Motivation and Emotion

QUICK REVIEW:

Motivation: Set of factors that activate, direct, and maintain behavior, usually toward a goal: Specific need of desire, hunger, thirst, or achievement that prompts goal directed behavior

Emotion: Subjective feeling including arousal, cognitions, and expressions: feelings such as fear, joy, or surprise that underlies behavior

Theories and Concepts of Motivation:

• Motivation and Behavior
• Theories and Concepts of Emotion
• Critical Thinking about Motivation and Emotion

Biological Theories:

• Instinct
• Drive Reduction
• Arousal

Perspectives on Motivation:

– Instinct

• Inborn, unlearned, goal directed behavior that is characteristic of an entire species
• Human behavior is not easily explained by instincts because:

–Important Human behavior is learned

–Human behavior is rarely inflexible

Drive Reduction Theory 

• Internal tensions “push” toward satisfying basic needs
• State of tension caused by bodily needs
• Theory is that motivated behavior is an attempt to reduce a drive and return the body to homeostasis
• Primary Drive: unlearned drive such as hunger based on a physiological state
• Secondary Drive: learned drive such as ambition

Arousal Theory

• Motivated to seek an optimal level of arousal for a given moment
• Yerkes-Dodson Law: there is an optimal level or arousal for best performance on any task
• The more complex the task, the lower the level of arousal that can be tolerated without interfering with performance

Optimal Level of Arousal:  People seek an optimal level of arousal that maximizes their performance

Psychosocial Theories:

– Incentives

Motivation that results from the “pull” of external environmental stimuli: External stimuli that prompts goal directed behavior, often, we are unaware of the incentive, for example: Aroma of food may cause us to eat even when we are not hungry, advertisements that lead us to buy a product we do not necessarily need

– Cognitive

• Motivation affected by attributions and expectations:
• Intrinsic motivation: motivation for a behavior is the behavior itself, example children enjoy playing on the swing set
• Extrinsic motivation: Behavior is performed in order to obtain a reward or to avoid punishment: cash incentives at work

Bio-Psychosocial Theories:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:

• Interaction of biological, psychological, and social needs; lower motives (physiological andsafety) must be met before higher needs (belonging, self-esteem)

Motivation and Behavior – Hunger and Thirst

• Psychological factors: visual cues and cultural conditioning
• Cultural and Environmental factors: Repsonses to food are governed by learning and social conditioning, culture influences what we choose to eat
• Obesity: Results from numerous biological and psychosocial factors
• Anorexia nervosa/Bulimia Nervosa: results from fear of becoming obese resulting from numerous biological and psychosocial factors

Motivation and Behavior – Achievement

• High need for achievement
• Prefers moderately difficult tasks
• Prefers clear goals with competent feedback
• Competitive
• Prefers responsibility
• Persistent
• More Accomplished

Emotion:

Three Components of Emotion

• Physiological: Arousal comes from the brain, particularly the limbic and autonomic nervous system
• Cognitive: Thoughts, values, and expectations
• Behavioral: Expressions, gestures, and body position

Emotion:

• Fear
• Happiness
• Surprise
• Sadness
• Disgust
• Anger
• Anticipation
• Joy
• Acceptance

Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivation:

Intrinsic rewards come from within – no monetary value.

Extrinsic rewards may lower interest and motivation.

Emotional Intelligence (EI): Is the ability to know and manage one’s emotions, empathize, and maintain satisfying relationships.

References:

Bernstein, D.A. & Nash, P.W. (2008). Essentials of psychology (4th ed.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Feldman, R. (2013). Essentials of understanding psychology (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Friedman, H.S. & Schustack, M.W. (2012), Personality: classic theories and modern research (5th ed). Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

McGraw-Hill.McGraw Hill Higher Education (2013), The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.

Ryckman, R. M. (2013). Theories of personality (10th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.