UNIT 2 Flashcards
Instincts and Drives
Motivation
force acting within an organism to give behaviour its energy, direction, and persistence
Energy:
strength and intensity of the behaviour
Direction
the specific goal or aim of a behavior
Persistence
behavior sustained over time
Grant Theory
All-encompassing theory that seeks to explain full range of motivated action
Instincts
“hardwired” or “programmed in” bits of behavior
James - Early Instinct Theory
human behavior can be explained in terms of instinct but can be modified through learning.
- Learning can inhibit an instinct
- Some instincts are transitory (appear only at certain times)
McDougall - Early Instinct Theory
Instincts are primary drivers of all human behavior
- 3 components
* Cognitive: knowing of an object that can satisfy the instinct
* Affective: feeling/emotion that the object arouses in the organism
* Conative: striving toward or away from the object
Ethology:
focuses on the study of animal behaviour in natural settings
Evolutionary psychology:
study of how evolutionary processes have shaped human mind and behavior
Drive Theories
Behavior is motivated to the extent that it serves the bodily needs of the organism and restores biological homeostasis
Homeostasis:
process by which organisms maintain stable internal environment despite changes in the external environment
Freud’s Drive Theory
behavior is a function of drive, unconscious conflict and defense mechanism.
2 types: Eros (life) + Thanatos (death) instincts
- acquire learned strategies (defensive) to manage sexual and aggressive drives, in socially acceptable ways.
- clinical observations
Defensive strategies:
learned strategies for managing sexual and aggressive drives, allowing them to be channeled in socially acceptable ways
Hull’s Drive Theory
behavior is a function of drive, habit and incentive motivation.
single polled energy source composed of all current bodily deficits/disturbances
- drive energizes behavior but does not direct is.
- scientific methods
