Running head: PSYCHOLOGY QUESTIONS 1

Psychology Questions
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Question 1
Psychologists define an emotion as an affective and subjective state that an individual
show in response to something they experience. There are various theories of emotion that can be
grouped into three main categories; physiological, neurological and cognitive theories. The
James-Lange theory of emotion states that our emotions arise from physiological arousal.
According to this theory, different physiological arousals are associated with different emotions.
For instance, if an individual face a threat, they are likely to respond through their fight and
flight response. The Cannon-Bard theory asserts that although physiological arousal and
emotional experiences o simultaneously, each of them occurs independently [ CITATION Plu13 \l
1033 ]. According to the theory, physiological arousal and an emotional response occur
separately and independent even though they can co-occur. The Schachter-Singer two-factor
theory on the other hand, states that emotions consists of two factors; cognitive and
physiological. It is crucial to note that Singer and Scatter believed that across different types of
emotions that individuals experience, the physiological arousal is very similar. Lazarus later in
1991 developed the cognitive-mediational theory. It states that the appraisal of a stimulus
determines our emotions. In such cases, the appraisal mediates between the stimulus and the
emotional response. Often the process is immediate and unconscious.
Question 2
Intrinsic motivation is doing something because the action is rewarding you. In other words,
when an individual is intrinsically motivated, the motivation is led by their inner desire to do
something for their own sake. An individual could read a book because they enjoy storytelling.
On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is doing something because it comes with a reward or
punishment [ CITATION Hen15 \l 1033 ]. In other words, when an individual is extrinsically
motivated, their motivation is caused by external forces that pushes them to do something
because they will earn a reward. For instance, an individual would read a book because they
want to pass in a test. Extrinsic sources of motivation are based on operant conditioning. In
operant condition, a person learns through rewards and punishments for a behavior. For every
PSYCHOLOGY QUESTIONS 2

behavior, there is a consequence. There are several sources of extrinsic motivation. Incentives
precede a behavior hence can encourage an individual to continue or stop a behavior.
Punishments are supposed to discourage a behavior while rewards are expected to encourage an
individual. Therefore, if a model wants to encourage a behavior, they use a reward to encourage
a learner to repeat the behavior. On the other hand, if a model wants to end a behavior, they will
use punishment to discourage the repetition of a behavior.
Question 3
Homeostasis is the tendency of maintaining internal stability in a living organism so as to
compensate for changes in the surrounding. An example of homeostasis is when a human body is
able to maintain an average temperature of 98.6 degrees. The Yerkes-Dodson law shows the
relationship between performance and arousal. It was originally developed by John Dillingham
Dodson and Robert Yerkes. The relationship is shown by a bell-shaped curve that increases and
later decreases as the level of arousal increases. According to the law, an individual’s
performance and arousal are directly related. In other words, performance could be boosted by
increasing an individual’s arousal to a certain level. In fact, studies have shown that individuals
are likely to perform better when they are nervous. For instance, the anxiety a person experiences
before a test can help them focus on the test. However, when arousal becomes excessive, an
individual’s performance diminishes [ CITATION Che17 \l 1033 ]. Similarly, maintaining
homeostasis is important for an individual’s performance. Biological drives correct disturbances
in homeostasis. When neurons detect unsatisfied drives, they produce an integrated response to
bring the drives back to their optimal levels. For instance, when a person is tired, cold or
dehydrated, the neurons automatically activate the appropriate biological responses.
Question 4
As discussed earlier, intrinsic motivation involves doing something because the action
has a reward for you. At the workplace, intrinsically motivated employees are motivated to work
from their inner self. They are not pushed to perform their duties, but rather perform their tasks
wholeheartedly and to their level best. I think that intrinsic motivation is lost at the workplace. P
often employees are guided by extrinsic motivation. If a company for instance offers rewards to
best performing employees, the performance is likely to increase. Moreover, when employees
get used to extrinsic rewards, intrinsic motivation is likely to be undermined. However, it is
important to note that while some employees are after the extrinsic rewards, there are those who
are intrinsically motivated by a task. It is crucial for managers to understand the effect of
intrinsic motivation. Job satisfaction and performance increase a person’s intrinsic motivation.
When an employee is intrinsically motivated, their satisfaction and job performance are likely to
increase. Therefore, managers need to assign their employees with tasks that hey are passionate
about. By doing so, the employee will become passionate about the work, become satisfied and
increase performance in the organization.
Question 5
It is important to love my job for various reasons. To begin with, when I do what I love, I
will have improved mental health.There will be low level of stress because I will be doing
PSYCHOLOGY QUESTIONS 3

something that I am passionate about. Moreover, I will be able to do a better job and serve
customers better. The triangular theory of love, developed by Kelleway states that the love for
something is based on three elements; commitment, passion and connectedness. Passion involves
how absorbed I am to my work. Passion goes deeper and further to emotional and attitudinal
components. For instance, if I have passion for something, I should long for it. Therefore, if I
love my work, I need to long for it. Secondly, commitment involves being dedicated to my work.
Despite having a variety of other options, if I am committed to my work, I should wish to stay
with my firm or chosen profession. Kelleway however notes that although passion and
commitment make an individual emotionally attached to their job, the elements for both
components are deeper. For instance, an individual might long for their work, but feel no
commitment for their organization. However, without both components, it is unlikely that an
individual will love their job. Lastly, connecters involve the relationships formed at work. Good
relationship with fellow employees helps reduce stress and help an individual get through tough
situations.
References
Cherry, K. (2017). The yerkes-dodson law and performance. Verywell. Retrieved.
Hennessey, B., Moran, S., Altringer, B., & Amabile, T. M. (2015). Extrinsic and intrinsic
motivation. Wiley encyclopedia of management, 1-4.
Plutchik, R., & Kellerman, H. (2013). Theories of emotion. Academic Press.