Motivation

• Why do you study or not study for tests?• Why do you exercise or not exercise?• Why do you drive fast or slow?• Why do you eat?• Why are you attracted to who you are

attracted to? • Why would someone climb a tall mountain?• Are you driven by a need to achieve,

succeed, and prove something about yourself to the world?

• What is it that starts your engine and keeps it going?

The answer is MotivationThe answer is Motivation

MotivationMotivation• “the whys of behavior” (our motives)(our motives)

– A need or desire (impulse) that energizes and moves behavior towards a goal.

• Some motivations are obvious while others are very subtle.

• Some we can see and observe and others we have to infer based on the behavior we can see

Motivation Theories

Instincts:Instincts:•A behavior that is shown throughout a species and is UNLEARNEDUNLEARNED.

Instinct TheoryInstinct TheorySays behavior is motivated by instinctsSays behavior is motivated by instincts

• Explains some animal behaviors

•Explains some human behaviors

•Does not explain other human behaviors

The Instinct Theory…The Instinct Theory…

Drive-Reduction TheoryDrive-Reduction Theory• We have needs - - leads to a drive to meet

them - - because we want balance - - so we act to reduce them

•

• our basic biological needsbasic biological needs (food, water, shelter, etc.) create tension when not met (this (this tension is called a drive)tension is called a drive)

• These drives (tensions) drives (tensions) cause us to seek homeostasishomeostasis (balance) in our bodies

• So we do activities that will get rid off (reduce)(reduce) the tension (drives)(drives) in our bodies

• If we skip breakfast, we feel hungry. The need drives us to find food to get rid of the hunger (thus bringing homeostasis)

Biological Needs(as for food, water)

Drive -tension(hunger, thirst)

Drive-reducingBehaviors

(eating, drinking)createWe crave

homeostasis

Drive Reduction Theory –Cont.

• Drives can be either PrimaryPrimary (biological needs like hunger) or SecondarySecondary (learned needs like money).

However, DRTDRT cannot explain all of our behaviors

– Example – skydiving…for fun…skydiving…for fun…– Does not fit with instinctsinstincts but it also does not

seem to satisfy any basic biological need (drive)(drive)

So where do these motivations come from??So where do these motivations come from??

Arousal TheoryArousal Theory• Says that we are motivated to seek a level

of arousalarousal (excitement) – this arousal drives our behavior

– we do not seek homeostasis (balance), but strive for arousal producing activities

– People with a need for high levels of arousal will be drawn to exciting behaviors, like jumping out of a plane, while the rest of us are satisfied with less exciting and less risky activities

• Says all of us have an Optimal Arousal Point

Optimum Arousal•Yerkes-Dodson Law

– Too much or too little arousal can decrease performance

– basically states that there is a level of arousal which helps performance but only to a point

• Think about getting ready for the SATs– If you are too pumped up, your nervous

system kicks in and it is hard to concentrate– If you are not aroused at all, you just won’t

put your all in and still will not perform well

Sometimes, behavior is not pushed by instincts, a drive, or an arousal

Incentive TheoryIncentive Theory– RewardsRewards or other stimuliother stimuli motivate us to act

• We learn to associate some stimuli with rewards and others with punishment– most of us are motivated to seek the rewards

– depends on their incentiveincentive value or pullvalue or pull

• Extrinsic MotivationExtrinsic Motivation – A desire to perform a behavior

because of promised rewards or threats of punishment• External rewardsExternal rewards – “means to an end”

• Intrinsic MotivationIntrinsic Motivation – A desire to perform a behavior for

its own sake and to be effective• Internal gratificationInternal gratification – “an end in itself”

• More on this later…

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Motivation

• Maslow believed that all of our motivation comes from needs and drive to be self-actualized

• His hierarchy of needs tried to predict which needs we will be motivated to satisfy first

• Biological needs first (food and water) and then work our way up.

The Range and Diversity of Human Motives

Biological MotivesBiological Motives• Hunger• Thirst• Sex• Temperature • Sleep and rest• Activity• Aggression

Social MotivesSocial Motives• Achievement• Affiliation• Autonomy• Nurture• Dominance• Exhibition• Order• Play or fun

Now that we have some sort of Now that we have some sort of understanding of basic motivational understanding of basic motivational theories, let’s examine some of the theories, let’s examine some of the biggest motivators of our lives…biggest motivators of our lives…

Hunger Sex Achievement