Motivation & Emotion Flashcards
Motivation
The impetus that gives purpose or direction to behavior and operates in humans at a conscious or unconscious level.
Internal processes that initiate, direct, and sustain activities.
Theories of motivation
Instinct theory - Individuals are driven to perform certain behaviors based on pre-programmed, evolutionary-based instincts; derived from Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Drive-reduction theory - Behavior is “pushed” from within by drives stemming from basic biological needs to achieve homeostasis
Arousal theory - Human beings seek an optimal level of arousal, not minimal levels of arousal.
Expectancy theory - Behaviour is ‘pulled’ by expectation of external incentives (desirable outcomes)
Goal-setting theory - Motivation is strongly influenced by attaining goals.
Yerkes-Dodson Law
- A law stating that the relation between motivation (arousal) and performance can be represented by an inverted U-curve
- The level of arousal beyond which performance declines depending on task difficulty
Opponent-process theory
A theory that a stimulus or event simultaneously arouses a primary affective state, which may be pleasurable or aversive, and an opponent (opposite) affective state, which serves to reduce the intensity of the primary state: These two states together constitute emotional experience.
Baseline –> Peak of state A –> Decline of A to steady pace –> Peak of state B –> Decline of B to baseline
Eg: Drug addiction
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
- Physiological, safety, belongingness [deficiency needs]
- Esteem & self-actualization [growth needs]
- Needs to be satisfied in particular order
Social motives
- Needs that are learnt in social groups from experience with parents, and are characteristic of the person; strength differs amongst individuals
- Need for achievement, affiliation & power
Need for achievement
- Need to do better/improve oneself
- Engagement in moderately challenging tasks
- Prefers personal responsibility, feedback used to improve behaviour
Need for affiliation
- Need for establishing, maintaining and repairing friendships
- Takes on opportunities to be with friends
Measurement of social motives
TAT
Questionnaires
Situational tests
Traits of people with high need for achievement
- Prefer to work on moderately challenging tasks
- Prefer tasks where performance can be compared with that of others; merit-based system
- Desire feedback from others
- Like to have some control on outcome
- Persistent on working on tasks perceived as career-related or getting ahead
Social power
The ability or capacity of a person to produce intended effects on the behaviour or emotions of another person
Power motivation & behaviour
- Impulsive & aggressive action
- Participation in competitive sports
- Joining and holding office in organizations
- Males drinking and sexually dominating women
- Obtaining and collecting possessions
- Associating with people who are more easily controlled
- Choosing occupations of influence like teaching or business
- Building and disciplining bodies [women]
Machiavellianism
Expression of power motivation by manipulating and exploiting others through deceptive & unscrupulous method
Show low warmth, little interest in ideologies, weakly guided by conventional morality & reality-oriented
Aggression
Behavior aimed at harming others physically or psychologically
Physical/verbal, active/passive, direct/indirect
Hostile aggression
Any form of behaviour with the goal of harming or injuring another being who is motivated to avoid such treatment
Frustration-aggression hypothesis
Proposed by John Dollard that (a) frustration always produces an aggressive urge and (b) aggression is always the result of prior frustrations
Aggression through learning
Observational learning: behaviour of models
Instrumental learning: when aggressive behaviour is rewarded
Classical conditioning: when aggression-arousing situations are paired with stimulus, individual learns to be aggressive to stimulus; generalization of action to similar stimuli
Social sources of frustration
Feelings of injustice, direct provocation, exposure to violence in media [desensitization]
Conflict-produced frustration
When expression of one motive interferes with expression of another motive
Environmental factors of frustration
High temperatures, disagreeable crowding, loud irritating noises
Approach-approach conflict
Conflict between two positive and equally desirable goals
Usually resolved by competed one and then the other OR choosing one and giving up the other
Avoidance-avoidance conflict
Presence of two undesirable goals
Person will attempt to run away from situation. Rely on imagination of a less stressful time. Or regression.
Eg: choosing between unemployment and a salary cut
Avoidance-approach conflict
A situation involving a single goal or option that has both desirable and undesirable aspects or consequences. The closer an individual comes to the goal, the greater the anxiety, but withdrawal from the goal then increases the desire.
Eg: marriage
Intrinsic motivation
Motivation to perform activities because they are rewarding in and of themselves