Explaining human behavior

Why we do what we do

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 Why are some people motivated and others
not?

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 Motivation

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  a reason for doing something or behaving
in a particular way

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 a feeling of enthusiasm/interest/or
commitment that makes somebody want
to do something,

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 force directing behavior
• biological,
• emotional,
• cognitive,
• or social forces that activate and direct
behavior

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 Arousal of Motives
• Physiological arousal
• Emotional arousal
• Cognitive arousal
• Environmental arousal

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 Motivations and Goals
• Positive Motivation • Negative Motivation
– A driving force – A driving force
toward some away from some
object or condition object or condition
• Approach Goal • Avoidance Goal
– A positive goal – A negative goal from
toward which which behavior is
behavior is directed directed away

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 Motivation Process

Learning
Learning

Needs
Needs Goal
Goaloror
wants,
wants, need
need
Tension
Tension Drive
Drive Behavior
Behavior
and
and fulfill-
fulfill-
desires
desires ment
ment

Cognitive
Cognitive
processes
processes

Tension
Tension
reduction
reduction

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 Failure to achieve a
goal may result in
frustration. Some
Frustration adapt; others adopt
defense mechanisms
to protect their ego.

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 Types of Needs
• Innate Needs
– Physiological (or biogenic) needs that are
considered primary needs or motives

• Acquired needs
– Generally psychological (or psychogenic) needs
that are considered secondary needs or motives

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 REASONS FOR BEHAVING

• looking for the reason behind behaviour is

difficult
• person may lack self-awareness as to the
reason for their own behaviour
• person could be hiding their intentions
• we might project our own motivations
onto others
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 People are not always aware of, or may not
wish to recognize, the basic reasons
underlying their actions.

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 Researches have been designed to uncover
subconscious or hidden motivations.

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 CONSCIOUS MOTIVATIONS

• motivations that are willful and we are

aware of
• we can provide rationale and an explanation

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 UNCONSCIOUS MOTIVATIONS

• motivations that we are not aware of-we

don have an understanding of them
• we behave and then question why we did or
said that
• these behaviors may be the result of
repressed fears, anxieties, latent hostilities
• Freud and Jung would say these actions are
from unconscious

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 The Dynamic Nature of
Motivation
• Needs are never fully satisfied
• New needs emerge as old needs are
satisfied
• People who achieve their goals set new and
higher goals for themselves

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 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Self-Actualization
(Self-fulfillment)
Ego Needs
(Prestige, status, self esteem)

Social Needs
(affection, friendship, belonging)

Safety and Security Needs

(Protection, order, stability)

Physiological Needs
(Food, water, air, shelter, sex)

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 Murray’s List of
Psychogenic Needs
• Power
– individual’s desire to control environment
• Affiliation
– need for friendship, acceptance, and belonging
• Achievement
– need for personal accomplishment
– closely related to egoistic and self-actualization
needs

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 thanks

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