MOTIVATION

MOTIVATIONS arise from the interplay between nature (the body’s “push”) and nurture (the “pulls” from our thought processes and culture). One of the perspectives psychologists use to help understand motivated behaviors is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need. His model focuses on the motivation and development of psychologically healthy people—this may be its most important contribution.

How often do you satisfy what Maslow called “self-actualization” needs? What about “self-transcendence” needs? (the need to find identity and meaning beyond the self)

The two main motivating factors for humans are sex and hunger. HUNGER Our eagerness to eat is pushed by our body chemistry plus brain activity. AND there is a psychological component.

One psychological component is memory. Another is environmental stimuli. We eat more when given supersized servings, bigger packages, larger contain- ers and more variety (café- teria effect).

Psychological effects are most striking when an abnormal desire to be thin overrides the normal reaction to hunger.

Anorexia nervosa—an eating disorder in which a person (usually an adolescent female) maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly (15% or more) underweight Anorexia bulimia—an eating disorder in which a person alternates binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) with purging (by vomiting or laxative use), fasting or excessive exercise