Managing Motives and Emotions Chapter 7 Managing Motives and Emotions

Definitions Motivation-- Motivation-- A general term referring to the forces that energize and direct our efforts toward meaningful goals.

Definitions cont’d Needs-- Needs-- Tension states that arouse us to seek gratification. Motives-- Motives-- Goal-directed activities that energize and direct behavior.

Emotions-- Complex states of awareness, including bodily changes, subjective experiences, outward expressions of our experiences, and behavioral reactions to events. Definitions cont’d

Chapter Overview Understanding Emotions What Are Emotions? Experiencing Emotions Expressing Emotions Managing Emotions Special Emotions Understanding Motivation Understanding Your Needs Differences Between You and Others Everyone’s Basic Needs Psychosocial Motives Personal Motivation Managing Motives and Emotions

Chapter Summary Understanding Motivation Understanding Your Needs Differences Between You and Others Everyone’s Basic Needs Psychosocial Motives Personal Motives

CHAPTER SUMMARY CHAPTER SUMMARY CONT’D What Are Emotions? Experiencing Emotions Expressing Emotions Managing Emotions Special Emotions

Understanding Your Needs Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Physiological Needs – food, water, and fresh air Safety Needs – money, nurturance, and security Belonging Needs – love, acceptance, and affection Esteem Needs – respect, competence, and success Self- actualizing needs – maximizing one’s potential

Differences Between You and Others Maslow’s hierarchy is general. …consider your individual personal hierarchy of needs which is affected by… birth order Motive targets--Motive targets--the people towards whom our attention or motives are directed. age culture

Everyone’s Basic Needs Such needs have a physiological basis. But they can be shaped by learning. One important learned influence is culture. Examples of basic needs include hunger, thirst, and sleep. Everyone is thought to have the same basic needs.

Psychosocial Motives These needs are related to our sense of psychological well-being. They are less related to survival than are physiological or basic needs. Some psychosocial needs are unlearned (e.g. the need for stimulation).

achievement motivation Other psychosocial needs are learned, for example, achievement motivation – the desire to accomplish or master something difficult or challenging as independently and successfully as possible. Psychosocial Motives cont’d sensation-seeking Another psychosocial motive is sensation-seeking – our tendency to seek out stimulating and novel experiences. There are wide individual differences in this motive.

Personal Motivation There are several types of personal goals: Long-range – goals related to the kind of life you want to live. Medium range – goals that cover the next five years or so. Short-range – goals set for the next month or so. Mini-goals – goals set for anywhere from one day to a month. Micro-goals – goals that cover the next few minutes or hours.

Tips for Setting Personal Goals: The shorter the time span covered, the more control you have over your goals. Setting only grandiose goals can lead to little progress and much disappointment. Setting realistic but desirable goals is better. Once you have achieved a goal, set a new goal. Personal Motivation

Understanding Emotions What are emotions? Emotion--A complex state of awareness, including bodily changes, subjective experiences, outward expressions of our experiences, and reactions to events.

More specifically: Physiological arousal (bodily changes): The brain, nervous system, and hormones are involved in emotions. Subjective experiences or feelings: We are aware of our feelings of pleasure or displeasure and liking and disliking. Cognitive processes: Memories, expectations, appraisals. (Behavioral) reactions: We typically react to emotions by expressing them or by acting on them (e.g., yelling when we are angry).

Experiencing Emotions We often have difficulty identifying others’ as well as our own emotions. Why?Why? Because our emotions are frequently in a state of flux. Another reason is that we have difficulty finding the right words to express our emotions.

Models of Emotions Plutchik’s (2001) model suggests eight primary emotions – joy, acceptance, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, and anticipation. Another model (Trierweiler, Eld, & Lischetzke, 2002) implies there are two dimensions to all emotions –Pleasant  Unpleasant –Aroused  Unaroused There is a dispute in psychology about how many primary emotions exist and whether they are found across all cultures.There is a dispute in psychology about how many primary emotions exist and whether they are found across all cultures.

Expressing Emotions There are individual differences in emotional expressiveness and in the ability to interpret others’ emotions. Age, culture, and gender all play a role in creating these differences. Some individuals try to mislead us about their emotions.

Expressing Emotions Expressing Emotions cont’d One way to “read” a face and thus foil a deceiver is via microexpressions-- fleeting facial expressions. Body postures sometimes “leak” the true emotions of an individual, too. This is known as body leakage.

Managing Emotions One means to ensure accurate communication about your emotions is to use “I messages.” “I messages” include: A nonjudgmental description of the other person’s behavior A statement about the behavior’s concrete effects on you An expression of your feelings about the behavior A declaration about what you would prefer the person to do instead

Special Emotions Anxiety Anxiety serves as an emotional alarm that warns us of threat or danger. Test anxiety is common among college students. Anxiety appears to have a curvilinear effect on performance...

Relationship Between Arousal (Anxiety) and Performance

Anger (and hostility) Anger involves feelings of displeasure or resentment over mistreatment. Scientists have researched whether venting anger or holding it in is better. Most researchers suggest that holding it in is best.

Type A -- The Hostility-Prone Personality Type AType A individuals are especially prone to hostility as well as competitiveness, impatience, and time-urgency. Type As are vintage “workaholics.” Their hostility makes them prone to heart attacks. Type B individuals, on the other hand, are more easy-going.

Anger Management Parents can teach children anger management. Children who are securely attached to their parents are less likely to exhibit anger and aggression. Limiting exposure to violent media, such as TV, can go a long way toward decreasing violence and aggression in adults and children.

Research demonstrates that school bullies are depressed, angry; they turn their anger on their victims. Physical punishment of bullies and other angry children does NOT reduce anger or violence. Physical punishment might worsen children’s aggressive behavior. The Special Case of School Bullies

Jealousy A complex emotion that occurs when we fear losing a close relationship with another person or have lost it already. … apt to occur in sexual or romantic relationships. Individuals most likely to experience jealousy: –have low self-esteem –are characterized by high anxiety –hold a negative world view –report low levels of life satisfaction –perceive little personal control over their lives –possess greater sensitivity to threatening social stimuli

Happiness Happiness is related to subjective well-being (SWB). SWB includes a preponderance of positive thoughts and feelings about one’s life. Happy people possess high self-esteem, a sense of personal control, and optimism as well as exhibit extroversion Both men and women report equal opportunities for happiness. Race does NOT predict happiness. Wealth and happiness are only modestly correlated.