BPCE 013 Motivation and Emotion PDF

Block-1 Introduction.
pdf
Block-2 Theories of Motivation.pdf
Block-3 Arousal, Stress and Motivation.pdf
Block-4 Emotions.pdf
Unit 1.pdf
Unit 2.pdf
Unit 3.pdf
Unit 4.pdf
UNIT 1 CONCEPT AND BASIC ISSUES
Structure
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Objectives
1.2 Concept of Motivation
1.2.1 Intrinsic Motivation
1.2.2 Extrinsic Motivation
1.2.3 Models of Behaviour Change
1.2.4 Unconscious Motivation
1.3 Basic Issues in Motivation

1.3.1 Aggressive Motivation
1.3.2 Achievement Motivation
1.4 Concept of Emotion

1.4.1 Unconscious Ideas
1.5 Basic Issues in Emotion

1.5.1 Emotion and Logic
1.5.2 Factors that Cause Emotions
1.5.3 Factors that Cause Thoughts
1.5.4 Emotions and Unconscious Thoughts
1.6 Let Us Sum Up

1.7 Unit End Questions
1.8 Suggested Readings
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Motivation is the activation or energisation of goal oriented behaviour. Motivation is
said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. It is to give reason, incentive, enthusiasm, or interest
that causes a specific action or certain behaviour. Motivation is present in every life
function. Simple acts such as eating are motivated by hunger. Education is motivated
by desire for knowledge. Motivators can be anything from reward to coercion.
Emotion is associated with mood, temperament, personality and disposition, and
motivation. Emotions are our feelings. We feel them in our bodies as tingles, hot
spots and muscular tension. There are cognitive aspects, but the physical sensation
is what makes them really different.
In this unit, we will discuss the concept and basic issues in motivation and emotion.
1.1 OBJECTIVES
After completing this unit, you will be able to:
 Define Motivation;
 Describe the characteristic features of motivation;
 Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation;
 Elucidate the models of behaviour change; 5
Introduction  Delineate the basic issues in motivation;
 Describe aggressive and achievement motivation;
 Define emotion;
 Describe the characteristics of emotion;
 Discuss the conscious and unconscious aspects of emotion;
 Delineate the basic issues in emotion; and
 Analyse the factors that cause emotions.
1.2 CONCEPT OF MOTIVATION

Motivation is the activation or energisation of goal oriented behaviour. It is to give
reason, incentive, enthusiasm, or interest that causes a specific action or certain
behaviour. Motivation is present in every life function. Simple acts such as eating are
motivated by hunger. Education is motivated by desire for knowledge. Motivators
can be anything from reward to coercion.
According to various theories, motivation may be rooted in the basic need to minimise
physical pain and maximise pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating
and resting, or a desired object, hobby, goal, state of being, ideal, or it may be
attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism, selfishness, morality, or avoiding
mortality. Conceptually, motivation should not be confused with either volition or
optimism. Motivation is related to, but distinct from, emotion.
Motivation is a general term applied to the entire class of drives, desires, needs,
wishes and similar forces. To say that managers motivate their subordinates is to say
that they do those things which they hope will satisfy these drives and desires and
induce the subordinates to act in a desired manner.
To motivate others is the most important of management tasks. It comprises the
abilities to communicate, to set an example, to challenge, to encourage, to obtain
feedback, to involve, to delegate, to develop and train, to inform, to brief and to
provide a just reward.
In the initial period a person starts feeling a kind of emptiness. There is an arousal
of need so urgent, that the bearer has to venture in search to satisfy it. This leads
to creation of tension, which urges the person to forget everything else and cater to
the aroused need first. This tension also creates drives and attitudes regarding the
type of satisfaction that is desired. This leads a person to venture into the search of
information. This ultimately leads to evaluation of alternatives where the best alternative
is chosen. After choosing the alternative, an action is taken. Because of the
performance of the activity satisfaction is achieved which then relieves the tension in
the individual.
Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is internal. It occurs
when people are compelled to do something out of pleasure, importance, or desire.
Extrinsic motivation occurs when external factors compel the person to do something.
However, many theories show reward motivation. For example: “I will give you a
candy bar if you clean your room.”
A common place that we see the need to apply motivation is in the work place. In
the work force, we can see motivation play a key role in leadership success. A
person unable to grasp motivation and apply it will not become or stay a leader.
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Salary, benefits, working conditions, supervision, policy, safety, security, affiliation, Co nce pt and Basic Issues
and relationships are all externally motivated needs. Achievement, advancement,

recognition, growth, responsibility, and job nature are internal motivators. They occur
when the person motivates himself (after external motivation needs are met).
Another area in which motivation plays a key role is in education. A teacher who
implements motivational techniques will see an increased participation, effort, and
higher grades. Part of the teacher’s job is to provide an environment that is
motivationally charged. This environment accounts for students who lack their own
internal motivation. One of the first places people begin to set goals for themselves
is in school. School is where we are most likely to learn the correlation between
goals, and the definition of motivation.

