CHAPTER 9
Critical Thinking
LO 1, 3, and 6
Pages: 262-266,
269
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1. Compare and contrast sexual motivation with the basic motives of hunger and
thirst. How well do the concepts of drive and homeostasis contribute to
understanding sexual motivation?
Good answers will include and elaborate upon the following points: All are
biologically based, though hunger and thirst are necessary for individual survival
and sex is not (though some individuals might argue this point). All three seem to
conform to the definition of “drive.” But sexual motivation is not driven by
deprivation as much as the other two, so that its satisfaction is not as easily
explained in terms of homeostasis or maintaining equilibrium. Sexual motivation in
humans appears to be more under the influence of incentives than are hunger and
thirst. All are influenced by a complex network of biological and social factors.
Critical Thinking
LO 12 to 17
Pages: 276-284
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2. Some psychologists have suggested that the function of emotions is to motivate
the organism. What do you think this means? Illustrate your points with
examples.
It’s hard to think of any explanation for why we have emotions unless it’s to
motivate behavior. Darwin believed emotions have adaptive value, that is, that they
promote individual and species survival by directing behavior that is beneficial to
the individual or species. This included the notion that the apparently innate and
universal facial expressions that accompany emotions serve as signals to others and
thereby influence their behavior.
When emotions are experienced, autonomic arousal occurs, probably for the purpose
of preparing the body to respond to whatever stimuli led to the emotion’s being
activated. This also suggests that the purpose of emotion is to motivate. Schachter’s
two-factor theory suggests that environmental cues influence one’s interpretation of
the autonomic arousal being experienced so that particular labels are applied to
emotional experiences. We then behave in accordance with the label. This also
implies that the mechanism of emotion operates for the purpose of guiding behavior
in particular directions.
Integrative
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3. In what ways are motivation and emotion similar to each other and different
from each other?
Some points that students might mention and elaborate upon:
Both can activate and influence behavior. But it’s more difficult to predict the
behavior that an emotion will lead to. The same motive or emotion can lead to
different behaviors in different individuals, or in the same individual at different
times. Also, the same behavior might result from different motives or emotions.
Both can operate on us without our awareness. Both are most often activated by
some internal or external stimulus. According to some prominent theories, there are
both primary motives and primary emotions. Primary motives are biological in
nature; there are also social motives. The text offers no comparable division of
emotions into biological and social. According to prominent theories, the
experiences of both motivation and emotion are influenced by cognitive factors.
Similar areas of the brain (especially the hypothalamus and the ANS) appear to be
involved in both.