Motivation, Emotion, and Personality Flashcards
a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior (arises from interplay between nature and nurture)
motivation
complex behavior which has a fixed pattern throughout in a species and is unlearned
instinct
create an aroused, motivated state- a drive that pushes us to behave in a way that reduces the need and returns the body to homeostasis
ex: food or water, drive=hunger, thirst
physiological need
idea that physiological needs create an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need and restore the body to homeostasis or balance
drive-reduction theory
a tendency to maintain balanced or constant internal state
ex: regulating any aspect of body chemistry, like blood glucose, to a particular level
homeostasis
an intrinsic or extrinsic drive to do something
ex: the food deprived person who smells pizza baking may feel a strong hunger drive, and the baking pizza may become a compelling _______
incentive
relationship of arousal to performance; moderate arousal leads to optimal performance
-too much arousal causes distress and anxiety to perform perfectly while too little arousal causes boredom and poor performance
Yerkes-Dodson Law
pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher level safety needs and then psychological needs become active (created by Maslow)
physiological needs>safety needs>belongingness and love>esteem> self actualization>self transcendence
hierarchy of needs
the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues; when it’s level is low, we feel hunger
glucose
the point at which your “weight thermostat” may be set; when your body falls below this weight, increased hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may combine to restore lost weight
set point theory
the body’s resting rate of energy output for maintaining basic body functions
basal metabolic rate
defined as a body mass index (BMI) measurement of 30 or higher
ex: the average BMI for a 5’3 woman is 107-135; anything above 135 is considered this
obesity
having no sexual attraction to others
ex: All of Bob’s friends are beginning to become attracted to girls, and feeling sexually attracted to them, yet he feels nothing and no urge to do anything like that
asexual
the most important male sex hormone; both males and females have it, but the additional in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs during the fetal period and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty
testosterone
sex hormones, such as estradiol, that contribute to the female sex characteristics and are secreted in greater amounts by females than by males; levels peak during ovulation; in nonhuman mammals, this promotes sexual receptivity
estrogen
the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson-excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution
sexual response cycle
in human sexuality, a resting period that occurs after orgasm, during which a person cannot achieve another orgasm
-men enter one that lasts from a few minutes to a day or more
refractory period
the need to build relationships and to feel part of a group (social bonds boost survival)
affiliation need
deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups
ex: Your friends are having a conversation, and no matter how much you try to join in, they constantly ignore you in attempts to exclude you
ostracism
excessive self-love and self-absorption
ex: Dad
narcissism
a desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills or ideas, for control, and for attaining a high standard
ex: study on children whose intelligence test scores were in top 1% and when compared 40 years later on who were most and least successful professionally, they found a motivational difference
achievement motivation
passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals
“If you want to look good in front of thousands, you have to outwork thousands in front of nobody.”
grit
a response of the whole organism involving
1) physiological arousal
2) expressive behaviors
3) conscious experience
ex: heart pounding, quickened pace, “Is this a kidnapping?”/feelings
emotion
the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to an emotion arousing stimulus: stimulus»arousal»emotion
“We feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike, afraid because we tremble.”
James-Lange Theory
the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to an emotion-arousing stimulus: stimulus»arousal»emotion
-my heart began pounding as I experienced fear (neither one caused the other)
Cannon-Bard theory
the theory that to experience emotion one must
1) be physically aroused
2) cognitively label the arousal
ex: You start sweating, and you label what you’re feeling as “anxious.” However, when you meet with them, they say they want to give you a raise. You are already physically aroused, but now, you cognitively label this feeling “excitement” as a result of the good news.
