PSYC 2600 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: The Need, Abraham Maslow, Dwight Schrute
19 Jun 2018
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Week 6 Notes: Motives and Personality
Motives
Motive: an inner state that directs behaviour and has a specific goal
Example: we eat lunch because we are motivated by hunger, there is a tension, an imbalance in
our body
- A need causes tension, which motivates us to satisfy the need to reduce tension
Basic Concepts
- Motives are inner needs, people cannot see them, people see your action
- Some motives conscious, some are not
- There are techniques for bringing unconscious needs to the conscious
Henry Murray’s Theory of Needs
- A need organizes how you interpret the world so you are more likely to satisfy the need
Example: if you’re hungry you pick up on more food smells
- The process of reducing tension is the most satisfying, not the result
Example: it is the process of making the food, enjoying the food that is satisfying, not
being full
Pyramid:
- Certain needs are much stronger than others
- Food, shelter, sex, emotions
He look at the environment as a very important contributor to a person’s needs
- Press: a name for the environment that affects needs
Alpha Press: what every observer would describe, reality that everyone sees
Beta Press: perceived reality, reality changes based on needs
- Example: alpha press- who is in your group project
Beta press- everyone would see the group differently (who wants to make friends vs.
who wants to get a good grade)
- The motives of many behaviours are the core of values
Apperception: Act of Interpreting and perceiving meaning in the environment
- Your inner motivations affect how you interpret the outer world
TAT: people are given ambiguous pictures and asked to write a story about the characters
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Motive: an inner state that directs behaviour and has a specific goal. Example: we eat lunch because we are motivated by hunger, there is a tension, an imbalance in our body. A need causes tension, which motivates us to satisfy the need to reduce tension. Motives are inner needs, people cannot see them, people see your action. There are techniques for bringing unconscious needs to the conscious. A need organizes how you interpret the world so you are more likely to satisfy the need. Example: if you"re hungry you pick up on more food smells. The process of reducing tension is the most satisfying, not the result. Example: it is the process of making the food, enjoying the food that is satisfying, not being full. He look at the environment as a very important contributor to a person"s needs. Press: a name for the environment that affects needs. Alpha press: what every observer would describe, reality that everyone sees.
