The force that makes people behave, think and feel the way they do.

Every human action has a reason behind it, aware or no.

note: if you can understand the true motivation behind a behavior/thought/feeling, you can change it.

• emphasizes the role of basic instincts  in motivation (where instinct is an innate biological pattern and basic means things as simple as drinking water)
• motivation for sex, aggression, acheivement, and other behaviors are related to evolutionary reasons

• motivated to reduce tensions in terms of our needs when our drives get too strong
• drive: an aroused state that occurs because of physiological need

Theories of Motivation; Optimal Arousal Theory

(or Yerkes - Dodson Law)

• moderate arousal better than high or low
• motivated to find balance in arousal levels

note: Overlearning is important to this theory; means that a person can learn to do a task so well that they can still perform it in situations of high stress.

(meaning that sometimes we wait until the last minute to do something just because we can, because we need that "excitement", for example)

3 components:

1. significant accomplishment
2. mastery and control
3. obtaining a high standard

note: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is important to consider; if one doesn't have food, the above issues suddenly aren't so important.

Argues that there are three basic orgasmic needs:

1. competance (related to self esteem)
2. relatedness (needing relationships)
3. autonomy (in control of own life)

every person has a capacity for growth and personal fulfillment.

based on internal factors

engage in behaviors for self, not to please anyone else

How one's values and goals shape behavior

• self regulation: control behavior to pursue objectives
• goals must be specific and moderately challenging
• use both short and long term goals

Feelings that can involve phsyiological arousal, conscious experience and behavioral espression.

Closely related to motivation

• activation of sympathetic nervous system: anger, fear, happiness, i.e., arousal
• the parasympathetic nervous system works to keep our emotions from overwhelming our bodies

• emotions and physiological reactions occur simultaneously
• some emotions can't be associated with physical change

Fear

(and how it's processed in the brain)

the amygdala plays a central role:

• detects danger and activates brain resources to protect the person from harm
• linked with emotional memory
• explains why fears tend to stick with us
• seems to be due to the connection to the cerebral cortex

• physiological arousal
• cognitive labeling

we interpret external cues and label the emotion

argued that thinking is primary and cognition is what leads to emotion

(why is someone angry, because they cognitively decided that there is something to be angry about)

argued emotions are primary and our thoughts are a result of them

"preferences need no inferences"

(Smiling will make you feel happier)

• facial muscles send signals to the brain that help us recognize the mood we're in