Emotions, Stress & Health Flashcards
What is motivation?
Process initiated by a physiological/psychological need/want that causes an indiv to behave in a certain manner in order to achieve a specific goal/incentive
- inferred from gaol-directed behaviour (not observed
What are the two types of motivation?
- Extrinsic motivation
- Intrinsic motivation
What is extrinsic motivation?
Performing a behaviour or engaging in an activity to earn a reward/avoid punishment
E.g. studying to get a good grade
What is intrinsic motivation?
Performing a behaviour because it is personally rewarding
E.g. playing a sport bc you enjoy it
What are the theories of motivation?
- Instinct theory
- Needs & Drives
- Arousal theory
- Incentive theory
- Humanistic theory
What are instincts?
Innate, inflexible, unlearned behaviours characteristic of a species
E.g. spiders spin webs
What is the instinct theory?
All organisms are born with innate biological tendencies that help them survive
- Instincts drive ALL behaviours
Who were the early instinct theorists?
William James
William McDougall
What did early instinct theorists try to do?
Tried to classify human behaviour according to instincts
McDougall –> 18 instincts for humans
List of supposed instincts grew to thousands
Inspired by Darwin
Criticisms of Instinct Theory
- Only described but not explained human behaviours
- Human behaviours rarely inflexible
- Most impt human behaviour is learned (a lot of our behaviour is learned rather than innate)
What is need?
Condition of tension which stems from lacking essential biological/psychological requirement of an organism
Lack smth desirable or useful
What is drive?
State of readiness produced by a need that motivates us towards a goal (behaviour)
What are the types of drive?
- Primary drives
- Secondary drives
What are primary drives?
Innate & physiological in nature –> drive-reduction theory
(e.g. hunger, thirst, sexual desire)
Which theory is associated with the necessity of drive for stimuli or events to serve as reinforcers?
Operant conditioning
What are secondary drives?
Psychological in nature arising as a result of experience –> incentive theory
(e.g. not born with innate desire to become wealth, instead acquire desire bc we learn that money allows us to obtain things that satisfy primary needs)
What is the drive-reduction theory?
Physiological need creates an aroused tension state (drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need & reduce the tension
What is the physiological aim of drive-reduction?
Homeostasis
- Organism’s natural tendency to maintain a balance of constant internal state (regulation of bld chem –> e.g. bld glucose)
Who was the drive-reduction theory introduced by?
Clark Hull
What are the two main theories on the role of psychological needs for motivation?
- Theory of Needs
- Self-Theory of Motivation
What is the theory of needs?
3 sets of acquired/learned needs:
- Affiliation: desire for friendly & close interpersonal r/s
- Achievement: drive to excel, achieve set of standards, strive to succeed
- Power: need to make others believe in a way they would not otherwise behave
What is the Self-theory of motivation?
Need for achievement linked to person’s view of self (fixed/changeable) & locus of control (LoC)
When faced with challenges/obstacles/efforts/criticism/others’ success:
- Fixed mindset (External LoC): avoid, give up, no point, deflect, feel threatened
- Changeable mindset (Internal LoC): embraces, fortitude, work hard, learns, celebrates
What is the arousal theory of motivation?
Based on need for stimulation
- Motivated to act in ways to maintain a certain level of arousal (optimal level) in order to feel comfortable
- Link b/w physiological arousal & certain personality types
What is the Yerkes-Dodson Law?
Performance related to arousal
- Moderate levels of arousal lead to better performance than too high/too low levels of arousal
- Optimal level of arousal for task performance depends on difficulty of task
What are incentives?
Positive or negative stimuli that attract/deter action
What is the incentive theory?
Motivated to do things because of external rewards
- Influenced by learning (behavioural) perspective
(e.g. go to work for monetary reward of being paid)
What causes a strong drive?
When there is both a need & an incentive
What are the two main humanistic theories of motivation?
- Hierarchy of needs (again…)
- Self-determination theory
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (humanistic theories of motivation)
- Primary needs must be met before higher needs can be reached
- self-actualization: full potential achieved (seldom)
- peak experiences: periods when self-actualization is temporarily achieved
- culture & socio-economic factors influence both order & importance of hte stages
What is the self-determination theory?
3 innate, universal psychological needs for a complete sense of self & healthy r/s
Intrinsic motivation vs Extrinsic motivation
What are the intrinsic motivations under the Self-determination theory?
- Autonomy: self-initiation & self-regulation of one’s behaviour
- Relatedness: feelings of closeness & belonging to social group
- Competence: ability to interact effectively
What are biological motives?
For survival & wellbeing (e.g. hunger, thirst, sex)
- All organisms have built-in regulatory system to maintain internal functions –> homeostasis
What are social motives?
Learned through experience & interactions with others
(e.g. power, achievement, love, affiliation)
Physiology of hunger
- Hunger does not come from stomach –> comes form body chemistry
- Body keeps tabs of its available resources to prevent energy deficits & maintain stable body weight
What is glucose?
Form of sugar that circulates in blood & provides major source of energy for body tissues
When glucose low = hunger
What is insulin & glucagon?
Hormones secreted by pancreas to control levels of fats, proteins, carbs in bloodstream
Insulin reduces glucose levels = hunger
Glucagon increases glucose levels = dec hunger
What did Washburn & Cannon conclude?
Stomach contractions play a critical role in signalling hunger to the brain = indicate need to eat
Where else does hunger come from?
Hypothalamus
- Hormones travel from various organs of the body to brain –> convey messages that inc/dec appetite
Lateral hypothalamus –> brings on hunger (orexin hormone)
Ventromedial hypothalamus –> suppresses hunger
Types of hormones related to hunger
- Ghrelin (stomach): signals that the stomach is empty & it’s time to eat
- Insulin (pancreas): inc. hunger
- Leptin (fat cells): dec. hunger
- PYY (digestible system): not hungry
What is the weight set point?
Level of weight that body tries to maintain
What is the basal metabolic rate (BMR)?
Rate at which body burns energy when resting
- BMR = min. amount of calories to sustain life
How to calculate BMR?
Based on weight, height, age, gender
Women = 655 + (9.6 x weight kg) + (1.8 x height cm) - (4.7 x age)
Men = 66 + (13.7 x weight kg) + (5 x height cm) - (6.8 x age)
What happens when the body falls below the set weight point?
Increased hunger & lower BMR may act to restore the lost weight
What can influence hunger/eating habits?
- Social cues: conditioned to eat at certain times/certain foods in particular places
- Societal pressures: presence of others can inc/dec one’s eating
- Stress/Boredom: comfort eating
- Cultural customs & ideal body weight
- Environmental influences: abundance of cheap, high calorie & fast food/processed food, high consumption of soft drinks, etc
- Gender
What is obesity?
Body weight ≥ 20% over ideal body weight in relation to height
Causes of obesity
- Biological causes: genetics (heredity, hormones, metabolic deficits), slowing metabolism with age
- Environmental causes: abundance of unhealthy foods, lifestyle factors (long working hours, reduced exercise)
What is obesity associated with?
Assoc. with lower psychological well-being & depression
What are eating disorders?
Battle b/w what the body has and body wants
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Binge-eating disorder
What are emotions?
“feeling” aspect of consciousness, underlying behaviour, characterized by:
- Physiological & automatic arousal (brain, body, face)
- Neurological rxns towards (emotional) stimuli
What are feelings?
- More cognitive
- Conscious experience invoked by emotions & shaped by personal memories & beliefs
What is mood?
Pervasive and sustained emotion that influences person’s perception of the world (e.g. anger, anxiety)