Intrinsic motivation is internal. It occurs when people are compelled to do something
out of pleasure, importance, or desire. This form of motivation has been studied by
social and educational psychologists since the early 1970s. Intrinsic motivation has
been explained by Fritz Heider’s attribution theory, Bandura’s work on self-efficacy,
and Ryan and Deci’s cognitive evaluation theory.
Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they:
1) attribute their educational results to internal factors that they can control (e.g. the
amount of effort they put in),
2) believe they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are
not determined by luck),
3) are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good
grades.
Intrinsic motivation and the 16 basic desires theory
Professor Steven Reiss has proposed a theory that finds 16 basic desires that guide
nearly all human behaviours. The desires are:
Acceptance, the need for approval Physical Activity, the need for
Curiosity, the need to learn exercise
Eating, the need for food Power, the need for influence of will
Family, the need to raise children Romance, the need for sex
Honor, the need to be loyal to the Saving, the need to collect
traditional values of one's clan/ethnic Social Contact, the need for friends
group (peer relationships)
Idealism, the need for social justice Status, the need for social
Independence, the need for standing/importance
individuality Tranquility, the need to be safe
Order, the need for organised, stable, Vengeance, the need to strike back/ to
predictable environments win
In this model, people differ in these basic desires. These basic desires represent
intrinsic desires that directly motivate a person’s behaviour, and not aimed at indirectly
satisfying other desires. People may also be motivated by non-basic desires, but in
this case this does not relate to deep motivation, or only as a means to achieve other
basic desires.
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Introduction 1.2.2 Extrinsic Motivation
It comes from outside of the individual. Money is one of the obvious example, but
coercion and threat of punishment are also common extrinsic motivations.
While competing, the crowd may cheer on the performer, which may motivate him
or her to do well. Trophies are also extrinsic incentives. Competition is in general are
extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not to enjoy
the intrinsic rewards of the activity.
Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards can lead to
overjustification and a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation. In one study
demonstrating this effect, children who expected to be (and were) rewarded with a
ribbon and a gold star for drawing pictures spent less time playing with the drawing
materials in subsequent observations than children who were assigned to an unexpected
reward condition and to children who received no extrinsic reward.
1.2.3 Models of Behaviour Change

Social cognitive models of behaviour change include the constructs of motivation and
volition. Motivation is seen as a process that leads to the forming of behavioural
intentions. Volition is seen as a process that leads from intention to actual behaviour.
In other words, motivation and volition refer to goal setting and goal pursuit,
respectively. Both processes require self-regulatory efforts. Several self-regulatory
constructs are needed to operate in orchestration to attain goals. An example of such
a motivational and volitional construct is perceived self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is
supposed to facilitate the forming of behavioural intentions, the development of action
plans, and the initiation of action. It can support the translation of intentions into
action.
1.2.4 Unconscious Motivation

Some psychologists believe that a significant portion of human behaviour is energised
and directed by unconscious motives. According to Maslow, “Psychoanalysis has
often demonstrated that the relationship between a conscious desire and the ultimate
unconscious aim that underlies it need not be at all direct”. In other words, stated
motives do not always match those inferred by skilled observers.
For example, it is possible that a person can be accident-prone because he has an
unconscious desire to hurt himself and not because he is careless or ignorant of the
safety rules. Similarly, some overweight people are not hungry at all for food but for
fighting and kissing. Eating is merely a defensive reaction to lack of attention. Some
workers damage more equipment than others do because they harbor unconscious
feelings of aggression toward authority figures.
Psychotherapists point out that some behaviour is so automatic that the reasons for
it are not available in the individual’s conscious mind. Compulsive cigarette smoking
is an example. Sometimes maintaining self-esteem is so important and the motive for
an activity is so threatening that it is simply not recognised and, in fact, may be
disguised or repressed. Rationalisation, or “explaining away”, is one such disguise,
or defense mechanism, as it is called. Another is projecting or attributing one’s own
faults to others. “I feel I am to blame”, becomes “It is her fault; she is selfish”.
Repression of powerful but socially unacceptable motives may result in outward
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behaviour that is the opposite of the repressed tendencies. An example of this would Co nce pt and Basic Issues
be the employee who hates his boss but overworks himself on the job to show that
he holds him in high regard.
Unconscious motives add to the hazards of interpreting human behaviour and, to the
extent that they are present, complicate the life of the administrator. On the other
hand, knowledge that unconscious motives exist can lead to a more careful assessment
of behavioural problems. Although few contemporary psychologists deny the existence
of unconscious factors, many do believe that these are activated only in times of
anxiety and stress, and that in the ordinary course of events, human behaviour —
from the subject’s point of view — is rationally purposeful.
Self Assessment Questions
1) Define Motivation in your words.
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2) Give True (T) or False (F) for the following statements:
a) Motivation is present in every life situation _______.
b) Intrinsic Motivation is when a person is compelled from outside to do
something ____________.
c) Motivation is process which leads to the forming of behavioural intentions
__________.
d) Rationalisation is not the defense mechanism used for unconscious
motivation ____________.
3) Give one word for the following sentence:
a) When a person is compelled from an external force to do something is
called_________________.
b) A process that leads from intentions to actual behaviour _____________.
c) It can support a translation of intentions into action ___________.
d) It is her fault; she is selfish ________________.
1.3 BASIC ISSUES IN MOTIVATION

