Module 7: Humanist and Motivational Perspectives Flashcards
Motives are…
psychological entities that shape our behaviour to help us meet our goals
What precedes and generates motives?
Fundamental needs
How do we distinguish between needs and motives in two ways?
- Needs precede motives
- Needs are states that do not by themselves impact behaviour
Murray conceptualized motives as ____________ meaning that…
implicit; motives affect behaviour outside of our conscious awareness
Murray proposed ____ motives but 3 in particular have been highlighted:
27
NAch
NAff
NPow
What is high NAch (need for achievement) associated with?
Drive to accomplish things independently
Pushing for excellence and wanting to continuously improve
Preference to engage in moderately challenging tasks
Longer persistence toward goals and more effort
Participating in competitive sports
Occupations that require autonomy (i.e., entrepreneurial types of employment)
What is high NAff (need for affiliation) associated with?
Drive to establish and maintain relationships
Tendency to engage in prosocial interpersonal behaviours
One meta-analysis found that women score higher on measures of NAff than men. The authors offered 2 potential explanations for this:
- Based on social-psychological and feminist perspectives the difference may be due to gender socialization
- Increasing levels of progesterone among women preceding increasing NAff levels
What is high NPow (need for power) associated with?
Drive to have an impact on people
More likely to post pictures of themselves and boast about themselves
Tend to be good at negotiation
Higher cortisol levels in the face of losing
Analysis of children’s stories and presidential addresses are two ways to measure…
implicit motives
McLelland coded NAch levels in children’s stories from 1925 and found…
the coded NAch levels in children’s stories from 1925 predicted economic growth (i.e., electricity production) in the 25 years between 1925 and 1950
In his work, David Winter has found that high NAch speeches are associated with presidencies featuring…
high activity but limited lasting change or achievements
In his work, David Winter has found that high NPow speeches are associated with presidencies that…
history remembers as “great” and perhaps relatedly involve the initiation of wars
This theory is a very broad framework for explaining and understanding human motivation and personality (i.e., a meta-theory) and includes 5 “mini theories”
Self-determination theory (SDT)
Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT)
One of the SDT’s mini theories that states that people have a set of evolved psychological needs that are essential for functioning and well-being
Briefly describe the 3 psychological needs proposed by the BPNT
- Competence
- Regular mastery
- Opportunity to apply skills and be challenged - Relatedness
- Connections to individuals
- Sense of belonging - Autonomy
- Sense of choice
- Sense of control over actions
Describe 2 ways that the BPNT and the “big three” implicit motives are different from one another
- Research on the “big three” motives generally focuses on variations among people whereas the 3 psychological needs put forth by the BPNT argues that all 3 needs are essential
- The needs in BPNT are explicit rather than implicit like the “big three” motives meaning that people can consciously report on them
One of SDT’s basic tenets is that when basic needs are fulfilled people will be…
most engaged and motivated
Intrinsic goals involve affiliation, community connection, and personal growth whereas extrinsic goals are a bit more ______________
materialistic
_________ goals are associated with improved well-being while having success with ____________ goals are not
intrinsic; extrinsic