Motivation and Emotion
McElhaney
AP Outline
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VIII. Motivation and Emotion (7–9%)
Biological Bases
Theories of Motivation
– Instinct, Drive Reduction, Optimal Arousal, Incentive
Theories
Hunger- Eating Disorders; Thirst, Sex, Social Cultural
Factors, Sexual Orientation and Pain
 Social Motives, Achievement Motivation,
 Theories of Emotion, James-Lange Theory, CannonCognitive Theory; Characteristics, Biology of Emotion,
Emotional Expressions
 Stress
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Basics of Motivation
There are links between motives and emotions
 Basic motives- Hunger-thirst are monitored
within the brain
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Activities/motives are related to needs for
stimulation and to maintain arousal
Definition of Motivation:
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The factors that influence initiation,
direction, intensity + persistence of behavior
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Why do we do what we do?
– Behavior is based partly on the desire to feel
certain emotions.
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How is motivation exemplified by Hunger,
sexual desire and Need for Achievement?
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Motivation  effects emotion example- hunger
and irritibility
Motive:
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A reason or purpose that provides a single
explanation for diverse behaviors.
Some psychologists think of motivation as
an “intervening variable” Intervening variable is something that is
used to explain the relationship between
environmental stimuli and behavioral
responses.
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4 Categories of Motivation
1.
2.
3.
4.
Biological Factors- Autonomic Nervous
System
Emotional Factors- panic, fear, anger,
love, hatred
Cognitive Factors- perceptions, beliefs,
expectations
Social Factors – other people, influence
from parents, friends, teachers, TV,
Siblings…Factors-
Theories of Motivation (web)
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Instinct- (see one page overview)
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Drive Reduction-
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Optimal Arousal-
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Incentive-
Basic Model of Motivation
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Dynamics of behavior in the way actions
are:
– Initiated
– Sustained
– Directed
– Terminated
Example of Food Seeking
Initiated by bodily need
 Search was sustained
 Action directed by possible sources
 Terminated by attained goal
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The Model (Motives)
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Motivational Activities- begin with needs
– Need is an internal deficiency
Needs cause - Drive= energized state
that facilitates a need
 Drives --activate a response = an action
or series of actions to attain a goal
 Goals are targets of motivational behavior
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Need
Drive
Need reduction
Goal
response
Difference between Needs and
Drives
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Needs – are stronger than drives
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Drives fluctuate in strength
External Stimuli
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Motivated behavior can be energized by
the pull of External Stimuli
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And push of internal needs
Action is a Mix
Internal needs and External Incentives
 (types of conflicts are associated)
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Incentive value of goals helps us
understand motives that don’t come from
internal needs
– Example success = status-approval
Types of Motives: 3 Categories
Primary-(innate)
 Based on biological needs
 Must be met for survival
 Hunger, thirst, pain avoidance
 Air, sleep
 Elimination of waste
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2. Stimulus Motives (not necessarily
for survival)
Need for stimulation
 Need for information
 Activity
 Curiosity
 Exploration
 Manipulation
 Physical contact
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Motive 2- Stimulus
Not necessary for survival
 Stimulus Drives= reflect need for:
 Need for stimulation
 Need for information
 Activity – curiosity
 Exploration- manipulation
 Physical contact
 Sensory input
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3. Secondary Motives (learned motives)
Learned needs or drives and goals
 Making music
 Competing
 Learned needs for power
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–
–
–
–
–
–
For affiliation
Status
Security
Approval
Achievement
Fear + Aggression are learned
Arousal Theory
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Says ideal levels of activation exist for various
activities
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Arousal refers to activation of body + nervous
system
–
–
–
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Zero@death.com = no arousal=death
Low during sleep or boredom
Moderate during daily activities
High at times of excitement, emotion, panic, fear and
anxiety
Levels of Arousal
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We perform best
when we have a
Moderate level of
Arousal
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Not too passive/not
too
anxious=Performance
Inverted U Function
 Says at low levels of
arousal=decrease
performance
 More arousal=
improved
performance
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Levels of Arousal 2
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Ideal level arousal depends on complexity
of the task
Simple tasks--Best for arousal to be high
Complex tasks  best for low/moderate
arousal
Yerkes-Dodson Law
Sensation Seekers
People learn to seek particular levels of
arousal
 Sensation seeking scale+ Thrill
+adventure seeking
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– Experience seeking