Nearly all the conscious behaviour of human being is motivated. The internal needs
and drives lead to tensions, which in turn result into actions. The need for food results
into hunger and hence a person is motivated to eat.
A manager requires creating and maintaining an environment in which individuals
work together in groups towards the accomplishment of common objectives. A
manager cannot do a job without knowing what motivates people. The building of
motivating factors into organisational roles, the staffing of these roles and the entire
process of leading people must be built on knowledge of motivation.
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Introduction It is necessary to remember that level of motivation varies both between individuals
and within individuals at different times. Today in the increasingly competitive
environment maintaining a highly motivated workforce is the most challenging task.
The art of motivation starts by learning how to influence the behaviour of the individual.
This understanding helps to achieve both, the individual as well as organisational
objectives.
Motivation is a powerful tool in the hands of leaders. It can persuade convince and
propel. People to act.
1.3.1 Aggressive Motivation

Aggressive motivation or the desires to inflict harm on others, play an all too common
role in human behaviour. While human beings don’t always express aggressive
motivation overtly (often they simply fantasize about such behaviour), they often do
engage in various forms of aggression against others-effort to harm them in some
manner.
Most psychologists believe that aggression is elicited by a wide range of external
events and stimuli. In other words, it is often “pulled” from without rather than
“pushed” or driven from within by irresistible, perhaps inherited tendencies. The
incidence of aggression suggest that such behaviour is strongly influenced by social
and cultural factors, and that even it stems in part from innate tendencies, these are
less important than social conditions and other factors. This is not to imply that
biological or genetic factors play no role in human aggression, but most experts agree
that aggression is influenced more strongly by a wide range of situational factors that
evoke its occurrence and shape its form and targets than by inherited tendencies or
mechanisms.
Social Factors: The chances are good that your aggressive motivation stemmed
from the actions of another person. For instance, the other person may have done
something that blocked or thwarted you from reaching your goals, in other words,
this person may have frustrated you. Frustration can be viewed as the major cause
of aggression. Frustration is the blocking of ongoing and goal directed behaviour.
Frustration does not always produce aggression. Aggression does not always stem
form frustration, often, individual aggress against others because it is part of their role
or job, not because they are feeling frustrated (for example, treatment of a police
officer towards the thief).
Another social factor that often plays an important role in aggression is direct
provocation from another person. Verbal insult or physical actions interpreted as
aggressive in nature often lead the party on the receiving end to reciprocate, with the
result that a powerful spiral of aggression-counter aggression can develop. Exposure
to violence in media- television, movies, and so on, has been found to increase
aggression on the part of viewers.

Hunger, sex, aggression-these are motives we share with many other forms of life.
There are some motives, however, that appear to be unique to our own species.
Achievement motivation (often termed as need for motivation) is the desire to
accomplish difficult tasks and to excel. Individuals differ greatly in the desire for
achievement is obvious. For some persons, accomplishing difficult tasks and meeting
high standards of excellence are extremely important; whereas for others, just getting
10 by is quite enough.
Persons high in achievement differ from persons low in this motive in other respects Co nce pt and Basic Issues
too. Persons high in achievement motivation tend to prefer tasks that are moderately
difficult and challenging. The reason why they tend to avoid very easy tasks is that
such tasks don’t pose enough challenge to the persons with high in achievement
motivation. These persons prefer difficult tasks because chance of failing on extremely
difficult tasks is too high, and such persons want success above everything else.
Another characteristic of persons high in achievement motivation is that they have a
stronger than average desire for feedback on their performance. They want to know
how well they are doing so they can adjust their goals to make these challenging-
but not impossible. Because of this desire fore feedback, persons high in achievement
motivation tend to prefer jobs in which rewards are closely related to individual
performance-merit based pay system. They generally don’t like working in situations
where everyone receives the same-across the – board raises regardless of their
performance. They tend to excel under conditions in which their achievement motive
is activated. Situations in which they are challenged to do their best, are confronted
with difficult goals, or in which they complete against others are “grist for the mill”
of high- achievement persons, and they generally rise to the occasion in terms of
excellent performance.
1) Define and discuss aggressive motivation. Give appropriate examples.
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2) What is achievement motivation? What are the important characteristic features
of achievement motivation?
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1.4 CONCEPT OF EMOTION

