Motivation, Emotion, and Stress Unit 8 Motivation, Emotion, and Stress

Unit 8 Day 1 – The Basis of Motivation (Module 37) Day 2 – Hunger and Sex (Modules 38 & 39) Day 3 – The Need to Belong (Module 40) and Week 1 Vocabulary Quiz Day 4 – Theories of Emotion and Detection (Modules 41 & 42) Day 5 – Stress and Unit 8 Review (Modules 43 & 44) Day 6 – CUA 8!

Module 40: Social Motivation: The Need to Belong

Belongingness is a need like hunger or thirst Aristotle’s social animal Humans are animals, like all other creatures, and require the similar things For humans, however, we uniquely need other humans or creatures to belong with, or affiliate We now know this as the affiliation need Separation from others increases this need, and we work to get rid of it Key Point #1: Which motivational theory we discussed last week underlies Aristotle’s theory of humanity as a “social animal”? _______________________________________________________________________

The Need to Belong Enhanced survival – species in a group look out for each other Belonging to a group helps us gain a personal identity, which is why people hang out with others with similar interests Formation of attachment Anxious attachment: a fear that people will “leave forever” drives clingy personality types Insecure avoidant attachment: a fear that people “always leave” drives the desire to disconnect from people entirely We’ll cover this more in Unit 9, but attachments develop based on whether or not you feel like you belong

The Pain of Being Shut Out Ostracism: being excluded – purposefully – from a group one wants to belong to A variation is “cyberostracism”, that you can be excluded via social media The part of the brain that registers physical pain is the anterior cingulate cortex When we feel ostracized, or cut off from others, this cortex also lights up This means = When we are excluded from others, we feel REAL PHYSICAL PAIN. When this happens, we gain a drive to reduce a need to belong – our behavior changes. Taking revenge on someone who exiled you; joining a new religion or faith to find friends (this is what cults use to get you to join); seek new friends in activities Key Point #2: What is the relationship between the brain (biological perspective) and loneliness? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

Social Networking Have social networking sites made us more, or less, isolated? Not always. In many cases, lonely people spend more time online than others. However, research shows that, with the relationships people may build online, these relationships are exactly as real and powerful as real-life relationships. Does electronic communication allow us to confide in others? Yes, but not more than face-to-face communication; sometimes the lowering of inhibitions that comes with a screen results in sending pictures or texts you later regret.

Social Networking Do social networking profiles and posts reflect people’s actual lives? Not in the slightest. We build our “ideal selves” online, and do not allow others to look past the perfect life. Remember – you’re seeing the best moments of everyone else’s lives, not the daily struggle they live through. Does social networking produce narcissism? Narcissism is self-important, self-promoting, and self-focused. Social networking does not PROMOTE narcissism, but many narcissists use it to get the “high” of self- importance.