EMOTION, MOTIVATION AND
STRESS
 Motivation
 Drives
 Emotion
 Stress
True or False?
T/F Getting away from it all by going on a vacation from all sensory input for a few hours is
relaxing.
T/F People feel hunger due to contractions in the stomach.
T/F Fashion magazines can contribute to eating disorders among women.
T/F Money can’t buy you happiness.
T/F You may be able to fool a lie detector by squiggling your toes.
T/F Vacations can be stressful.
T/F Type A people achieve more than Type B people, but they are less satisfied with themselves.
T/F Humor helps us cope with stress.
Motivation
 Instinct: Inborn behavior that is
characteristic of an entire species.
 Drive: A state of tension or arousal
brought on by biological needs.
 Drive-Reduction Theory: Motivated
behavior is aimed at reducing a drive.
Motivation
 Primary Drive: A physiologically based unlearned motive,
such as hunger.
 Homeostasis: A state of balance and stability in which the
organism functions effectively.
Motivation
 Intrinsic Motivation: A desire to perform a behavior that
originates within the individual.
 Extrinsic Motivation: A desire to perform a behavior to
obtain an external reward or avoid punishment.
Hunger
The hypothalamus contains:
 Hunger center: Stimulates eating.
 Satiety center: Stops eating.
 A fall in the glucose level stimulates neurons in the hunger
center and inhibits neurons in the satiety center.
 Leptin may play a role in obesity.
Sex: Response Cycle (Masters and Johnson)
 Excitement: Penile erection (males) and swelling of breasts and clitoris
(females).
 Plateau: Sexual tension levels off.
 Orgasm: Male ejaculation and female uterine contractions; a loss of
muscle control for both sexes.
 Resolution: Relaxation and a decrease in muscle tension.
Hormones
 Hormones play an important role in the development of
primary and secondary sex characteristics.
 Pheromones may influence sexual attraction in humans.
Need for Contact
 Harlow’s monkeys demonstrated the importance of contact
and affection.
Learned Motives
 Aggression
 Achievement
 Power
 Affiliation
Humanism
Creator: Abraham Maslow
Postulates of Humanistic Psychology:
 Human beings cannot be reduced to components.
 Human beings have in them a uniquely human context.
 Human consciousness includes an awareness of oneself in the context of other people.
 Human beings have choices and responsibilities.
 Human beings are intentional (Meaning/Value/Creativity).
Yerkes-Dodson Law
 There is an optimal level of arousal for the best performance of any
task:
 Easy tasks--relatively high
 Difficult tasks--low arousal
 Other tasks--moderate level
Emotion
 James-Lange
 Cannon-Bard
 Cognitive
 Facial Feedback
James Lang
stimulus
physio.
changes
cerebral
cortex
emotion
Cannon-Bard
cerebral
cortex
stimulus
physio.
reactions
emotion
Cognitive
emotion
environmental
cues
stimulus
physio.
reactions
cerebral
cortex
Facial Feedback Theory
 Emotion is the experience of changes in our
facial muscles.
Types of Non-Verbal Communication
 Facial expressions
 Body language
 Personal distance
 Explicit acts
Sources of Stress
 Change
 Hassles
 Pressure
 Frustration
 Conflict
 Self-imposed stress
5 Sources of Frustration in American Life
 Delays
 Lack
of resources
 Losses
 Failure
 Discrimination
Conflict
 The simultaneous existence of incompatible
demands, opportunities, needs, or goals.
Dealing with Stress
 Direct coping: Action taken to change an uncomfortable situation.
 Defensive coping: Convincing yourself
that you are not really threatened or do
not really want something that is
unattainable.
Types of Direct Coping
Confrontation:
• Acknowledging a stressful situation directly and attempting to
find a solution to the problem.
Compromise:
• Choosing a more realistic goal when an ideal goal cannot be met.
Withdrawal:
• Avoiding a situation when other options are not practical.
Coronary Heart Disease
 Mental stress predisposes one to CHD.
 Personality also plays an important role.
 Type A behavior: Respond to life events with
impatience, hostility, competitiveness, urgency, and
constant striving.
Stress & the Immune System
Stress can lead to:
 Colds or flu
 Depression
 Greater susceptibility to upper respiratory infections
 Increased vulnerability to cancer
Sources of Extreme Stress
 Unemployment
 Divorce and separation
 Bereavement
 Catastrophes
 Combat and other personal attacks
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
 A psychological disorder characterized by episodes of anxiety,
sleeplessness, and nightmares resulting from some disturbing event in
the past.
 Occurs in soldiers, rape victims, victims of disasters.