Lecture 6
Motives: behind the scenes
Motive: internal state that arouses and directs behaviour toward a specific object or goal
Motive caused by a deficit, a lack of something
Motives are often based on needs: states of tension within a person
As a need is satisfied, tension is reduced
Motives propel people to perceive, think. And act in ways that serve to satisfy a need
Basic concepts
Motives are part of the intrapsychic domain for several reasons
● motivational psychologists stress the importance of internal psychological needs and
urges
● Some motives can be unconscious
● Reliance on projective techniques to measure motives
Henry Murray’s theory of needs
● Needs refer to a readiness to respond in a certain way under certain circumstances
● Needs organize perception, guiding us to see what we want (need) to see
● Needs organize action by compelling a person to do what is necessary to satisfy a
need
● Needs also refer to states of tension and satisfying and not a tensionless state per se
● Murray proposed a list of fundamental human needs and each person has own
hierarchy
○ Desire intention
○ Emotions
○ Action tendencies
● Elements in environment affect person’s needs
● Press: need-relevant aspects of the environment
○ Alpha press: objective reality
■ Your group is sitting around a table
○ Beta press: perceived reality
■ High social power needs vs low social power needs
■ Environment perceived differently based on differing needs of
individuals
Alpha press – the way the environment exists in reality
beta press - the way in which the person views or interprets their
environment
Provide example and definition of alpha and beta press
Apperception: act of interpreting and perceiving meaning in the environment
● Apperception: interpreting environment and perceiving meaning of what is going on
○ Needs and motives influence apperception, especially in ambiguous
environments
○ Thematic apperception technique TAT
■ Ambiguous pictures presented to a participant for interpretation
, ■ Presumption that a person projects current needs and motives into the
interpretation of a picture
● Tat examples: ambition needs (achievement, exhibition, order); social power needs
(aggression, autonomy, blame-avoidance); social affection needs (nurturance,
affiliation)
Self-determination theory
● Inherent growth tendencies
○ Basic premise: humans are naturally active and seek opportunities to learn
and grow
■ Autonomy (satisfy need to be good at something, independence,
master of your own path), competence (reflex our tendency to control
environment, to seek growth and improvement), relatedness (reflects
tendency to feel connected to others, be a part of something bigger
than ourselves)
○ Type of motivation
■ Intrinsic: inherently interesting, enjoyable
■ Extrinsic: rewards, or avoiding punishment
● Behaviour might be the same but motivation different
(volunteering)
The candle problem
● Problem: fix a lighted candle on a wall, so that the wax won’t drip onto a table
○ Box of matches
○ Box of thumbtacks
● Two groups: control experimental
● Which group was faster?
○
The overjustification effect
● When external incentives decrease a person’s intrinsic motivation to perform a task
○ Does this happen with all tasks? Are rewards ineffective?
○ Second study: same instructions, different layout
○ Important points: incentives not always effective
○ Intrinsic motivations much more effective in maintaining behaviour
The big three motives: based on needs
● Need for achievement (nAch)
○ Desire to do better ,be successful, and feel competent
○ People who have a high need for achievement:
■ Prefer activities that offer moderate challenge
■ Enjoy tasks where they are personally responsible for the outcome
■ Prefer tasks where feedback on performance is available
■ Sex differences: early childhood experiences associated with nAch
are different for males and females
■ Promoting achievement motivation: independence training and setting
challenging standards for children
● Need for power (nPow)
○ readiness/preference for having an impact on people
Motives: behind the scenes
Motive: internal state that arouses and directs behaviour toward a specific object or goal
Motive caused by a deficit, a lack of something
Motives are often based on needs: states of tension within a person
As a need is satisfied, tension is reduced
Motives propel people to perceive, think. And act in ways that serve to satisfy a need
Basic concepts
Motives are part of the intrapsychic domain for several reasons
● motivational psychologists stress the importance of internal psychological needs and
urges
● Some motives can be unconscious
● Reliance on projective techniques to measure motives
Henry Murray’s theory of needs
● Needs refer to a readiness to respond in a certain way under certain circumstances
● Needs organize perception, guiding us to see what we want (need) to see
● Needs organize action by compelling a person to do what is necessary to satisfy a
need
● Needs also refer to states of tension and satisfying and not a tensionless state per se
● Murray proposed a list of fundamental human needs and each person has own
hierarchy
○ Desire intention
○ Emotions
○ Action tendencies
● Elements in environment affect person’s needs
● Press: need-relevant aspects of the environment
○ Alpha press: objective reality
■ Your group is sitting around a table
○ Beta press: perceived reality
■ High social power needs vs low social power needs
■ Environment perceived differently based on differing needs of
individuals
Alpha press – the way the environment exists in reality
beta press - the way in which the person views or interprets their
environment
Provide example and definition of alpha and beta press
Apperception: act of interpreting and perceiving meaning in the environment
● Apperception: interpreting environment and perceiving meaning of what is going on
○ Needs and motives influence apperception, especially in ambiguous
environments
○ Thematic apperception technique TAT
■ Ambiguous pictures presented to a participant for interpretation
, ■ Presumption that a person projects current needs and motives into the
interpretation of a picture
● Tat examples: ambition needs (achievement, exhibition, order); social power needs
(aggression, autonomy, blame-avoidance); social affection needs (nurturance,
affiliation)
Self-determination theory
● Inherent growth tendencies
○ Basic premise: humans are naturally active and seek opportunities to learn
and grow
■ Autonomy (satisfy need to be good at something, independence,
master of your own path), competence (reflex our tendency to control
environment, to seek growth and improvement), relatedness (reflects
tendency to feel connected to others, be a part of something bigger
than ourselves)
○ Type of motivation
■ Intrinsic: inherently interesting, enjoyable
■ Extrinsic: rewards, or avoiding punishment
● Behaviour might be the same but motivation different
(volunteering)
The candle problem
● Problem: fix a lighted candle on a wall, so that the wax won’t drip onto a table
○ Box of matches
○ Box of thumbtacks
● Two groups: control experimental
● Which group was faster?
○
The overjustification effect
● When external incentives decrease a person’s intrinsic motivation to perform a task
○ Does this happen with all tasks? Are rewards ineffective?
○ Second study: same instructions, different layout
○ Important points: incentives not always effective
○ Intrinsic motivations much more effective in maintaining behaviour
The big three motives: based on needs
● Need for achievement (nAch)
○ Desire to do better ,be successful, and feel competent
○ People who have a high need for achievement:
■ Prefer activities that offer moderate challenge
■ Enjoy tasks where they are personally responsible for the outcome
■ Prefer tasks where feedback on performance is available
■ Sex differences: early childhood experiences associated with nAch
are different for males and females
■ Promoting achievement motivation: independence training and setting
challenging standards for children
● Need for power (nPow)
○ readiness/preference for having an impact on people
