Theories of motivation

Psychological perspective
 Defining Motivation
• Internal state or condition
– activates behavior
– gives it direction
• Desire or want
– energizes
– directs goal-oriented behavior
 Defining Motivation
• Influence of needs and desires
– intensity
– direction of behavior
• Process that
– initiates
– directs
– sustains behavior
– to satisfy physiological or psychological needs or
wants
 Instinct Theories of Motivation
• The notion that human behavior is motivated
by certain innate patterns of action that are
activated in response to stimuli
• Not the same as genetic tendencies
• Most psychologists today reject instinct theory
– human behavior is too richly diverse
– often too unpredictable
 Drive-reduction Theory
• A theory of motivation suggesting that a need
creates an unpleasant state of arousal or
tension called a drive, which impels the
organism to engage in behavior that will satisfy
the need and reduce the tension
• Popularized by Clark Hull
– Believed that all living organisms have certain
biological needs that must be met if they are to
survive
 Drive-reduction Theory
• Drive-reduction theory is derived largely from
the biological concept of homeostasis
• Homeostasis
– The tendency of the body to maintain a balanced
internal state with regard to oxygen level, body
temperature, blood sugar, water balance, and so
forth
– Everything required for physical existence must be
maintained in a state of equilibrium, or balance
• When this state is disturbed, a drive is created
to restore the balance
• Cognitive dissonance derived from this theory
 Drive-reduction Theory
• In the Navajo religion and culture, there is an
emphasis on how you relate to everything
around you. Everything has to be measured,
weighed, and harmonious. We call it nizhoni—
walking in beauty.
– American Indigenous Religions, Lori Cupp (Navajo)
 Primary Drives
• A state of tension or arousal arising from a
biological need; one not based on learning
– Oxygen
– Thirst
– Hunger
– Sleep
– Sex
– Comfort
 Primary Drives
• Internal and external hunger cues
– Hypothalamus
• Of central importance in regulating eating behavior and
thus affect the hunger drive
– Other internal hunger and satiety signals
• Some of the substances secreted by the gastrointestinal
tract during digestion act as satiety signals
• Changes in blood sugar level and the hormones that
regulate it also contribute to sensations of hunger
– External signals
• Sensory cues, such as the taste, smell, and appearance of
food, stimulate the appetite
 Primary Drives
• Eating disorders
– Anorexia nervosa
• An eating disorder characterized by an overwhelming,
irrational fear of being fat, compulsive dieting to the point of
self-starvation, and excessive weight loss
– Bulimia nervosa
• An eating disorder characterized by repeated and
uncontrolled episodes of binge eating, usually followed by
purging, which is self-induced vomiting and/or the use of
large quantities of laxatives and diuretics