– Disinhibition
– Boredom Susceptibility
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Motive 3Secondary Motives
Learned motives
 Learned needs or drives and goals
 Making music…Competing
 Learned need for
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–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Power
Affiliation
Status
Security
Approval
Achievement
Fear + aggression are learned
Primary Motive is Homeostasis
Biological needs- direct much of our
behavior
 Are used to maintain body balance=
Homeostasis
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Hunger (motive) is a regular cycle each
day
 Good example of how internal and
external factors direct behavior
 Liver affects hunger
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Hunger 2
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Stomach size some indication of hunger
Glucose- level in blood and
 hypoglycemia = low blood sugar level
 Feeling of hunger causes stomach contractions
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Liver sends nerves signal to brain  desire to
eat
Primary Motives Continued
Thirst, Sex, and pain avoidance
 Thirst 2 kinds
 Extra-cellular thirst- when water is lost
from fluids surrounding cells
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– Bleeding, vomiting, sweating, drinking alcohol
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Intra-cellular thirst
– Salt level
– Draws fluid out of cells
PainDrive to avoid pain=episodic
 Takes place at certain episodes when
body is or is about to be damaged
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Prompts us to avoid pain
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Pain tolerance- is learned- raise of lower
tolerance
Brian Mechanisms
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There are many parts of brain associated
with motivation
Hypothalamus
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does regulate motivation and emotion
– Thirst, hunger, sexual behavior
– Is sensitive to sugar in the blood
– Receives neural messages from liver and
stomach
– One part signals hunger =feeding system
 Which initiates eating
Hypothalamus 2
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Lateral hypothalamus- (hunger feelings)
– When electrified causes animals to eat
– If destroyed = no eating
Ventro-Medial Hypothalamus
Part of Hypothalamus relates directly to
Satiety (fullness) feelings= stop mechanism
 If destroyed = overeating
 (Bottom medium part of the hypothalamus)
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Marijuana-”Mary-Jane” causes a
hypothalamic response= “Munchies”
Paraventricular Nucleus
of Hypothalamus
Affects hunger= helps keep blood sugar
level steady
 Both- starts and stops eating
 Sensitive to Neuropeptide Y (NPY)
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– Large amount = hunger
Glucagon -Like Peptide 1 (GLP1)
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Causes eating to cease
– Released by intestines
– After eating a meal
– In blood then to brain
– 10 minutes after eating- (eat slow = eat less)
Set Point- Thermostat
When fat levels rise
 Leptin- Fat cells release-tells brain to
stop eating.
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The body is homeostatic when we are at
the set point and then it is activated to
reach the set point when we fall below.
Taste Aversion
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Associated with nausea
– Classical conditioning
– Biological tendency- associate food with
sickness
– Protective
Eating Disorders
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Anorexia Nervosa
– Adolescent Females
<5-10% male>
– Severe Dieting
– Compulsive attempt to
lose weight
– Do not seek or desire
food
– 1 in 20 die of
malnutrition
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Bulimia Nervosa
– Gorge on food then
vomit
– Take laxatives to avoid
weight gain
Causes of Bulimia Anorexia
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Women dissatisfied with bodies
– Distorted view of themselves
– “They think they’re fat, exaggerated fears of
becoming fat.”
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Distorted Messages from media
– Compulsion- comparing to models
– Distorted body image
Perfect daughter control issues
 Shame, guilt, self contempt, anxiety
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Treatment of Eating Disorders
Medical diet
 Behavioral Counseling- self monitoring of food
intake
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– Extinction training (to end the learned behavior) urge
to vomit
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Cognitive approach– Change the thinking patterns & belief system about
weight + body image
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Usually people need outside support and urging
from family
Sex Drive
Sex Drive= one’s
motivation to engage
in sexual behavior
 Mammals- femalehormone- Estrus =
“Heat”
 Caused by Estrogen
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Male animals
 Ready to mate
 sex drive= aroused by
behavior + sent of
receptive female
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Human Sex Drive
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Non-Homeostatic- it works independent of
bodily need
Sex drive in men is related to amount of
Androgens= male hormone
 Produced by testes
 (puberty- increases supply of androgens)
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Women Sex Drive
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Produce Androgens causes increase in
sex drive
Human Sex Drive
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Human sex Drive can be aroused at anytime
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Sexual activity- does not prevent sexual desire
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Sex drive can be aroused + Reduced
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“The Coolidge Effect”
– Male sex drive can be aroused repeatedly with new
sexual partners.
