Motivational Psychology

What drives people to do the things they do?

Basic Concepts

Motives internal states that arouse and

direct behavior toward specific objects or
goals

Needs states of tension within a person

Motive Psychology

People differ in the type and strength of their

motives

These differences are measurable

These differences cause or are associated with

important life outcomes

Differences will be stable over time

Motives can answer: why do people do what they

do. Traits answer the question how people do
what they do

Motive Psychology
Henry Murrays Theory of Needs
A need refers to a potentiality or
readiness to respond in a certain
way under certain given
circumstances
Needs organize perception, guiding us
to see what we want (need) to see

Motive Psychology
Henry Murrays Theory of Needs

Figure 8-1: 20 fundamental human needs

Hierarchy of needs: an individuals various needs

can have different levels of strength

The interaction of the levels of needs makes the

motive concept dynamic

Motive Psychology
Henry Murrays Theory of Needs
Press: need-relevant aspects of the environment

Alpha press real environment

Beta press perceived environment

Motive Psychology
Henry Murrays Theory of Needs

Apperception: the act of interpreting the

environment and perceiving the meaning of what
is going on in a situation

Thematic Apperception Technique (TAT)

Sample TAT card

Sample TAT card

TAT and Questionnaire Measures of

Motives: Do They Measure Different
Aspects of Motives?
McClelland argues that responses to TAT and
questionnaire measures are not correlated
because they measure two different types of
motivation
TAT measures implicit motivation
unconscious desires, aspirations, and needs

TAT and Questionnaire Measures of

Motives: Do They Measure Different
Aspects of Motives?
Questionnaires measure explicit or selfattributed motivationreflect a persons selfawareness of conscious motives
Implicit motives better predict long-term
behavioral trends over time

TAT and Questionnaire Measures of

Motives: Do They Measure Different
Aspects of Motives?
Explicit motives better predict responses to
immediate, specific situations and to choice
behaviors and attitudes

The Big Three Motives

Achievement
Power
Intimacy

Need for Achievement

People who have a high need for achievement:
Prefer activities that offer some, but not too
much, challenge
Enjoy tasks where they are personally
responsible for the outcome
Prefer tasks where feedback on their
performance is available

Need for Achievement

Sex differences: Life outcomes and
childhood experiences
Promoting achievement motivation:
Independence training and setting
challenging standards for children

Need for Power

Readiness or preference for having an
impact on people
People with a high need for power are
interested in controlling situations and
controlling others

Need for Power

Sex differences: Largest is that men but not
women with high need for power perform a
variety of impulsive and aggressive behaviors
Profligate impulsive behaviors (drinking,
aggression, sexual exploitation) is less likely to
occur if a person has responsibility training

Need for Power

People with a high need for power do not
deal well with frustration and conflict
show strong stress responses, including
high blood pressure

Need for Intimacy

Recurrent preference for or readiness for warm,
close, communicative interactions with others
People with a high (compared to those with
low) need for intimacy:
Spend more time during day thinking about
relationships
Report more pleasant emotions when around
other people

Need for Intimacy

People with a high (compared to those with
low) need for intimacy:
Smile, laugh, make more eye contact
Start up conversations more frequently and
write more letters

Need for Intimacy

Consistent sex difference: Women, on
average, have a higher need for intimacy

The Humanistic Tradition:

The Motive to Self-Actualize
The meaning of any persons life is found in
the choices that person makes and the
responsibility they take for those choices
Emphasizes the human need for growth and
realizing ones full potential

The Humanistic Tradition:

The Motive to Self-Actualize
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

Needs are hierarchically organized

Needs must be satisfied at the lower levels

before we proceed to satisfy the higher needs

Lower needs are more powerful and pressing

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

SelfActualization
Esteem
Belongingness
Safety
Physiological

The Humanistic Tradition:

The Motive to Self-Actualize
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

Research Findings

Characteristics of Self-Actualizing Persons

The Humanistic Tradition:

The Motive to Self-Actualize
Rogers Contributions

The fully functioning person

Positive regard

Conditions of worth

The Humanistic Tradition:

The Motive to Self-Actualize
Rogers Contributions

Anxiety and Distortion

Client-Centered Therapy
Genuine Acceptance
Unconditional Positive Regard
Empathic Understanding

The Humanistic Tradition:

The Motive to Self-Actualize
Research on empathy

Not heritable

Can be effectively taught

Empathic ability increases with practice

Summary

Murray: needs differ in strength, and the

intensity fluctuates over time and situations

TAT: technique of motivation measurement

Achievement, Power, Intimacy

Self-Actualization