Motivation and Emotion Theories

• Both motivation and emotion originate from the Latin word "motare," meaning "to move."
• Motivation is defined as a condition that directs behaviour.

Theories of Motivation

• Instinct Theory posits that motivations are inborn, an example being a baby's grasp reflex.
• Drive Reduction theory suggests that behavior is driven by biological needs to maintain balance.
• Arousal Theory proposes that people seek optimum levels of arousal.
• Incentive Theory states that motivation arises from internal or external incentives, which can be primary (innate) or secondary (learned).
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs suggests that basic needs must be met before higher-level needs can be addressed.

Biological Motivations

• Water is essential for bodily functions
• The need for water is driven by loss of volume and maintaining balance of water inside cells.
• Hunger involves signals from the stomach (stretch receptors) and chemical signals, including glucose, lipids, and leptin.
• The hypothalamus plays a key role in hunger and satiety.
• The lateral hypothalamus (LH) is associated with hunger
• The ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is associated with satiety.

Psychological Motivations

• Motivations can be unconscious or conscious.
• The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the Implicit Association Task (IAT) are methods used to tap into unconscious motivations.
• Approach motivation involves the desire for positive experiences.
• Avoidance motivation involves the desire to avoid negative experiences.
• Loss aversion highlights that people are more motivated to avoid losses than to gain equally sized rewards.
• Intrinsic motivation is driven by inherent satisfaction.
• Extrinsic motivation is driven by external rewards.
• A Fixed mindset is the belief that talent is innate
• A Growth mindset is the belief that skills can be developed through effort.

What are Emotions

• Emotions consist of physiological, cognitive, physical and emotional components.

Theories of Emotion

• The James-Lange Theory suggests that emotion arises from physiological responses.
• The Cannon-Bard Theory proposes that arousal and emotion occur simultaneously.
• The Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory states that emotion is a function of both physiological arousal and cognitive labeling.
• The Cognitive-Mediational Theory emphasizes that cognitive interpretations/appraisals are key to emotional experiences.
• The Facial-Feedback Theory suggests that sensory feedback from facial expressions influences our emotional experience.