Lecture 10 - Motivation Flashcards
What is motivation?
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
What individual differences does motivation have?
Motivation has an individual difference (state and trait differences), linked with important life outcomes, relationship with personality is unclear
How are personality and motivation linked?
People have different motivations and could be motivated by different things in the same scenario (unpredictable)
What is the Murray (1938) model of motivation?
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
Which secondary psychogenic needs does most research focus on?
Most research now focuses on 3: achievement, affiliation, power
What do more recent models of motivation include?
Goals (to distinguish motivation from mood)
What are the three basic secondary needs in McClelland’s Acquired Needs theory?
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
How are the three basic secondary needs (Achievement/Affiliation/Power) measured?
Thematic apperception test (TAT), projective tests considered appropriate for motivation research due to implicit nature of motives
What are 2 potential subcomponents of motivation?
Schultheiss (2008): hope and fear components of motives
Achievement: hope for success vs fear of failure
Power: hope of power vs fear of weakness
What are examples of subtypes of motives loading onto needs?
Need for affiliation:
Need for emotional support, positive stimulation, attention from others, social comparison
What are state/trait motives?
People’s motivations can vary/change over time = state
How is need for achievement shown?
Schultheiss (2008) preference for tasks of moderate difficulty that indicate ability
Preference for work settings w/ frequent feedback on current/previous performance
What are correlates for need for achievement?
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
How is need for power shown?
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
What are correlates for need for power?
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
What are correlates for need for affiliation?
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
How is physiology linked to need for power?
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
How does the autonomic nervous system affect physiology?
Autonomic nervous system à sympathetic/parasympathetic
Symp: mobilises energy (fight/flight), increased HR, muscle tension
Para: conserves energy, decreased HR, promotes digestion
What did McClelland/Alexander/Marks find about physiology and need for power?
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
What is the conclusion for how need for power is linked with health?
Power itself not linked with poor health, it is ‘stressed power motive’ associated with it
How does need for affiliation affect health?
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