Two-Factory theory (Schachter-Singer)
a machine used in attempts to detect lies that measures several of the physiological responses (such as perspiration, heart rate, and breathing changes) accompanying emotion
polygraph
the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness
ex: Mike is in a bad mood on his way to work, but when he starts, he smiles at every customer he sees; eventually, he feels happier just from smiling
facial feedback effect
the tendency of behavior to influence our own and others’ thoughts, feelings, and actions
ex: if we move our body as we would when experiencing some emotion (shuffling along with downcast eyes, as when sad), we are likely to feel that emotion to some degree
behavior feedback effect
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging
stress
Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases-alarm, resistance, exhaustion
> alarm-sympathetic nervous system is activated
resistance-temp, blood pressure, and respiration remain high
exhaustion-you become more vulnerable to illness
general adaptation syndrome
under stress, people (especially women) often provide support to others and bond with and seek support from others
ex: grief groups
tend and befriend resposne
a subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine
health psychology
the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health
psychoneuroimmunology
the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries
coronary heart disease
Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people
type A
Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people
type B
the idea that “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges
ex: yelling, breaking objects, violence
catharsis
sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; also helps alleviate depression and anxiety
ex: walking, jogging, cycling, swimming
aerobic exercise
a reflective practice in which people attend to current experiences in a nonjudgemental and accepting manner
ex: relaxing and silently attending to inner state, without judging; closing eyes and mentally scanning body while being aware
mindfulness meditation
people’s tendency to be helpful when in a good mood
feel-good-do-good phenomenon
the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities thrive
positive psychology
self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life; used along with measures of objective well-being (ex: physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people’s quality of life
subjective well-being
our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience
ex: judging events neither pleasant nor unpleasant based on our own experience
adaptation level phenomenon
the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself
ex: when someone receives an iPhone for Christmas.; initially, they are pleased with their gift, until they learn their friend received a new car for Christmas. Now, in comparison, the person with the phone feels deprived
relative deprivation
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
personality
theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences (developed from Freud’s psychoanalysis)
psychodynamic theories
according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories; according to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware
unconscious
in psychoanalysis, a method of exploring the unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing
free association
a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives; operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification
-the devil on your shoulder
Id
the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality; operates on reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
Ego
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and for future aspirations
-angel on shoulder
Superego
the childhood stages of development (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) during which, according to Freud, the id’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones
psychosexual stages
according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
Oedipus complex
the psychoanalytic theory, according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
fixation
in psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
defense mechanisms
in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
repression
Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history
collective unconscious
a personality test that provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
ex: Rorscach
projective tests
a theory of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death
terror-management theory
theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth
humanistic theories
according to Maslow, one of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one’s potential
-process of fulfilling our potential
self-actualization
according to Maslow, the striving for identity, meaning, and purpose beyond self
self-transcendence
a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance
ex: when 19 year old Sally told her mother she was pregnant, she was afraid of being unwanted, unsupported, and unaccepted; surprisingly, her mother accepted her and told her she loved her no matter what
unconditional positive regard
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I”
ex: Rachel has a secure sense of self, therefore she acts and percieve the world positively; Roger’s is negative, therefore he feels dissatisfied and unhappy
self-concept
a characteristic pattern of behavior or disposition to feel and act in certain ways, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports
ex: extroversion, openness, agreeableness
trait
a questionnaire (often with true-false or agree-disagree items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors; used to assess selected personality traits
personality inventory
the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests; originally developed to identify emotional disorders (still considered its most appropriate use), this test is now used for many other screening purposes
MMPI
a test created by selecting from a pool of items those that discriminate between groups
ex: MMPI
empirically derived test
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits (including their thinking) and their social context
social-cognitive perspective
focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development
ex: a child with a very controlling parent may learn to follow orders rather than think independently, and may exhibit a more timid personality
behavioral approach
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
ex: when a child is acting out in school, the child doesn’t like going to school; therefore, they act out in class; this results in teachers and administrators of the school disliking having the child around
reciprocal determinism
overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)
ex: researcher gave students embarrassing t-shirts to wear when entering a room with other students; feeling self conscious, the wearers guessed nearly half their peers would take note although only 23% did
spotlight effect
one’s feelings of high or low self-worth
ex: a person with high self-worth may think “I am fun to be with” rather than “Everyone hates me because I am boring.”
self-esteem
one’s sense of competence and effectiveness
ex: a person may feel extremely capable in taking a math test, but have extremely low self-worth overall
self-efficacy
a readiness to perceive oneself favorably
ex: when we are late to class, we are more likely to say “I really tried to get here on time” rather than “I’m such a loser” because we are biased and have a good reputation for ourselves
self-serving bias
giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications
ex: Olivia goes out a lot with her friends, but still makes time for self care nights and spending time alone with herself; although she has a boyfriend, she makes time to do things separately
individualism
giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly
ex: Anna goes out a lot with her friends, and when they cancel plans with her, she cries because she doesn’t know what to do without them; she has a boyfriend, and is so dependent on him for her own happiness that she doesn’t know what to do when he isn’t at home
collectivism
theory that some emotional responses are immediate and some aren’t
high road: complex emotions like hatred or love which must travel from the thalamus to the brain’s cortex where it is analyzed, labeled, and sent to amygdala
low road: neural shortcut that bypasses cortex, emotions like fear, immediately process from thalamus to amygdala
Zajonc-LeDoux
