Motivation and Emotion

Nature and Meaning of motivation

The nature of motivation:

• Motivation is not dichotomous

o Little utility in thinking a student “is” or “is not” motivated.

• Motivation is dynamic and continuous

o It is a probability that an individual will engage in and maintain a certain activity.

• Motivation is therefore subject to numerous factors

o Instructors have no affect on some factors but may have significant affects on other factors.

Motivation- comes from the the Latin word “movere” which means to move.

- is a desire to achieve a goal, combined with the energy to work towards.

- it process that initiate, sustain and direct behavior.

- aspect of human behavior that deals with understanding human beings behave the

way they do.

The Motivation Cycle



Motivation Cycle- one goal leads to to other drives.

Abraham Maslow- expressed the increasing need of human being in a hierarchal order.



Maslow's Hierarchical Needs



Self – actualization or self fulfillment

Esteem need or need for self respect

Love and belongingness or need of appreciation

Safety and security needs or need for stability and order

Physiological needs, such as need for food water and air.























• Kinds of Motives or Drives:



• Physiological drives or motives – these drives are inborn and present and birth

• The Hunger drives – this is perhaps the first need that need the human being satisfies at birth.

• Thirst -the thirst drives is much stronger than the hunger drive.

• Oxygen need or air hunger – a need more powerful tan either hunger or thirst is the need for oxygen, more commonly referred to as their hunger.

• Fatigue – drives which motivates people to action

• Rest and Sleep – drives that one form of getting rid of fatigue, but it is not the same at rest.

• Avoidance of pain – the study of pain perception reveals that pain sensation are received by a variety of nerve ending.

• Elimination drive – the pressure or distention in these organs tends to stimulate th drive to empty them.

• Sex drive – this drive is not essential to life, but it is responsible for the preservation of the species.

• The maternal drives – all mammal mother, including the human mother, manifest the maternal drive in taking care of their young.

• Warmth and Cold – the perception of warmth and cold is a drive for behavior.

• Physiological and social Drives – a drives thought to be connected with the nomoestatic regulatory mechanism of the body.

• Parent – child motives – human infants cannot meet their physiological needs by themselves.

• Peer group relations – the affiliation motive – the social adjustment of the individual will depend on the extent to which these motives are satisfied.

• Motives related to competence and self – the first of these motives is achievement motivation or the desire to accomplish something.





Motivation and Emotions



• Development of Motives

 Punishment and reward in development

 Secondary reinforcement and development

• Nature and Definition of Emotion:

Emotion – comes from the Latin verb “emovere” which means to stip up, agitate, upset or move.

• emotion has been recognized as an integrated reaction both internal and external bodily changes.

• It is also involves a changes in the minute physiological, neural and glandular changes in the entire human being, not just a part of him.

• Emotion is, therefore, experienced by the entire person.









• Theories of Emotion

 James Lange theory of emotion – a theory which states that when the object is perceived, physiological changes occur, the emotion follows.

- this theory was proposed in two different places one in America, the other in Denmark

• William James – the famous American philosopher and psychologist, proposed a theory of emotion which was rather different from the ordinary or common sense concept of how an emotion is felt.

- he proposed the ff. Steps in an emotional experiences

1.) the person perceives the situation that evokes the emotion

2.) he become aware of the emotion; then he reacts to the emotion.

3.) We realize we are afraid and a feel afraid.

• Carl G. Lange – A Danish physiologist and psychologist working independent of William James, also prosed the same explanation of the occurrence of an emotion.

• Hypothalamic Theory of emotion – a theory that identifies the hypothalamus as the control center of neutral activity involved in emotion

 hypothalamus – is the control center of the neural activity involved in emotion

 Walter B. Canon – noted that physiological changes accompanied different emotion hence bodily change alone could not account for the different human feeling ( Dworetzky 1985 ).

 According to some researches, the main contribution of this theory is the recognition that a control center for emotion is located in the hypothalamus

• Schachter and Singer's theory of Emotion – a given body state lads to different emotions depending on interpretation

 S. Schachter and R. Singer – asserted the emotions reflect how we intercept autonomic arousal in the light of all the information we have about ourselves and the situation.

 In short, this theory proposed that a given body state could lead to different emotions depending on how you interpret the states.

• Lzarus's Cognitive theory

 Arnold Lazarus ( Feb. 1984 ) - American psychologist says that “ an emotion is not definable sorely be behavior, subjective reports, or physiological changes.

 Lazarus was led to this theory by the ff. fact;

a. you can experience “arousal” just by exercising

b. you can experience “feeling” that are not really emotions.

c. You can learn to behave in a stereo-typed manner that will make others presume you are experiencing an emotion when you are really just faking it . You can observe actors and other performers do this all the time.

• Synthesis of the Different Theories of Emotion

o 1st it is not capable that emotional behavior involves variations in reticular activation, pattern of physiological changes, specialized bodily expression and movements.

o 2nd all components interact in a feedback controlled process, sometimes leading to heightened levels of activity and enhancements of motives.

o 3rd the automatic nervous system plays an important role in the function of emotions.

o 4th there is ample evidence to show that the hypothalamus is the seat of the emotions.

o 5th learning plays an important role in the acquisition of emotion responses.

o 6th there are are behavioral expressions of emotions.

o 7th a given body state could lead to different emotions depending on how you interpret the state.



• Aspects of Emotion

• there are three aspects of emotion namely: Physiological Changes, Emotional Behavior, and Personal Emotional Experience.

o Physiological Aspect

- there are organs of our body that are affected among the physiological changes caused by emotion. ( Circulatory System, Respiratory System, Nervous System.)

• Facial Expression

- these are the animals facial expression s that are modified into humans facial expressions like ( decision, mockery, scorn, or anger ).

- hissing, growling, snarling, barking or display of the teeth.

- Many of this expression also are becoming universal because, one can tell easily by the expression of the face whether a person is happy, sad, eager, or angry regardless on his/ here face.

• Vocal Expression

 Emotional Behavior

 Personal Emotional Experience

• Classification of Emotion

• Basic vs. Derived Emotion

• Mild vs. Intense Emotion

• Pleasant vs. Unpleasantness emotions

• Positive vs Negative Emotions

• Fear

• Anger

• Love

• Control of Emotion.