Emotions are reactions consisting of subjective cognitive states, physiological reactions
and expressive behaviours.
motivation. A related distinction is between the emotion and the results of the
emotion, principally behaviours and emotional expressions. People often behave in
certain ways as a direct result of their emotional state, such as crying, fighting or
fleeing. If one can have the emotion without the corresponding behaviour, then we
may consider the behaviour not to be essential to the emotion. Neuroscientific research
suggests that there is a “magic quarter second” during which it’s possible to catch
a thought before it becomes an emotional reaction. In that instant, one can catch a
feeling before allowing it to take hold.
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Introduction There are basic and complex categories, where some basic emotions can be modified
in some way to form complex emotions (for example, Paul). In one model, the
complex emotions could arise from cultural conditioning or association combined
with the basic emotions. Alternatively, analogous to the way primary colours combine,
primary emotions could blend to form the full spectrum of human emotional
experience. For example interpersonal anger and disgust could blend to form contempt.
Robert Plutchik proposed a three-dimensional “circumplex model” which describes
the relations among emotions. This model is similar to a colour wheel. The vertical
dimension represents intensity, and the circle represents degrees of similarity among
the emotions. He posited eight primary emotion dimensions arranged as four pairs
of opposites. Some have also argued for the existence of meta-emotions which are
emotions about emotions.
Another important means of distinguishing emotions concerns their occurrence in
time. Some emotions occur over a period of seconds (for example, surprise), whereas
others can last years (for example, love). The latter could be regarded as a long term
tendency to have an emotion regarding a certain object rather than an emotion
proper (though this is disputed). A distinction is then made between emotion episodes
and emotional dispositions.
Dispositions are also comparable to character traits, where someone may be said to
be generally disposed to experience certain emotions, though about different objects.
For example an irritable person is generally disposed to feel irritation more easily or
quickly than others do. Finally, some theorists (for example, Klaus Scherer, 2005)
place emotions within a more general category of ‘affective states’ where affective
states can also include emotion-related phenomena such as pleasure and pain,
motivational states (for example, hunger or curiosity), moods, dispositions and traits.
1.4.1 Unconscious Ideas

The mental concept that is associated with an emotion actually creates the boundaries
of that emotion. If the mental concept changes, the emotion does not change; instead,
it fades away and a different emotion arises, one that fits the current mental concept.
The mental concepts of emotions are not normally a part of our awareness. Emotions
are not unique to any particular individual, so the mental concepts that underlie them
come from the unconscious mind. Since the mental concepts are unconscious they
are extremely difficult to identify. The mental concept is normally unconscious, so it
is called as an unconscious concept or an unconscious idea.
An emotion is not unique to any particular individual, so the mental concept that
underlies it comes from the unconscious mind.
Now an unconscious idea has two values: it is good or it is bad. The good value
generates the pleasant feeling, the bad value the unpleasant feeling. This division leads
to two choices. One choice gives rise to one emotion, the other choice to its
complement. In general, emotion is an unconscious idea powered by either a pleasant
or an unpleasant feeling.
1) Define emotions.
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2) Elucidate the following terms:
a) Primary emotions
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b) Circumplex model
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c) Disposition
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d) Unconscious idea
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1.5 BASIC ISSUES IN EMOTION

1.5.1 Emotion and Logic
Some things in life cause people to feel, these are called emotional reactions. Some
things in life cause people to think, these are sometimes called logical or intellectual
reactions. Thus life is divided between things that make you feel and things that make
you think. The question is, if someone is feeling, does that mean that they are thinking
less? It probably does. If part of your brain is being occupied by feeling, then it
makes sense that you have less capacity for thought. That is obvious if you take
emotional extremes, such as crying, where people can barely think at all. This does
not mean that emotional people are not intelligent; it just means that they might be
dumber during the times in which they are emotional. Emotion goes on and off for
everyone, sometimes people cry, and sometimes they are completely serious.
1.5.2 Factors that Cause Emotions

Some things in life can identifiably cause more emotion than other things.
1) Colour causes more emotion than black and white. So anything with more
colour in it is going to be more emotional to look at, whether it is the difference
between a gold or silver sword, or a gold or silver computer. In both cases the
gold is going to be more emotional.
2) Things that are personal are emotional, personal things that people like and that
they feel are “close” to them. Things like home or anything someone likes
actually. After all that is a definition of emotion, something that causes feeling.
So if you like it, it is probably going to cause more feeling.
3) Other things aside from liking something could cause emotions from it, such as 13
Introduction curiosity, but usually like is one of the stronger emotions. You could say that the
two are directly proportional, the more you like something, the more it is going
to cause feeling.
1.5.3 Factors that Cause Thoughts

Thoughts are separate from emotions because thought is a period of thinking and
thought requires more concentration than feeling does. You can be emotional and
have more attention, but usually if you are emotional you are going to be less
attentive than you would be if you were thinking more.
Then again, if you are emotional you are being attentive to your emotions, whatever
they may be, and if your emotions are on something like the sun, then when you see
the sun you are going to be attentive to it, but not be thinking about it. So you can
pay attention to something and not be thinking about it at the same time. Thought is
more attention than emotions.
So, the more you like something (or hate something, or have any strong emotional
reaction to anything), the more emotional it is, but that doesn’t mean that it might not
also cause you to think about it.
There are other factors involved, things like adrenaline and physical action, which
might also cause increased attention that is not either emotional or thoughtful. When
you are running you have a lot of attention on the fact that you are running, and
you’re not thinking about it or being emotional about it. This means that just because
you like something, does not mean that it is emotional. Liking can be just objective
and rational. There may be no emotions in it.
Thus once you find out what is causing the emotion, it is no longer an emotion, but
it is a thought (that is, you now call the emotion a thought, so the thought is still
probably generating emotion. In your mind then there is still an emotion, but this
emotion is now “part” of a thought, it becomes part of the thought associated with
it because you created this link, and hence you would call the emotion/thought just
a thought because while thoughts can generate emotions, emotions cannot generate
thoughts (by themselves). Unless you realise what the emotion is (then you are
generating the thought, not the emotion generating it), you are realising that it is a
thought, not an emotion. This realisation takes over and now the emotion is part of
that realisation (because you consider the emotion a part of you, and you generated
the realisation), instead of the realisation being a part of the emotion.
1.5.4 Emotions and Unconscious Thoughts

