7. motivation, emotion, and personality Flashcards
motivations
the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way
instinct theory of motivation
instinct drives behavior; behavior that helps preserve the individual and species is passed on
drive-reduction theory of motivation
internal deficiencies (drivers) push us to behave in such a way that we reduce the drives to maintain homestasis
incentives
behavior that is motivated by the “pull” of external stimuli, or incentives
optimal arousal theory
an individual’s performance peaks at optimal arousal
ex: test taking
yerkes-dodson law
elevated arousal levels can improve performance up to a certain point
maslow’s hierarchy of needs
incorporates the idea that we have various levels of needs including lower-level physiological and safety needs and higher-level social needs.
- self-actualization
- self esteem
- love and belonging
- safety
- phsyiological
glucose
the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for the body tissues. when its levels are low, we feel hungry
what part of the brain integrates glucose messages and hunger pains?
the hypothalamus
four hormones involved in hunger
insulin, ghrelin, orexin, leptin, pyy
insulin (hormone)
location: pancreas
activity: controls blood glucose
ghrelin (hormone)
location: empty stomach
activity: “i’m hungry” signal
orexin (hormone)
location: hypothalamus
activity: hunger-triggering
leptin (protein hormone)
location: fat cells
activity: when abundant, causes brain to increase metabolism and decrease hunger
pyy
location: digestive tract
activity: “i’m not hungry signal”
set point
the point at which an individual’s ‘weight thermostat’ is supposedly set
basal metabolic rate
the amount of energy per unit of time that a person needs to keep the body functioning at rest
3 different situational influences on eating
social: eat more when you are with people
unit bias: when offered the larger amount you eat it
food variety: buffets
affiliation need
wanting to belong: the need to belong colors our thinking and emotions
social acceptance: a sense of belonging with others increases our self esteem. social segregation decreases it
maintaining relationships: we resist breaking social bonds, even bad ones
ostracism: social exclusion leads to demoralization, depression, and at times nasty behavior
emotion
psychological responses of the whole organism involving an interplay among physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience.
james-lange theory
the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to an emotion-arousing stimulus:
stimulus, arousal, emotion
cannon-bard theory
the theory that an emotion-arousing sitmulus simultaneously triggers (1) phsyiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion
two-factor theory
the schachter-singer theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal
how does lazarus explain emotions
emotion researcher richard lazarus conceded that our brain processes vast amounts of information without our conscious awareness and that some emotional responses do not require conscious thinking.
facial feedback effect
the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness
free association
a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing
psychoanalysis
freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tensions
id
a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. the id operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification
pleasure principle
demanding immediate gratification
ego
the largely conscious, ‘executive’ part of the personality that, according to freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. the ego operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.
reality principle
satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
superego
the part of personality that, according to freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment )(the conscience) and for future aspirations
oedipus complex
according to freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
electra complex
according to freud, a girl’s sexual desires toward her father and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival mother
repression
pushing unacceptable thoughts/feelings out of conscious awareness
ex: unknowingly blocking unwanted feelings of jealousy toward your best friend’s academic success
regression
returning to an earlier, comforting form of behavior
ex: throwing a temper tantrum during an especially stressful period of your adult life
reaction formation
expressing the opposite of how one truly feels
ex: feeling guilty about illegally downloading movies from the internet and joining a group to promote awareness to stop it
projection
falsely and unconsciously attributing your own unacceptable thoughts/feelings to individuals or objects
ex: accusing other students of cheating rather than taking responsibility for your own immoral behavior
rationalization
coming up with a beneficial result of an undesirable occurrence
ex: deciding that procrastination leads to better essays and putting off writing until the last minute
displacement
redirecting one’s feelings toward another person or object
ex: picking a fight with a salesclerk after getting angry with your best friend
sublimation
channeling one’s frustration toward a different goal
ex: channeling your frustration with school into a vigorous workout
denial
refusing to recognize some anxiety-provoking information that is clear to others
ex: disregarding scientific evidence that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and buying a carton of cigarettes
psychodynamic theories
modern approaches that view personality with a focus on the unconscious mind and the importance of childhood experiences
carl jung’s collective unconscious
a set of inherited images and experiences common to all humans: archetypes
ex: the wise old man, the nurturing mother, the hero, and the quest
projective tests
ambiguous stimuli/designed to trigger projection of inner dynamics
thematic apperception test (tat)
proposed by henry murray, it is a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests though their descriptions of stories made up from ambiguous scenes, like a bird flying out from a chair. this tests the unconscious mind
rorschach inkblot test
the most widely used projective test, it assessed people’s inner feelings based upon their interpretation of 10 inkblots. however, very few of these tests show validity. it is now only used for reception or introduction to therapy, not diagnosis.
humanistic theorists
emphasized the human capacity for goodness, creativity, and free will; recognizes that nature and nurture influence personality but focuses on individuals having free will and making choices
carl rogers’ person centered perceptive focuses on three conditions being met
genuineness: honest
acceptance: supporting
empathy: understanding and compassionate
self concept
all the unique beliefs and personality characteristics an individual has
criticisms against human psychology
1) difficult to test scientifically
2) the humanist idea that individuals are innately good and striving for perfection is too optimistic
3) despite the criticisms, humanism has expanded the field of personality psychology to focus more on healthy individuals –> positive psychology
traits
patterns of enduring and stable characteristics that influence a person to act in a consistent way. usually measured using self-report inventories that ask people to judge their agreement with statements describing behavior that might be indicative of some particular trait
personality inventories
a questionnaire (often with true/false or agree/disagree items) on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviours; used to assess selected personality traits
minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (mmpi)
the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes
costa and mcrae’s big five dimensions of personality
conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness (to experience), extraversion
bandura’s social cognitive perspective
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context
behavioral approach
focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development
reciprocal determinism
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
personal control
our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless
martin seligman
founded positive psychology: the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive
spotlight effect
overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating or appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)
self esteem
one’s feelings of high or low self worth
self efficacy
one’s sense of competence and effectiveness