–
Circadian Rhythms
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Internal Biological Clocks
– 24 hour cycle
– Guide Body Activity
Liver
 Kidney
 Blood Pressure
 Endocrine Glands
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Peak During Day
Adrenaline is
3-5x higher
Test Anxiety Pg 445
Learned Motives
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We learn to pursue excellence
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Reinforcers– Praise money, success--affect goals and desires
Opponent Process Theory
Richard Solomon (1980)
 Explains learned motives
 Example drug addiction
 “If a stimulus causes a strong emotion
<Fear or Pleasure> an opposite emotion
tends to occur when stimulus ends”
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Stimulus of pain + Pain ends =relief
Opponent Process Theory 2
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Pleasure + Drug use – end of drug use=
Pleasure ends – craving & discomfort develops
In love + feel good when lover is present
Take away lover = discomfort when they are not
there
 If stimulus is repeated- our response is
habituated (gets weaker)
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Emotional after affects get stronger with
repetition (example- depression when drug use
ends)
Social Motives
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Success, money, possessions, status, love,
approval, grades, power
Acquired through conditioning +
socialization
 Due to learned needs
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Need For Achievement (nAch)
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A desire to meet an internal standard of
excellence
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People strive to do well- in any situation
which evaluation takes place
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People for high need for achievement
enjoy challenges + chances to test
abilities
Need For Achievement (NACH)
Mclelland- could predict behavior of high
and low achievers.
 Characteristics of:
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– People with high (nAch) don’t seek goals that
are too easy
– Avoid goals that are too risky
– Complete difficult tasks to get grades
– Excel in occupations
– Work harder when they don’t do well
Achievers- Key To Success
Benjamin Bloom
 Identified via a study
 Found  drive and determination = success
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Achievers- Parents Support Success
in Children
Parents expose children to music,
swimming, science, (ideas for fun)
(Stimulating environment= more
synapses)
 Talent is nurtured by dedication + hard
work
 Support child’s special interest
 Emphasize doing one’s best at all times
 Coaching and encouraging practice
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Achievers- Self Confidence=
people believe they can reach a goal
Set goals that are
specific and
challenging but
attainable
 Visualize the steps
you need to reach
your goal
 Advance with small
steps
 Get expert instruction
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Find skilled models to
emulate
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Get support +
encouragement
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If you fail- regard it
as a sign you need to
try harder
Self Confidence affects Motivation--- “Duh”
Abraham
Maslow
Described a Hierarchy of
Human needs
Self
actualizing
= Full use of
personal
potential
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Base of Pyramid=
Necessary for
survival
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Pre-potent =
Dominant over
higher needs
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Deficiency MotivesActivated by a lack
of – food, water,
security, love,
esteem, or other
basic need.
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Growth needs– Positive- life
enhancing for
personal growth.
Meta needs Higher needs,
Tendency for
self-actualization
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Meta Needs
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We tend to move up to Meta needs
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A person who meets survival needs then moves
to meta needs if these are unfulfilled
They are in a “ Syndrome of Decay”
 Characterized by despair, apathy, and Alienation
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Syndrome of decay- when we cannot
reach our higher other needs
 Most people are concerned with esteem,
love, security, but they don’t get much
past that.
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Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motives
Intrinsic motivation- we act without any
obvious external rewards. You are
motivated on your own part.= high
achievers
 Extrinsic- external rewards enhance
motivation- ex money, grades, approval
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Creativity + Motivation
Creativity is enhanced by personal interest
and freedom of choice. Killed when you
are limited (surveillance, rules,
conforming)
 Working to get money= not being creative
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Children and intrinsic motivation
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If basic skill is lacking, extrinsic activity
can help develop intrinsic motivation.
Basics of Emotion
Emotions help us to adapt to environment
 = physiological arousal
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Emotional Knowledge= self awareness
 Empathy
 Can manage feelings
 We can use emotions
 Romantic love is in this chapter
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Emotions
Help and can cause
problems- hate, anger,
fear
 Disrupts behavior and
damages relationships
 Physiological- bodily
responses
 Posture, tone, facial
expressions, body
language= emotional
outward expressions
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Sympathetic nervous system
ANS= responses to emotion.
Sympathetic= activates emotion, arousal,
fight or flight
 Parasympathetic- opposite. Slows down
the reaction and conserves energy.
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Plutchik
Plutchik’s 8 primary emotions:
Fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger,
anticipation, joy, and trust/ acceptance
 They fluctuate in intensity and can be
mixed and yield to another emotion
(hybrid emotion)
 Moods are tied to circadian rhythms.
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Brain and Emotion
Positive emotion= left hemisphere.
 Negative emotion= right hemisphere.
 Some emotional processing= cerebral
cortex
 Amygdala= fear
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Facial Expressions
Expressing Emotions
“Psychologists believe that emotional expressions
evolved to communicate our feelings to others
which aids survival”
People more sensitive to angry, scheming thinking,
faces…
Basic Facial expressions seem to be universal
Cultural Differences in Emotion
Asian cultures- group harmony is
important
 - Anger is not a public emotion
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America and Western Europe= Anger is
common
 reflects values of independence + rights
 justice
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