Thus, emotional things are really any feelings that cause unconscious or conscious
thought. Feeling is also another word for unconscious thought. That then leads to the
conclusion that thought can be emotional (because thoughts are going to be about
things that can cause emotion). I think that emotions can be more emotional than
thought, however, because emotions can contain more than one thought (while thoughts
are very slow consciously), therefore causing it to cause more feeling, or be more
emotional. While you can only express a few thoughts a minute, your emotions can
contain endless numbers of thoughts per minute – they are not as exact and hence
don’t make as much sense as thoughts do.
Both feelings and emotions are composed of unconscious thoughts, but feelings are
easier to identify than emotions. Feelings are faster than emotions in terms of response
(the response time of the feeling, how fast it responds to real world stimulation) and
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it takes less time to recognise feelings because they are faster. Feelings are closer
to sensory stimulation, that is if you touch something, you feel it and that is a fast Co nce pt and Basic Issues
reaction. You care about the feeling so you can separate it out in your head from the
other feelings. “You care” if this is translated into feelings, the feeling is intense, so
you feel it and can identify it easily.
Emotion can be “any strong feeling”. Basic (or primary) emotions can be made up
of secondary emotions like love. Love can contain feelings or emotions of lust, love
and longing. Feelings can be described in more detail than emotions because you can
have a specific feeling for anything, each feeling is unique and might not have a name.
For instance, if you are upset by one person that might have its own feeling because
that person upsets you in a certain way. That feeling doesn’t have a defined name
because it is your personal feeling. The feeling may also be an emotion, say anger.
“Upset” is probably too weak to be an emotion, but that doesn’t mean that it is not
strong like emotions. Cold is also just a feeling.
There is a large overlap between how feelings feel and how emotions feel, they are
to a large extent similar in nature. So there are only a few defined emotions, but there
are an infinite number ways of feeling things. You can have a “small” emotion of hate
and you could say that you have the feeling ‘hate’, then, if it is large you could say
you are being emotional about hate, or are experiencing the emotion ‘hate’. You can
have the same emotion of hate in different situations, but each time the feeling is going
to be at least slightly different.
You can recognise any feeling that is what makes it a feeling. If you are sad that is
a feeling, but if you are depressed that isn’t a feeling it is more like an emotion. You
can’t identify why you are depressed but you can usually identify why you are sad.
Feelings are more immediate, if something happens or is happening, it is going to
result in a feeling.
However, if something happened a long time ago, you are going to think about it
unconsciously and that is going to bring up unconscious feelings (the reason the things
that happened previously are going to be more similar to emotion than things that are
happening currently is that sensory stimulation (or things happening currently) is a lot
closer to feelings than things that are less linked to direct sensory stimulation (such
as emotions which are therefore usually going to be about things which require
memory to figure out, things like thoughts that are less like feelings and more like
emotion)). So emotions are unconscious feelings that are the result of mostly
unconscious thoughts (instead of feelings – a feeling can trigger an emotion, but it
isn’t a part of it). Feeling defined there as something you can identify. Also, you can’t
identify the unconscious thought that caused the unconscious feeling, but you can
identify the unconscious feeling itself (aka emotion).
Another aspect of unconscious thought, emotion, or unconscious feeling (all three are
the same) is that it tends to be mixed into the rest of your system because it is
unconscious. If it was conscious then it remains as an individual feeling, but in its
unconscious form you confuse it with the other emotions and feelings and it affects
your entire system. For example, in the case of sadness and a depression, a depression
lowers your mood and affects all your feelings and emotions, but sadness is just that
individual feeling. So the reason that the depression affects all your other feelings is
because you can no longer recognise the individual sad emotions that caused it. The
feelings become mixed. If someone can identify the reason they are sad then they
become no longer depressed, just sad. Once they forget that was the reason they
are depressed however, they will become depressed again.
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Introduction Emotions, feelings and thoughts are made up of real experiences. A thought isn’t just
a thing in your head, but it is something that has components that are real in the
world. Those things might be sounds (when you think about someone speaking, you
make that sound in your head). A sound in your head is just like a sound in reality,
you are mimicking the emotion that the sound in reality is causing in your head by
yourself, without having the real sound be there. Just try it and think about any sound,
it produces the same emotions as when the sound itself occurred outside your head.
So when you think about an emotion you are intensifying the feeling of those real
experiences.
1) Discuss the basic concept of emotions.
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2) What are the factors that cause emotions?
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3) Discuss the emotions in terms of unconscious thoughts.
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4) Discuss and differentiate between emotions and feelings.
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1.6 LET US SUM UP

