • Regulate the development of sex organs, menstrual cycles and influence sex drive and response.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

  • Definitions:

    • Sexual Orientation: Direction of one’s sexual interests and attractions.

    • LGBTQ: Acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning.

    • Sexual Minority: Groups whose sexual orientation differs from the majority.

    • Queer: Positive self-label for many individuals.

    • Pansexual: Attraction to individuals across all gender identities.

    • Gay/Lesbian: Attraction to same sex.

    • Heterosexual: Attraction to the opposite sex.

Understanding Gender Identity

  • Gender Identity: One's inherent sense of being male, female, or another gender.

  • Transgender: Identification with a sex different from the one assigned at birth.

  • Nonbinary: Includes individuals who do not strictly identify as male or female, such as genderqueer, genderfluid, agender, and bigender.

  • Gender Nonconformity: Not adhering to traditional stereotypes of masculinity or femininity.

  • Gender Expression: The outward manifestation of gender identity through clothing, behavior, etc.

Gender Differences in Partner Preferences

  • Key Differences:

    • What are females looking for compared to males in partner selection?

Achievement Motivation

  • Tests of Motivation:

    • Thematic Apperception Test (TAT):

    • Involves interpreting cards with pictures; individuals create narratives about their interpretations which shed light on their motivation and personality.

Extrinsic Versus Intrinsic Motives

  • Achievement Motivation:

    • Can derive from performance or learning goals:

    • Performance Goals: Often linked to extrinsic rewards (e.g., income, praise).

    • Learning Goals: Lead to intrinsic rewards (self-satisfaction).

    • Promotes independent thinking, novel ideas, stimulating experiences, and persistence.

Discussion on Extrinsic Motivation

  • Critical Question:

    • Can extrinsic motivation lead to failure in relationships?

Emotions

  • Definition of Emotions:

    • Emotional states possess physiological, cognitive, and behavioral components.

    • Associated with arousing the autonomic nervous system.

  • Components of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS):

    • Sympathetic: Rapid heartbeat, breathing, sweating, muscle tension.

    • Parasympathetic: Related to emotional states such as happiness and grief.

Theories of Emotion

  • James-Lange Theory:

    • Proposes that specific physiological arousal leads to emotional experiences based on body responses.

  • Cannon-Bard Theory:

    • Suggests that emotional responses and bodily reactions occur simultaneously after processing by the brain.

  • Cognitive Appraisal Theory:

    • States individual appraisal of a situation impacts emotional response and arousal level.

Tips for Habits and Motivation

  • Develop a routine.

  • Properly nourish your body.

  • Understand your underlying motivations (your WHY).

  • Be willing to let go of what isn't serving you anymore.