2 MOTIVATION AND EMOTION
Why do some people have the drive to become top athletes? (Chapter 5)
What is it that makes us avoid unpleasant situations? (Chapter 6)
Why do some (strange) people engage in ridiculously dangerous
activities? (Chapter 6)
These and other issues will be explained through an emphasis on the interaction
between internal and external factors in the determination of our behaviour; this
interaction will help us to understand the behaviours outlined above.
Therefore, the book will concern itself with the physiological processes
involved in bringing about changes in behaviour, in particular, autonomic
reactions involved in maintaining a stable internal environment (homeostasis).
But, it will also concern itself with the complex mental processes involved in
making an assessment of a particular external situation, before deciding how to
act.
As stated above, motivation is concerned with the complex processes that
move individuals towards some goal, to try and understand the forces that push
them into action. The idea of forces pushing us into action is generally linked to
the notion of biological drives and instincts, which compel us to adopt certain
forms of behaviour. However, if we see motivation as involving mental
processes then it appears to be linked more closely to cognitive factors, which
involve a logical assessment of the situation before we decide to act.
Whilst it may be biological drives that cause us to pull back from the edge of a
cliff when we get too close, there must be other factors involved in our decision
to throw ourselves off the top of a bridge with nothing but a piece of elastic tied
to our leg.
Theories of motivation
Theories of motivation centre on three distinct but often interrelated concepts:
• instinct/drive
• incentive
• arousal
Most explanations of motivated behaviour will make some reference to one or
other of these three.
Each of these will help to explain the main types of motives, which have been
identified by psychologists:
1. An instinctive desire to satisfy a specific physiological need or drive. For
example, consider the role of physiological drives in relation to eating and
drinking:
How do you know when you are hungry/thirsty?