Motivation is the activation or energisation of goal-oriented behaviour. It is to give
reason, incentive, enthusiasm, or interest that causes a specific action or certain
behaviour. The internal needs and drives lead to tensions, which in turn result into
actions. The need for food results into hunger and hence a person is motivated to
eat. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is internal. It
occurs when people are compelled to do something out of pleasure, importance, or
16
desire. Extrinsic motivation occurs when external factors compel the person to do Co nce pt and Basic Issues
something. It comes from outside of the performer. Motivation is seen as a process

that leads to the forming of behavioural intentions. Motivation and volition refer to
goal setting and goal pursuit, respectively. Both processes require self-regulatory
efforts. Aggressive motivation or the desires to inflict harm on others, play an all too
common role in human behaviour. Achievement motivation (often termed as need for
motivation) is the desire to accomplish difficult tasks and to excel.
Emotions are reactions consisting of subjective cognitive states, physiological reactions
and expressive behaviours. Emotion is associated with mood, temperament,
personality and disposition, and motivation. An emotion is not unique to any
particular individual, so the mental concept that underlies it comes from the unconscious
mind. In general, emotion is an unconscious idea powered by either a pleasant or an
unpleasant feeling. Emotion can be “any strong feeling”. Unconscious thought, emotion,
or unconscious feeling (all three are the same) is that it tends to be mixed into the
rest of your system because it is unconscious. Unconscious thought, emotion, or
unconscious feeling (all three are the same) is that it tends to be mixed into the rest
of your system because it is unconscious.
1.7 UNIT END QUESTIONS

1) What are the different types of motivation?
2) What is intrinsic motivation a? Differentiate intrinsic from extrinsic motivation
3) How does unconscious motivation influence our behaviour?
4) What are the basic issues in motivation?
5) Discuss motivation in terms of causative factors.
6) What are emotions, discuss the various types of emotions.
7) Discuss emotions, feelings and thoughts. How do these impact on human
behaviours?
1.8 SUGGESTED READINGS

Erikson Erik (1993). Childhood and Society New York, W.W.Norton & Co.
Franken, R (2001). Human Motivation (5th edition) Pacific Grove, CA., Brooks/
Cole
Gorman, Phil (2004). Motivation and Emotion Routledge, East Sussex.
McClelland, D(1985). Human Motivation New York, Scott Forseman
17
UNIT 2 DEFINITION OF MOTIVATION AND
EMOTION
Structure
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Objectives
2.2 Definition and Meaning of Motivation
2.2.1 Characteristics of Motivation
2.2.2 Categories of Motives
2.3 Theories of Motivation

2.3.1 Biological Explanation: Instinct Theory
2.3.2 Drive Reduction Theory
2.3.3 Arousal Theory
2.3.4 Incentive Theory
2.3.5 Rotter’s Expectancy Value Theory
2.3.6 Psychological Explanations of Motivation
2.3.7 Maslows Hierarchy of Needs
2.4 Types of Motivation

2.4.1 Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
2.5 Definition and Meaning of Emotion

2.5.1 Elements of Emotion
2.5.2 Characteristics of Emotion
2.5.3 Theories of Emotion
2.5.4 Non-Verbal Expression of Emotion
2.6 Emotion and Feeling

2.7 Let Us Sum Up
2.0 INTRODUCTION
Motivation is defined as an inner state of need or desire. That state of desire creates
a movement or activity towards satisfying that desire. It depends to some degree
upon whether we look at the internal forces, or the resultant external behaviours.
Motivation is present in every life function. Simple acts such as eating are motivated
by hunger. Education is motivated by desire for knowledge.
motivation. An affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, hate, or
the like, is experienced, as distinguished from cognitive and volitional states of
consciousness.
This unit will define motivation and emotion. We would discuss the meaning of
motivation and emotion in an individual’s life. We will present the categories of
motives, theories of motivation and types of motivation. There will be a discussion
18 on intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. This is followed by a section on emotions. We
define and describe emotions and its characteristic features. We then differentiate De finitio n o f M otiv ation
and Emotion
between emotions and feelings.
2.1 OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you will be able to:
 Define motivation;
 Describe the characteristics of motivation;
 Elucidate the theories of motivation;
 Explain the types of motivation;
 Define and conceptualise emotions;
 Describe the characteristics of emotions; and
 Differentiate between emotions and feelings.
2.2 DEFINITION AND MEANING OF MOTIVATION

Motivation refers to complex reactions consisting of:
1) physiological responses such as changes in blood pressure and heart rate;
2) the subjective feelings we describe as happiness, anger, sorrow, disgust and so
on; and
3) expressive reactions that reflect these internal states, such as changes in facial
expression or posture.
Motivation is simply the reason for an action and that which gives purpose and
direction to behaviour. Motivation is “WHAT drives you” to behave in a certain way
or to take a particular action. It is your WHY.
Do you know the definition of motivation? More importantly, do you know why you
need to know?
The definition of motivation is to give reason, incentive, enthusiasm, or interest that
causes a specific action or certain behaviour. Motivation is present in every life
function.
Simple acts such as eating are motivated by hunger.
Education is motivated by desire for knowledge.
Motivators can be anything from reward to coercion.
Motivation is defined as communicating to an internal force that actuates a behavioural
pattern, thought process, action or reaction. Negative forces or positive forces can
act as actuators.
In general it could include but is not limited to the use of words, circumstances,
situations, and external and internal forces.
2.2.1 Characteristics of Motivation

There are many theories and labels that serve as sub tittles to the definition of
motivation. For example: “I will give you a candy bar if you clean your room.” This
is an example of reward motivation. 19
Introduction Motivation is an important element of self understanding, it is helpful to know your
reasons for those life paths which you choose to follow. Many people know motivation
as the driving force behind an action.
Motivation is the way you interact with the world, in fact your whole reason for doing
anything is determined by what motivates you. It is why you do something.
The state of motivation is in fact a time of being motivated. The definition of this
simply means having an incentive to do something, maybe to go somewhere, maybe
even to improve ourselves as a person. Incentives create motivation. There are a
number of ways you can describe the definition of motivation. For example, motivation
is something that encourages.
Therefore the definition of motivation can include things such as encouragement,
stimulation and inspiration. These things are all definitions of motivation. Another
known definition of motivation is: something that creates a given response. Or a
further definition of motivation is a basis used for an action or decision to be made.
Motivation deals with the question as to why we do what we do. The answer to
this is that we do what we do because of our instincts, drives, arousal or excitement,
incentives of goals, achievement, for power, affiliation or friendship and for self
fulfillment. Psychologists define motivation as the internal and external factors that
cause and direct behaviour. As a psychological concept, “motive” is proposed as
a unifying link between stimuli and behaviour.
2.2.2 Categories of Motives

Motives can be divided into four categories, viz., biological, emotional, cognitive and
social.
i) Biological motives: Biological motives include hunger, thirst, the pursuit of
pleasure, and the avoidance of pain. An early attempt to specify how these
motives affect animal behaviour was the ambitious theory of Clark Hull. Hull
tried to explain all human and animal motivation using mathematical formulas.
Hull borrowed from the concept of homeostasis or biological regulation. His
assumption that biological motives followed the pattern of homeostasis is reflected
in modern concepts such as the set-point for fat regulation.
ii) Emotional motives: Things like having the desire to know that you can always
have someone to talk to and share things with. To be able to open up to others
and communicate. Emotional motives imply the selection of goals according
to personal or subjective criteria
iii) Cognitive motives: Influence of implicit motivation on both basic and complex
cognitive processes in the stages of attention and encoding as well as rehearsal,
organisation, and retrieval. Data from narrative essays as well as experimentally
controlled studies demonstrate that individual differences in implicit motives have
an influence on each step of learning and memory processes. Implicit motives
influence the cognitive processing of motive-related information to facilitate desired
affective end states.
iv) Social motives: Social motives are when people do or give things because
they feel they have a sense of responsibility to their community. People with
social motives may have endured racial discrimination, poverty or may want to
live in a selfless way. The five social motives are:
20
1) Belonging: People are motivated to affiliate and bond with each other. De finitio n o f M otiv ation
and Emotion
2) Understanding: to belong, people are motivated to create an accurate-enough

shared social understanding.
3) Controlling: People are motivated to feel competitive and effective in their
dealings with the animate and inanimate environment.
4) Enhancing Self: Hoping that other will see you as socially worthy fits the core
social motive of enhancing self.
5) Trusting: Viewing the world as benevolent enables people to participate in
many group activities without undue suspicion or vigilance.
1) Define motivation and bring out the mean ing of motivation.
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2) What are the characteristics of motivation?
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3) What are the various categories of motives?
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2.3 THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

2.3.1 Biological Explanations: Instinct Theory
Some of the first theories of motivation attributed behaviour to instincts, in born
patterns of behaviour.
One scheme from the 1920’s listed the following instincts in humans:
acquisitiveness escape mating rivalry submission

cleanliness fear modesty secretiveness sympathy
combativeness food-seeking parental love self-assertion
constructiveness hunting play shyness
curiosity jealousy repulsion sociability
21
Introduction The complexity and variety of behaviour along with the undeniable role of learning
and other environmental factors were taken as arguments against instinct theory.
A more useful definition emerged in the 1950’s: An instinct is an adaptive pattern of
behaviour formed by an interaction of genetics and ordinary developmental processes.
An instinct is not invariant, but is widespread and similar among members of a
species.
Culture and learning are often cited as alternatives to instinct, but they are not. If we
do not define instinct as behaviour which excludes learning or memory, we may just
as easily possess instincts that allow humans to learn and form culture. Primary
reinforcers can be thought of as instinctively reinforcing.

