Motives and personality Flashcards
What are motives?
Internal states that arouse & direct behaviour toward specific goals.
Often caused by a deficit (e.g., hunger, thirst).
Motives differ in type and intensity
Motives in the intrapsychic domain
Intrapsychic domain emphasizes internal psychological needs and urges.
Motives can be unconscious—people may not be fully aware of their motivations.
What are needs?
States of tension that occur within a person
Needs structured within a hierarchy & are dynamic
What do needs organize?
Organizes perception (e.g., people with high power need may see opportunities to control others).
Organizes action (e.g., people with high need for achievement may work hard to succeed).
What is Henry Murray’s theory of needs?
Developed a modern theory of motivation.
Originally trained as a physician before shifting to psychoanalysis and psychology.
Defined need as a readiness to respond in a certain way.
What are primary needs?
Physical needs like air, food, water, sex
What are secondary needs?
Psychological or emotional needs, such as achievement or affiliation.
Each need is associated with?
A specific desire or intention.
A set of emotions.
Specific action tendencies.
What is press?
External elements in the environment that affect a person’s needs.
Example: A person with high need for affiliation is more sensitive to social opportunities in the environment.
What is Alpha press?
The objective reality of a situation.
What is Beta Press?
The subjective perception of a situation based on individual needs (e.g., two people interpreting a smile differently based on their need for affiliation).
What is Apperception?
How needs shape perception of ambiguous situations.
What is the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)?
Used to measure motives.
Subjects create stories about ambiguous images → Stories reveal underlying motives.
What are strengths of TAT?
Useful in assessing unconscious motives.
Sensitive to state levels of needs (momentary motivation changes).
Helps assess trait levels of needs (long-term tendencies).
Predicts real-life behaviors, like persistence and performance.
What are weaknesses of TAT?
Lower reliability (test-retest issues).
Gender bias in some images.
Low correlation with self-report measures.
Murray’s needs applied to suicide
Unmet needs -> Psychache -> Suicide
nAch
To do better, succeed, & feel competent
Those high in nAch prefer
Moderate challenges
Tasks in which can claim responsibility
Tasks where feedback is provided/personal improvement
Entrepreneurs tend to have higher nAch than corporate employees.
Small business students score higher on achievement motivation than economics students.
Training for high nAch can enhance business success.
What is Independence Training?
Parental strategies to promote autonomy and independence
What is Standard Setting?
Informing children of what is expected (realistically) & offering support
nPow
Desire to have an impact on others
High nPow levels associate with
High nPow individuals recognize facial expressions of emotions fast
More arguments, taking larger risks, more assertive/active in groups, displays of valued possessions, being elected to policital office
High interest in control
Men (vs. women) with high levels of nPow
Report more….unsatisfactory relationships, divorces, cheating in relationships, alcohol abuse, aggression, impulsivity
What is power stress?
Occurs when one’s power is blocked/challenged or when person doesn’t get own way
High power stress can have a negative impact on immune system
Increases risk for high blood pressure, muscle tension, colds/flu
