MOTIVATION AND EMOTIONTHEORIES

DRIVE REDUCTION THEORY

• CLARK HULL—YALE

• DREW ON IDEAS FROM PAVLOV, WATSON, AND DARWIN

• ALL MOTIVATION ARISES AS A RESULT OF BIOLOGICAL NEEDS. IN HIS THEORY, HULL USED THE TERM DRIVE TO REFER TO THE STATE OF TENSION OR AROUSAL CAUSED BY BIOLOGICAL OR PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS. THIRST, HUNGER AND THE NEED FOR WARMTH ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF DRIVES. A DRIVE CREATES AN UNPLEASANT STATE; A TENSION THAT NEEDS TO BE REDUCED.

• IN ORDER TO REDUCE THIS STATE OF TENSION, HUMANS AND ANIMALS SEEK OUT WAYS TO FULFILL THESE BIOLOGICAL NEEDS. WE GET A DRINK WHEN WE ARE THIRSTY. WE EAT WHEN WE ARE HUNGRY. WE TURN UP THE THERMOSTAT WHEN WE ARE COLD. HE SUGGESTED THAT HUMANS AND ANIMALS WILL THEN REPEAT ANY BEHAVIOR THAT REDUCES THESE DRIVES.

AROUSAL THEORY/YERKES-DODSON LAW

• 1908—ROBERT YERKES AND JOHN DILLINGHAM DODSON

• A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF AROUSAL (EXCITEMENT) IMPROVES PERFORMANCE; BUT TOO MUCH INHIBITS

• EXAMPLES?

INCENTIVE THEORY

• IN CONTRAST TO OTHER THEORIES THAT SAY WE ARE MOTIVATED BY INTERNAL DRIVES, INCENTIVE THEORY SAYS WE ARE MOTIVATED BY EXTERNAL INCENTIVES OR REWARDS

• INCENTIVES CAN BE USED TO GET PEOPLE TO ENGAGE IN CERTAIN BEHAVIORS, BUT THEY CAN ALSO BE USED TO GET PEOPLE TO STOP PERFORMING CERTAIN ACTIONS.

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INCENTIVES ONLY BECOME POWERFUL IF THE INDIVIDUAL PLACES IMPORTANCE ON THE REWARD.

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REWARDS HAVE TO BE OBTAINABLE IN ORDER TO BE MOTIVATING. FOR EXAMPLE, A STUDENT WILL NOT BE MOTIVATED TO EARN A TOP GRADE ON AN EXAM IF THE ASSIGNMENT IS SO DIFFICULT THAT IT IS NOT REALISTICALLY ACHIEVABLE.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE• THIS IS THE FEELING OF UNCOMFORTABLE TENSION WHICH COMES

FROM HOLDING TWO CONFLICTING THOUGHTS IN THE MIND AT THE SAME TIME.

• DISSONANCE INCREASES WITH:

• THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT TO US.

• HOW STRONGLY THE DISSONANT THOUGHTS CONFLICT.

• OUR INABILITY TO RATIONALIZE AND EXPLAIN AWAY THE CONFLICT.

• DISSONANCE IS OFTEN STRONG WHEN WE BELIEVE SOMETHING ABOUT OURSELVES AND THEN DO SOMETHING AGAINST THAT BELIEF. IF I BELIEVE I AM GOOD BUT DO SOMETHING BAD, THEN THE DISCOMFORT I FEEL AS A RESULT IS COGNITIVE DISSONANCE.

• COGNITIVE DISSONANCE IS A VERY POWERFUL MOTIVATOR WHICH WILL OFTEN LEAD US TO CHANGE ONE OR OTHER OF THE CONFLICTING BELIEF OR ACTION. THE DISCOMFORT OFTEN FEELS LIKE A TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO OPPOSING THOUGHTS. TO RELEASE THE TENSION WE CAN TAKE ONE OF THREE ACTIONS:

• CHANGE OUR BEHAVIOR.

• JUSTIFY OUR BEHAVIOR BY CHANGING THE CONFLICTING COGNITION.

• JUSTIFY OUR BEHAVIOR BY ADDING NEW COGNITIONS.

• DISSONANCE IS MOST POWERFUL WHEN IT IS ABOUT OUR SELF-IMAGE. FEELINGS OF FOOLISHNESS, IMMORALITY AND SO ON (INCLUDING INTERNAL PROJECTIONS DURING DECISION-MAKING) ARE DISSONANCE IN ACTION.

INTRINSIC/EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION

• EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION OCCURS WHEN WE ARE MOTIVATED TO PERFORM A BEHAVIOR OR ENGAGE IN AN ACTIVITY IN ORDER TO EARN A REWARD OR AVOID A PUNISHMENT.

• INTRINSIC MOTIVATION INVOLVES ENGAGING IN A BEHAVIOR BECAUSE IT IS PERSONALLY REWARDING; ESSENTIALLY, PERFORMING AN ACTIVITY FOR ITS OWN SAKE RATHER THAN THE DESIRE FOR SOME EXTERNAL REWARD.