unit 7 motivation, emotion, and personality Flashcards
motivation
a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior
instinct
a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned
physiological need
a basic bodily requirement
drive-reduction theory
the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need
homeostasis
a tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level
incentive
a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior
Yerkes-Dodson Law
the principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases
hierarchy of needs
Maslow’s pyramid of human needs, beginning at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied before higher-level safety needs and ten psychological needs become active
glucose
the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues; when its level is low, we feel hunger
set point
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
basal metabolic rate
the body’s resting rate of energy output
obesity
defined as a body mass index (BMI) measurement of 30 or higher; overweight individuals have a BMI of 25 or higher
asexual
having no sexual attraction to others
sexual response cycle
the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson - excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution
refractory period
a human sexuality, a resting period that occurs after orgasm, during which a person cannot achieve another orgasm
affiliation need
the need to build relationships and to feel part of a group
ostracism
deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups
narcissism
excessive self-love and self-absorption
achievement motivation
a desire for significant accomplishment, for mastery of skills or ideas, for control, and for attaining a high standard
grit
in psychology, passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals
emotion
a responses of the whole organism, involving 1) physiological arousal, 2) expressive behaviors, and 3) conscious experience
James-Lange Theory
the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to an emotion-arousing stimulus: stimulus S arousal S emotion
Cannon-Bard Theory
the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers 1) physiological responses and 2) the subjective experience of emotion
two-factor theory
beginning about age 2, the stage in speech development during which a child speaks mostly in two-word statements
polygraph
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
facial-feedback effect
the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness
behavior feedback effect
the tendency of behavior to influence our own and others’ thoughts, feelings, and actions
stress
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging
general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
Selye’s concept of body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases - alarm, resistance, exhaustion
tend-and-befriend response
under stress, people (especially women) often provide support to others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend)
health psychology
a subfield of psychology that provides psychologists contribution to behavioral medicine
psychoneuroimmunology
the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health
coronary heart disease
the clogging of vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries
catharsis
in psychology, the idea that “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges
mindfulness meditation
a reflective practice in which people attend to current experiences in a nonjudgmental and accepting manner
feel-good, do-good phenomenon
people’s tendency to be helpful when in a good mood
positive psychology
the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive
subjective well-being
self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life; used along with measures of objective well-being (for example, physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people’s quality of life
adaptation-level phenomenon
out tendency to form judgements (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience
relative deprivation
the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself
humanistic theories
theories that view personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth
self-concept
all out thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question, “who am i?”
unconditional positive regard
a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self awareness and self acceptance
personality
an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting
psychodynamic theories
theories that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences
psychoanalysis
Freud’s theory of personality that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts
Freud’s therapeutic technique used in treating psychological disorders; believes the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences- and the therapist’s interpretations of them- released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight
unconscious
according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts, wishes, feelings, and memories; according to contemporary psychologists, information processing of which we are unaware
free association
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
id
a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that, according to Freud, strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. this operates on the pleasure principle, demanding immediate gratification
ego
the largely conscious, “executive” part of personality that, according to Freud, mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. this operates on the reality principle, satisfying the id’s desires in ways that will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain
superego
the part of personality that, according to Freud, represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgement (the conscience) and for future aspirations
oedipus complex
according to Freud, a boy’s sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred for the rival father
identification
the process by which, according to Freud, children incorporate their parents’ values nto their developing superegos
fixation
according to Freud, a lingering focus of pleasure - seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved
defense mechanisms
in psychoanalytic theory, the ego’s protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality
repression
in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories
collective unconscious
Carl Jung’s concept of a shared, uninherited reservoir of memory traces from our species’ history
projective test
a personality test, such as Rorschach tht provides ambiguous images designed to trigger projection of one’s inner dynamics
thematic apperception test (TAT)
a projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes
Rorschach inkblot test
the most, widely used projective test; a set of 10 inkblots designed by Hermann Rorschach; seeks to identify people’s inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of the blots
terror-management theory
the theory of death-related anxiety; explores people’s emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death
social-cognitive perspective
views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people’s traits including their thinking) and their social context
behavioral approach
focuses on the effects of learning on our personality development
reciprocal determinism
the interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment
self
in contemporary psychology, assumed to be the center of personality, the organizer of our thoughts, feelings, and actions
spot-light affect
overestimating others’ noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders (as if we presume a spotlight shines on us)
self-efficacy
one’s sense of competence and effectiveness
self-serving bias
a readiness to perceive oneself favorably
individualism
giving priority to one’s own goal over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identification
collectivism
giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly
