Lecture 10 - Motivation

Question 1

What is motivation?

Answer 1

Chamorro-Premuzic (2013): motivation is internal state that drives people into action, energizes/directs/perpetuates behaviour, is directed towards satisfaction of needs/drives, is dynamic rather than static

If motivation unsatisfied will generate state of physiological/psychological arousal

Question 2

What individual differences does motivation have?

Answer 2

Motivation has an individual difference (state and trait differences), linked with important life outcomes, relationship with personality is unclear

Question 3

How are personality and motivation linked?

Answer 3

People have different motivations and could be motivated by different things in the same scenario (unpredictable)

Question 4

What is the Murray (1938) model of motivation?

Answer 4

Need (Press – situational conditions/events) to Motive to Behaviour

Primary needs: biological – air, food, pain avoidance, sex

Secondary/psychogenic needs: derived from biology or psychological – nurturance and achievement
20 psychogenic needs (+7 provisional needs) proposed on data collection:
Achievement, affiliation, aggression, autonomy, dominance, exhibition, nurturance, order, play, sentience, sex, understanding

Question 5

Which secondary psychogenic needs does most research focus on?

Answer 5

Most research now focuses on 3: achievement, affiliation, power

Question 6

What do more recent models of motivation include?

Answer 6

Goals (to distinguish motivation from mood)

Question 7

What are the three basic secondary needs in McClelland’s Acquired Needs theory?

Answer 7

Need for Achievement: desire to master skills, do things well, accomplish goals

Need for Affiliation: desire to form relationships/spend time with others

Need for Power: desire to influence and control others

Question 8

How are the three basic secondary needs (Achievement/Affiliation/Power) measured?

Answer 8

Thematic apperception test (TAT), projective tests considered appropriate for motivation research due to implicit nature of motives

Question 9

What are 2 potential subcomponents of motivation?

Answer 9

Schultheiss (2008): hope and fear components of motives

Achievement: hope for success vs fear of failure

Power: hope of power vs fear of weakness

Question 10

What are examples of subtypes of motives loading onto needs?

Answer 10

Need for affiliation:
Need for emotional support, positive stimulation, attention from others, social comparison

Question 11

What are state/trait motives?

Answer 11

People’s motivations can vary/change over time = state

Question 12

How is need for achievement shown?

Answer 12

Schultheiss (2008) preference for tasks of moderate difficulty that indicate ability

Preference for work settings w/ frequent feedback on current/previous performance

Question 13

What are correlates for need for achievement?

Answer 13

Individual level: entrepreneurial success/innovation, poor leadership + managerial skills

Societal/historic level: economic growth/innovation, civil war + ineffective leadership

Bradburn/Berlew (1961): estimated societal level of need for achievement in England using content analysis of popular literature, estimated economic activity from coal imports
Found changes in need for achievement followed by changes in imports

Question 14

How is need for power shown?

Answer 14

Schultheiss: desire to influence/have impact not just dominate/control, also expressed through generativity

Winter (1973): individuals high in Need for Power more attracted by jobs involving teaching, Peterson/Stuart (1996): high need in power in females correlated with larger families + greater involvement in parenting

Question 15

What are correlates for need for power?

Answer 15

Individual level: higher testosterone levels, higher sexual activity/aggression, managerial/leadership/career success

Societal/historic level: increase in war/arms, effective leadership

Spangler/House (1991): motives estimated from coding US presidents’ inaugural speeches, measured presidential performance

Found indicators of presidential performance predicted by high need for power

Question 16

What are correlates for need for affiliation?

Answer 16

Individual level: like similar others, dislike dissimilar others

Societal/historic level: peace and disarmament, political scandal

Langer/Winter (2001): importance of concessions to avoid/resolve conflicts

Undergraduates responded to letter relating to Cuban Missile Crisis, response coded

Need for Affiliation positively related to concessions, need for power negative related to concessions

Question 17

How is physiology linked to need for power?

Answer 17

high testosterone = high need for Power = engagement in power-challenge situations = activation of sympathetic nervous system response = chronic high blood pressure, lowered immune function, increased susceptibility to illness

Question 18

How does the autonomic nervous system affect physiology?

Answer 18

Autonomic nervous system à sympathetic/parasympathetic

Symp: mobilises energy (fight/flight), increased HR, muscle tension

Para: conserves energy, decreased HR, promotes digestion

Question 19

What did McClelland/Alexander/Marks find about physiology and need for power?

Answer 19

133 male inmates, TAT done + coded for Need for Power/Affiliation, number of stressors experienced + number/severity of illness + salivary immunoglobulin A measured

Found high illness severity + low immune functioning in those high in need for power + stress

Question 20

What is the conclusion for how need for power is linked with health?

Answer 20

Power itself not linked with poor health, it is ‘stressed power motive’ associated with it

Question 21

How does need for affiliation affect health?

Answer 21

Associated w/ parasympathetic activity + increased immune functioning

Generally positive effects on health

McClelland/Kirshnit (1988): 132 students, TAT to measure needs before/after film about Mother Teresa or war

Found protective effects of need for affiliation, but subgroup ‘inhibited power motive syndrome’ (high need for power/low need for affiliation) did show reduction in SIG-A after war film