Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY Unit 8A Motivation

Food for Thought Why do people go to post secondary? What types of behavior are “inherited, preprogrammed, complex behaviors that occur throughout” the human and animal species? Where can we draw the line between individual behavior and instinctive behavior? Does drive reduction theory help differentiate between what is considered an instinct and what is an individual behavior? Why or why not?

Motivation Motivation Instinct a need or desire that energizes and directs behavior. (May or may not stem from a physiological need) Instinct complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned

Arousal and Stimulation in Motivation Yerkes Dobson Curve. An inverted u-shaped graph that shows the relationship between performance and stress. As stress increases from minimal, performance increases. Once stress reaches a moderately high level, performance peaks. An increased in stress beyond this threshold will result in decreased performance. = an optimum level of performance when stress is moderate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkMth4paNko Workplace Video Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmWD2HdoZ7k

Myron Zuckerman’s Theory Argues that people differ in the amount of stimulation they need or want (to become motivated to act). 4 Forms of Sensation Seeking: Thrill and Adventure Seeking - (seek excitement through risky yet socially acceptable activities (sky diving, bungee jumping) Experience Seeking – seek sensation through mind, the senses and a non conforming lifestyle (trying unusual foods, such as insects or dog) Disinhibition – chosen the middle class lifestyle but have chosen to escape its boredom through drinking, partying or shoplifting. Boredom Susceptibility thrill seekers do their best to avoid falling into routines 2 types…Low and High Sensation Seekers

Motivation Drive-Reduction Theory the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need The physiological aim of the DR Theory is homeostasis…maintaining a steady internal state. Drive-reducing behaviors (eating, drinking) Need (e.g., for food, water) Drive (hunger, thirst)

Motivation Homeostasis Incentive(s) tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state regulation of any aspect of body chemistry around a particular level Including factors such as temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, lung capacity/breathing etc. Incentive(s) a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior Skinner (Operant Learning) and the conception of reinforcements. Reinforcement is designed to encourage (lure) a behavior or it is designed to discourage (or repel) a behavior. External vs Internal Motivation

Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive dissonance is the mental equivalent to homeostasis. The cognitive dissonance theory suggests that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. (For example, when are thoughts and actions don’t align) When people smoke (behavior) and they know that smoking causes cancer (cognition).

How do cognitive dissonance and homeostasis relate to each other? Biological homeostasis focuses on physical conditions/needs like hunger, thirst and temperature, Cognitive homeostasis involves mental conditions, such as consistency, balance and harmony in one’s thinking – that is seeking equity in the surrounding community, prioritizing one’s life, and promoting peace with the self and others.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Humanistic perspective focuses on “self”) Self-actualization needs Need to live up to one’s fullest and unique potential begins at the base with physiological needs that must first be satisfied then higher-level safety needs become active then psychological needs become active Esteem needs Need for self-esteem, achievement, competence, and independence; need for recognition and respect from others Belongingness and love needs Need to love and be loved, to belong and be accepted; need to avoid loneliness and alienation Safety needs Need to feel that the world is organized and predictable; need to feel safe, secure, and stable Physiological needs Need to satisfy hunger and thirst

Was Maslow theory (hierarchy) valid? What do the critics say? Oversimplifies the relationship between motives and behavior There are exceptions ie. Those who sacrifice needs for ideals like martyrs, suicide bombers etc. Too rigid , stages…can one skip a need and “progress” to the level? Needs vary cross culturally. Are behaviors motivated by a single need or by complex “interconnected” needs? Too simplistic…what about cognitive needs – the need to know and understand (curiousity?) or the need to experiment? Underestimated the percentage of people who become self actualized…(1%)

Motivation-Hunger Stomach contractions accompany our feelings of hunger

Motivation-Hunger Glucose the form of sugar that circulates in the blood provides the major source of energy for body tissues when its level is low, we feel hunger

Motivation-Hunger Set Point Basal Metabolic Rate the point at which an individual’s “weight thermostat” is supposedly set when the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight Basal Metabolic Rate body’s base rate of energy expenditure

Motivation-Hunger The hypothalamus controls eating and other body maintenance functions

Motivation-Hunger

Eating Disorders Anorexia Nervosa Bulimia Nervosa when a normal-weight person diets and becomes significantly (>15%) underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continues to starve usually an adolescent female Bulimia Nervosa disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, usually of high-calorie foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise

Women’s Body Images

Sexual Motivation Sex Sexual Response Cycle a physiologically based motive, like hunger, but it is more affected by learning and values Sexual Response Cycle the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson excitement plateau orgasm resolution

Sexual Motivation Refractory Period Estrogen resting period after orgasm, during which a man cannot achieve another orgasm Estrogen a sex hormone, secreted in greater amounts by females than by males

Forces Affecting Sexual Motivation

Sexual Motivation Same drives, different attitudes

Sexual Motivation Births to unwed parents

Sexual Motivation Sexual Orientation an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one’s own gender (homosexual orientation) or the other gender (heterosexual orientation)

Sexual Motivation

Sexual Motivation

Motivation at Work Flow Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology a completely, involved, focused state of consciousness, with diminished awareness of self and time, resulting from optimal engagement of one’s skills Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces

Motivation at Work Personnel Psychology Organizational Psychology sub-field of I-O psychology that focuses on employee recruitment, selection, placement, training, appraisal, and development Organizational Psychology Sub-field of I-O psychology that examines organizational influences on worker satisfaction and productivity and facilitates organizational change

Motivation at Work

Motivation at Work Structured Interview Achievement Motivation process that asks the same job-relevant questions of all applicants rated on established scales Achievement Motivation a desire for significant accomplishment for mastery of things, people, or ideas for attaining a high standard

Motivation at Work Personnel psychologists’ tasks

Motivation at Work 360-degree feedback

Motivation at Work On the right path

Motivation Task Leadership Social Leadership goal-oriented leadership that sets standards, organizes work, and focuses attention on goals Social Leadership group-oriented leadership that builds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers support

Motivation Theory X Theory Y assumes that workers are basically lazy, error-prone, and extrinsically motivated by money workers should be directed from above Theory Y assumes that, given challenge and freedom, workers are motivated to achieve self-esteem and to demonstrate their competence and creativity

STRESS LESSON THEORIES

GAS applied to Sex!? The sexual response cycle is similar to Han’s Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome Theory (GAS). Stage 1 Alarm Reaction Phase Recognizes and prepares for stress. (Excitement Phase) Stage 2 Resistance Phase Fights the stress (Plateau Phase) Stage 3 Body either conquers the stress or exhausts resources in handling stress (orgasm/resolution phase) Therefore, body’s reaction to stress is like its reaction to stress!