PSY 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Drive Theory, Economic Security, The Need

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 1101
• Professor: Najwa Haddad

Document Summary

Motivation: a need or a desire that directs and energizes behaviour; why we do what we do: motivation concepts. Psychologists took concepts from darwin"s evolution to apply it to psychology. According to these psychologists, behaviours are innate and instinctive. Instinct: complex behaviour that is unlearned instinctive behaviour may vary from one species to the next; the instinctive behaviour within the particular species are done the same way. The action patterns for an instinctive behaviour are the same. This theory fell out of favour because instinct was used to explain all human behaviour. The idea that some of our behaviours are innate or genetically determined is valid: drives and incentives. According to drive theory, we have biological needs and the satisfaction of these biological needs are what gets us to behave the way we do. When this biological need, we experience tension and arousal; this arousal drives us to go out and satisfy this biological need.