1. Psychological Foundations
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Emotion and Motivation

2. What is Motivation?
The wants or needs that direct behavior toward a goal
Motivation. Authored by: OpenStax College. Located BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at

3. Motivation: Instinct Drives Behavior
William James (a) theorized that behavior was driven by a number of instincts, which aid survival An instinct is a species-specific pattern of behavior that is not learned such as sucking (b)
(credit b: modification of work by “Mothering Touch”/Flickr) in Motivation. Authored by: OpenStax College. Located BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at

4. Motivation: Drive Theory
Deviations from homeostasis create physiological needs that direct behavior to meet the need and bring the system back to homeostasis. We form habits.
There is an optimal level of arousal that we all try to maintain
Yerkes-Dodson law
Motivation. Authored by: OpenStax College. Located BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at

5. Self-efficacy and Social Motives
According to Bandura self-efficacy, people’s belief in their capability to complete a task, will determine what we do and the future goals that we set for ourselves Social motives for behavior include needs for achievement, affiliation, and intimacy

6. Motivation: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
In some versions of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the cognitive and aesthetic needs are also included between esteem and self- actualization Others include another tier at the top of the pyramid for self-transcendence
Motivation. Authored by: OpenStax College. Located BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at

7. What Motivates Eating?
Hunger and eating are regulated by a complex interplay of hunger and satiety signals that are integrated in the brain.

8. What Motivates Eating? Metabolism and Set Point
A person’s metabolic rate is the amount of energy that is expended in a given period of time, and there is tremendous individual variability in our metabolic rates The set-point theory asserts that each individual has an ideal body weight, or set point, which is resistant to change This set-point is genetically predetermined and efforts to move our weight significantly from the set-point are resisted by compensatory changes in energy intake and/or expenditure

9. Eating Disorders
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an individual maintaining body weight that is well below average through starvation and/or excessive exercise. People with anorexia have distorted body image. Negative health outcomes include: bone loss, heart failure, kidney failure, amenorrhea, reduced function of the gonads, and in extreme cases, death.
Binge eating disorder is characterized by binge eating and associated distress.
Bulimia nervosa is characterized by binge eating followed by purging. It is associated with kidney failure, heart failure, tooth decay, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse

10. Physiological Mechanisms of Sexual Behavior and Motivation
The medial preoptic area, an area of the hypothalamus, is involved in the ability to engage in sexual behavior, but it does not affect sexual motivation. In contrast, the amygdala and nucleus accumbens are involved in motivation for sexual behavior, but they do not affect the ability to engage in it.
Sexual Behavior. Authored by: OpenStax College. Located BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at

11. Sexual Behavior: Kinsey
Results of Kinsey’s research:
Women are as interested and experienced in sex as men
Both males and females masturbate without adverse health consequences
Homosexual acts are fairly common
The Kinsey scale categorizes an individual’s sexual orientation to same-sexed individuals (homosexual), opposite-sexed individuals (heterosexual), or both (bisexual)

12. Sexual Behavior: Masters and Johnson
Sexual Behavior. Authored by: OpenStax College. Located BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at
This graph illustrates the different phases of the sexual response cycle as described by Masters and Johnson.

13. Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual emotional and erotic attractions to opposite-sexed individuals
Homosexual: emotional and erotic attractions to same- sexed individuals
Bisexual: emotional and erotic attractions to both same-sexed individuals and opposite-sexed individuals
Data suggest that people are born with their sexual orientation and it cannot be changed

14. Gender Identity
Gender identity refers to one’s sense of being male or female. Generally, our gender identities correspond to our chromosomal and phenotypic sex, but this is not always the case Gender dysphoria is a diagnostic category in DSM-5 for individuals who do not identify as the gender associated with their biological sex. It must persist for 6 months and cause distress Transgender hormone therapy is the use of hormones to make one’s body look more like the gender one identifies with In some cultures there are more than two gender categories

15. Components of Emotion
Emotion is a subjective state of being that we often describe as our feelings. The components of emotion are physiological arousal, psychological appraisal, and subjective experiences.

16. Four Theories of Emotion
(credit “snake”: modification of work by “tableatny”/Flickr; credit “face”: modification of work by Cory Zanker) in Emotion. Authored by: OpenStax College. Located BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at

17. Biology of Emotions: The Limbic System
Hypothalamus plays a role in the activation of the sympathetic nervous system Thalamus serves as a sensory relay center Amygdala plays a role in processing emotional information and sending that information on to cortical structures The hippocampus integrates emotional experience with cognition

18. Biology of Emotions: Inside the Amygdala
Basolateral complex
is critical for classical conditioning and attaching emotional value to memory
Central nucleus
involved in attention
has connections with the hypothalamus and various brainstem areas to regulate the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems’ activity
Emotion. Authored by: OpenStax College. Located BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at

19. Expressing and Recognizing Emotion
A cultural display rule is a culturally specific standard governing the type and frequency of displays of emotions that are acceptable The facial feedback hypothesis asserts that facial expressions are capable of influencing our emotions. Body language is the expression of emotion in terms of body position or movement

20. Universal Emotions and Facial Expressions
(credit: modification of work by Cory Zanker) in Emotion. Authored by: OpenStax College. Located BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at
There are seven universal emotions associated with distinct facial expressions

21. Practice Question
How does the facial feedback hypothesis support or challenge the four theories of emotion?
Answers may vary.

22. Quick Review What are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation?
What are basic theories of motivation, including concepts such as instincts, drive reduction, and self- efficacy?
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
How are hunger and eating regulated?
What are the health consequences of anorexia and bulimia nervosa?
What biological mechanisms regulate sexual behavior and motivation?

23. More Quick Review
What are the contributions of Alfred Kinsey’s and William Masters and Virginia Johnson’s research?
What are the variations sexual orientation and gender identity?
Compare and contrast the Cannon-Bard, James-Lange, Schachter-Singer two-factor, and other theories of emotion.
What role do limbic structures play in emotional processing?
How are emotions recognized and expressed?