1. Psychology: Brain, Mind, and Culture, 2e by Drew Westen
Paul J. Wellman
Texas A&M University
John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
PowerPoint  Presentation: Chapter 10
Motivation

2. © 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Lecture Outline
Motivational Perspectives
Hunger and Obesity
Sexual Motivation
Need for Achievement
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Motivation
Motivation refers to the moving force that energizes behavior
Direction or goal of motives
Strength of motives
Motives reflect either
Biological needs or
Psychosocial needs
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4. Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary perspective argues that motivational systems can contribute to reproductive success
Evolution selects for animals that maximize their inclusive fitness (their own reproductive success plus that of close relatives)
Recall that close relatives share similar genes
Pheromones may serve as a cue to identifying close relatives
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5. Pheromones Guide Behavior
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Homeostasis
Homeostasis: refers to the tendency of the body to maintain constancy of the internal environment
Core body temperature is defended
Increased core temperature leads to sweating
Decreased core temperature leads to shivering
Behavior can serve as part of the homeostatic process
Blood sugar levels dip--> we eat
Core temperature goes up, we take off some clothes and look for iced tea….
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Homeostasis Diagram
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8. Psychodynamic Perspective
Freud argued for two fundamental motives:
Sex
Aggression
Subsequent psychodynamic theorists argue for
Need for relatedness to others
Need for self-esteem
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9. Unconscious Motivation
Freud argued that a person can be unaware of their own motives for their behaviors
Motivation can be unconscious and conscious at the same time
Unconscious motivation can be assessed using tests in which a person is asked to describe a vague stimulus
The idea is that their verbal descriptions of the scene will reflect their motivations (projection)
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Projection Tests
A subject might be asked:
What is happening in the scene to the right?
What is she thinking now?
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11. Behaviorist Perspective
Behaviors are governed by stimuli in the environment
Needs reflect a requirement such as food and water
Drives are states of arousal that accompany an unfulfilled need
Hunger
Thirst
Drive reduction theory argues that we behave in order to satisfy needs and reduce drives
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12. Cognitive Perspective
Goals refer to positive outcomes that are established by social learning
Finding a mate
Goals can be set and persons can monitor their own progress toward the goal
Note that this view of motivation relies on conscious processing rather than unconscious processing
Feedback about progress toward the goal is key to motivating performance
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13. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
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Metabolism
Absorptive phase: food is ingested, energy is extracted and stored as either glycogen or fat
Fasting phase: glycogen is converted to glucose for use by the body
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15. Hypothalamic Regulation of Eating
Hypothalamus receives information regarding nutrient levels in body
Lateral region
Stimulation induces eating
Lesions of the lateral region produce starvation
Ventromedial region
Lesions induce overeating
Stimulation inhibits eating
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16. Glucostatic Theory of Hunger
Glucostat measures the level of glucose in blood
Periphery: Liver glucoreceptors
Brain: Hypothalamic glucoreceptors
Manipulations of glucose level alters eating
Injections of glucose into blood at the start of a meal will delay the meal
Reducing the level of glucose in blood will intensify hunger
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17. Impact of Glucose Inhibition on Hunger
(Figure adapted from Thompson & Campbell, 1977)
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18. Non-Physiological Factors that Modulate Eating
Food palatability can alter eating
Positive flavors can enhance eating
Aversive flavors can suppress eating
Quinine added to food reduces eating
Food variety: exposure to the same food day after day can diminish intake
Presence of others: meal size increases as the group size increases
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Obesity
Obesity is an excess level of fat in the body
Defined as weight that is 15% above ideal
Risks of obesity
Physical
Heart disease, diabetes, or stroke
Early mortality
Psychological
Negative stereotypes about the obese
Basis for discrimination in jobs and housing
Difficulty in relationships
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Causes of Obesity
Biological
Fat cell size and number
Homeostasis: the body defends its level of fat
Leptin is secreted by fat cells: reduces appetite and weight
Leptin may be the hormone that serves to reduce appetite when body fat level exceeds some threshold
Environmental
Rapid increases in prevalence of obesity suggests environmental causes
Diet rich in fat
Low levels of exercise
Efforts to restrain eating
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21. Eating Disorders Western society is obsessed with thinness
Contributes to eating disorders in young white females
Anorexia: self-induced starvation leading to loss of 15% or more of body weight (described first in 1689)
Cardiovascular issues (low heart rate and blood pressure)
Low metabolism
Cessation of menstruation
Bulimia:
Binge eating followed by purging

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Anorexia Nervosa
Mr. Duke’s daughter in St. Mary Axe, in the year 1684, and the Eighteenth year of her Age… fell into a total suppression of her monthly courses from a multitude of Cares and Passions of her mind.. From which time her Appetite began to abate… She wholly neglected to care for herself for two years… (like a skeleton only covered with skin)…
Richard Morton (1689)
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Sexual Response Cycle
(Figure adapted from Masters & Johnson, 1966)
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24. Hormones and Sexual Motivation
Organizational effects: prenatal exposure to androgens alters the neural circuits in brain and spinal cord
Adult behavior of androgenized subject is masculine
In the absence of androgens, “Nature’s impulse is to create a female…”
Activational effects: alteration of adult levels of hormones can alter the intensity of a behavior that is modulated by that hormone
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Achievement Motives
Need for Achievement: refers to the need to do well, to succeed, and to avoid failure
Persons who have a high level of need for achievement tend to
Choose moderately difficult tasks
Enjoy being challenged
Avoid failure
Work more persistently
Enjoy success
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Hierarchy of Motives
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27. © 1999 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Copyright
Copyright 1999 by John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY. All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the copyright owner.
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