Download CONCEPTS AND THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

CONCEPTS AND THEORIES OF
MOTIVATION
Where does motivation come
from?
A motive, is a reason or purpose
for behavior
A. Sources of Motivation
1.
Four main sources of motivation:
a) Biological factors include needs for food, water,
and proper temperatures.
b) Emotional factors include panic, fear,
anger, love, and hatred.
c) Cognitive factors include your perceptions,
beliefs about yourself, and expectations about
others.
d) Social factors include reactions to parents,
teachers, siblings, friends, and television.
• B. Instinct Theory
Instincts are automatic, involuntary, and
unlearned behavior patterns
(sometimes called fixed-action patterns) that are
consistently “released” in response to certain
stimuli.
• 1. Instinct theory
a. alone cannot explain all of human
behavior.
b. The list of human instincts grew so
long (from 18 to 10,000)
c. Conceptually, it is difficult to disprove the
existence of an instinct.
d. Instinct theory cannot accommodate
the role of learning.
2. Instincts may explain how humans and
other animals can be biologically
“prepared” to learn certain associations
or detect certain sensory or perceptual
patterns.
B. Drive Reduction Theory
• 1. Drive reduction theory ties motivation
to imbalances in homeostasis.
a) Homeostasis is the tendency to
keep psychological and
physiological systems at a steady
level, or equilibrium.
• 2. This theory argues that psychological or
physiological imbalances create specific needs,
which lead to specific drives.
a)
Primary drives arise from basic
unlearned biological needs (e.g., food,
water).
b)
Secondary drives are learned from
prior associations with fulfillment of
primary drives.
C. Arousal Theory
1. States that people are motivated to
maintain their optimal level of arousal,
increasing it when it is too low and
decreasing it when it is high
a. People tend to seek excitement when bored
and relaxation when overexcited.
2.
Levels of arousal vary from person to
person
3. People tend to work and feel best when
they are moderately aroused
a. Over arousal can hinder performance
(especially learning)
• D. Incentive Theory
1. Sees behavior as goal directed,
gaining positive incentives and
avoiding negative one’s
Hunger and Eating
What makes me start eating,
and stop eating?
What Is Hunger?
• Hunger is the general state of wanting to
eat.
• Satiety is the general state of no longer
wanting to eat.
Stomach Signals for
Hunger and Satiety
• Stomach cues can affect eating, but they
do not always control it.
• Cues appear to operate mainly when one
is very hungry or very full.
Blood Signals for
Hunger and Satiety
• Brain monitors nutrients in the blood such
as glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids.
– When glucose levels drop, eating increases.
• Brain also monitors hormone levels.
– Insulin may provide a satiety signal.
– Leptin also appears to provide a satiety
signal.
Flavor, Cultural Learning,
and Food Selection
• People eat more when differently flavored
foods are served.
• One’s appetite, or motivation to seek
food’s pleasures, can override the blood’s
signals about satiety.
– People eat to experience enjoyment as well
as satisfy nutritional needs.
• Social rules and cultural traditions also
influence eating.
IIIAchievement Motivation
Why do some people try harder
than others to succeed?
A. Types of Motivation
• 1. Extrinsic Motivation: Behavior is
motivated by a desire for external rewards
such as money.
• 2. Intrinsic Motivation: Behavior is
motivated by a desire to attain internal
satisfaction.
B. Need for Achievement
• 1. Need Achievement: Motive influenced by
the degree to which one seeks to master tasks
and feels intense satisfaction from doing so.
• 2. High need for achievement: Tend to set
challenging but realistic goals.
– Tend to be preoccupied with performance and level of
ability.
– Intensely satisfied by success.
• 3. Low need for achievement: Also like to
succeed, but success tends to bring relief at
having avoided failure.
C. Learning vs. Performance
Goals
• Some adopt learning goals mainly to
develop competency in achievementoriented activities.
• Those who adopt performance goals are
usually more concerned with
demonstrating the competence they
believe they already possess.
D. Influences on the Development of
Achievement Motivation
1. Parents, especially during early
childhood.
2. Subtle messages of culture’s view on the
importance of achievement.
3. Beliefs about oneself resulting from
social and cultural learning experiences.
IV Relations and Conflicts
Among Motives
Which motives move me most?
Figure 8.5: Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Motives
Source: Adapted from Maslow, 1943
A. Criticisms of Maslow’s
Hierarchy
1. Seen as far too simplistic.
2. Does not predict or explain.
3. People may not have to satisfy one kind
of need before addressing another.
4. The needs that are most important to
people’s satisfaction with life do not
always correspond to Maslow’s hierarchy
5 Ordering of needs varies among cultures.
B. ERG Theory
• 1. presented by Clayton Alderfer
• 2. Suggested that human needs can be
placed into three categories
– A. Existence (food, water, shelter)
– B. Relatedness (social interaction, attachments)
– C. Growth (developing ones capabilities)