MOTIVATION
Motivation – the influences that account for the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence
of behavior
Sources of motivation
● biological factors
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emotional factors
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cognitive factors
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social factors
Theories of Motivation
1. Instincts and Evolutionary
● Instinct: innate, automatic disposition toward responding in a particular way
when confronted with a specific stimulus
Problems with this theory (especially with humans)?
● Not as common with humans as are with other species
2. Drives
● Drive-reduction theory: states that motivation arises from imbalances in
homeostasis (constant internal state)
● the imbalance in homeostasis creates a need (biological requirement for wellbeing)
● the brain responds to such needs by creating drive (psychological state of
arousal that prompts an organism to take action, restore balance and reduce the
drive)
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remember…drives PUSH us to satisfy our needs
3. Incentives
● Incentive theory: states that behavior is directed toward attaining desirable stimuli
and avoiding unwanted stimuli
● Value of an incentive is influenced by both biological and cognitive factors
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remember…incentives PULL us into action
4. Optimum Arousal
● Arousal theories: state that people are motivated to behave in ways that maintain
what is, for them, an optimal level of arousal
● Your level of arousal can be measured by electrical activity in your brain, heart
rate or muscle tension
● People perform best when arousal is moderate
● Generally people try to increase arousal when to low or decrease when too
high– level is different for all people
5. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
● lower needs must be met 1st
Self-actualization
Esteem Needs
Social Needs
Love & Belonging
Safety Needs
Physiological Needs
theory a bit arbitrary – the order is not universally fixed, as there will always be
exceptions
PRIMARY MOTIVES – HUNGER
What triggers hunger?
● Stomach contractions
● Body chemistry – blood sugar (glucose)…when blood glucose levels drop, you feel
hungry
● Hypothalamus
● Lateral hypothalamus: brings on hunger
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● Ventromedial hypothalamus: depresses hunger
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How does it all work?
● Alters the body’s weight thermostat, which predisposes us to keep our
bodies at a steady weight (set point)
● To maintain set point, body not only adjusts food intake and energy
output, it also adjusts its basal metabolic rate, the body’s resting rate of
energy expenditure
● Not all researchers believe in idea of a set point
Psychology of hunger
● External incentives – eat because triggered by the presence of food, especially tasty
food
● Taste preference – biological and cultural factors also influence what we are hungry
for
Many other items as well can influence “hunger” – eating by the “clock,” social eating,
stress/depression eating patterns, other eating cues like holidays or when watching
TV or movie
● Eating disorders
● Anorexia nervosa: self-starvation and dramatic weight loss
●
● Bulimia nervosa: involves eating massive amounts of food and then eliminating
the food by self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives – “binge-purge cycle”
● Binge eating disorder: recurrent binge eating without any type of “purging” as in
bulimia
● Cultures who put more emphasis on looks/appearance have higher incidences of
eating disorders