Motivation, Emotion, and Stress Flashcards
Motivation
Purpose/driving force behind our actions
-divided into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation
Motivation that comes from external sources
-behaviours to get rewards and avoid punishments
Intrinsic motivation
Motivation that comes from within oneself
-personally gratifying
Instinct theory of motivation
People are driven to do certain behaviours based on evolutionarily programmed instincts
-william james and william mcdougal were important people in the development of this theory
Instincts
Innate, fixed patterns of behaviour in response to a stimuli
-may be fixed over a lifetime or may disappear
Arousal theory of motivation
People perform actions in order to maintain an optimal level of arousal
Arousal
Physiological and psychological state of being awake and reactive to stimuli
Yerkes-Dodson law
Postulates that there is a U shaped function (bell curve) between the level of arousal and performance
- too much or too little arousal = poor performance
- lower levels optimal for cognitive tasks ( and complex )
- higher levels optimal for physical tasks ( and simple )
Drive reduction theory
Drives originate in an individual, create an uncomfortable state, and ensure motivation to eliminate the negative state
- motivation is based on the goal of eliminating uncomfortable states
- primary and secondary drives
- goal is to maintain homeostasis
Drives
Internal states of tension that activate particular behaviours focused on goals
Primary drives
Motivate us to maintain bodily processes
-thirst, hunger, warmth/cool etc.
Secondary drives
Drives not directly related to biological processes
- thought to stem from learning
- pushes us to fulfill non biological desires
- include certain emotions (desire for nurturing, love, etc)
Homeostasis
Regulation of the internal environment to maintain and optimal, stable set of conditions
-usually controlled by a negative feedback loop
Needs
Also motivators that affect behaviour
-can be categorized into different levels (Maslow)
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Needs can be classified into 5 groups (from most basic to most abstract)
- Physiological (food, air, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis)
- Safety of: body, employment, housing, health, property
- Love/belonging (friendship, family, sexual intimacy)
- Esteem (self esteem,confidence, achievement, respect)
- Self-actualization (morality, creativity, problem solving..)
Maslow’s needs theory
If the lowest level of need is not met, motivation for that level will be the highest
-additional needs are satisfied based on priority
Self-determination theory (SDT)
Three universal needs involved in motivation
- Autonomy - control of own actions
- Competence - complete and excel at different tasks
- Relatedness - feel accepted/wanted in relationships
these need to be met in order to have a healthy relationship with oneself and others
Incentive theory
Behaviour is motivated by the desire to pursue rewards and to avoid punishments
Expectancy-value theory
Amount of motivation required to reach a goal is a product of how much the person thinks they will succeed at reaching the goal and how much they value success
Opponent process theory
Used to explain continuous drug use
- when a drug is repeatedly taken, the body tries to change its physiology in order to counteract it
- this opposing action causes withdrawal symptoms lasting longer than the drug
- this theory also explains tolerance