We act so as to reduce the push exerted by drives, internal stimuli that represent
biological needs. This is reasonable to the extent that our behaviour helps us to
maintain homeostasis, or a steady biological state. When some internal system is out
of balance, a drive builds up to force behaviour that restores balance. For example,
if you are cold, you put on a sweater or turn up the heat. This explanation suits basic
behaviours related to basic needs, such as food and water.
Still, our behaviour is not always consistent with our drives. You may be hungry right
now, but you’re not eating. Perhaps the biggest hole in this theory is that some
behaviours do not decrease internal tensions, they increase them. Thus the next
theory:

Arousal is a term used for a general state of physiological activation. You could think
of it as the extent to which your body and mind are “revved up.” Arousal theory
holds that we act so as to bring about an optimal level of arousal. When we are too
aroused (e.g, hungry) we act to reduce arousal (eg., eat).
When we are not aroused enough (e.g., bored), we act to increase arousal (e.g.,
read a book).
The idea that there is an optimal level of arousal has some support from the
observations underlying the Yerkes-Dodson law. The graph of performance vs arousal
is an inverted U: Performance improves with increased arousal up to a point, then
it drops off. Optimum performance on an easy task occurs at a higher level of
arousal than on a difficult task.
Hence, your ability to do a menial job may actually be improved by having music
on, and so forth. In contrast, a difficult task will require less distraction.

Arousal theory focuses on internal stimuli. Incentive theory holds that certain external
stimuli act as incentives, pulling us toward some behaviour. Incentives are pleasing
external stimuli that can serve as goals toward which our behaviour is directed.
Cognitive factors are thought to be important relative to incentives.
2.3.5 Rotter’s Expectancy Value Theory

This theory proposes that a particular stimulus exerts a pull based on its value to us
and our expectation of achieving it through some course of action.
22
We evaluate behaviour based on: (1) What we expect the outcome to be and (2) De finitio n o f M otiv ation
and Emotion
the value we place on that outcome. This theory places cognitive variables between
stimulus and response. Our behaviour is not influenced entirely by the history of
reinforcement (as Skinner proposed). Rather, our expectation of reinforcement guides
us.
2.3.6 Psychological Explanations of Motivation

a) Sensation seeking: Thrill seeking may be a trait (stable, measurable personal
atrribute). Thrill seekers actually are motivated by a desire for new experiences.
They do not necessarily like danger per se, but rather are simply not deterred
by danger. Thrill seekers tend to be independent free thinkers. Thrill seekers
resist authority but are not more antisocial (e.g, criminal).
b) Competence and achievement: People motivated by a need to demonstrate
competence have a desire to be capable and exercise control. Individuals can
be motivated by achievement. Achieving a goal may be an incentive. Achievement-
motivated individuals seek competition or at least comparison interested in
knowing the score. High achievement motivation is correlated with typical success:
money, prestige, good job, etc.
c) Self-efficacy: This is defined by Albert Bandura as the degree to which an
individual perceives himself or herself able to meet the demands of a given
situation. Those with high self-efficacy often have a high motivation to succeed
and are able to pick suitable challenges.
2.3.7 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow synthesized a number of different theories
into a hierarchy of needs. If and only if our needs at a lower level are met, we can
be motivated by higher level needs. Once we are fed, safe, loved, and accomplished,
we strive to be all that we can be. This theory is intuitively appealing, but is difficult
to validate experimentally. Maslow himself admitted that self actualisation is difficult
to achieve, even difficult to define.
Employee motivation and satisfaction: Freedom and control lead to both improved
morale and higher productivity. Employees do best when they:
 have input into decisions that affect them
 are challenged by their work
 are cross trained
 are made responsible and held accountable for their work (though one without
the other can be a problem)
 are applauded for their efforts
 Clearly defined goals that are important and meaningful to employees are most
helpful in improving performance and motivation.
“WHY” is the strong reason for a person to desire something? It is not what the
person desire, but the strong reason that the person desires it. For example, if a
person wants to stop working and go into business for himself here are some
possible explanations:
 The person desires to have his own business
23
 His reason to be independent,
Introduction  To have more time for your family
 To have more time to pursue his dreams.
So you see that your WHY often goes beyond the physical objectives themselves.
The person’s why often satisfies a psychological need. That is important. If his reason
for doing something is just material (e.g. to own a Mercedes or have a huge house),
it is unlikely to see him through the difficult times to achieving his dreams.
His WHY has to look beyond the physical? It has to be from deep within. That way
when the going gets tough, his WHY will see him through it because it is a strong,
burning reason? It is a reason that will stand strong in the face of opposition.
If the person’s reason for wanting something is strong enough, then it would motivate
him to do something about it. It would not necessarily require him to know how to
achieve it, pursue it. It has often been said that when a person desires something
strongly enough the whole universe conspires to bring about the circumstances,
people and resources he will need to achieve that purpose.
Negative and positive motivational forces could include coercion, desire, fear, influence
and need. Depending on how coercion, fear and influence are framed, they could be
either negative or positive forces that act as actuators. For instance a fear (negative
force) of bodily injury could be a motivation to implement the use of safety equipment
(positive force).
1) Elucidate the theories of motivation.
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2) Give the biological theory of motivation and elucidate the instinct theory.
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3) What are drive reduction theory of motivation? Explain.
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4) Describe arousal theory of motivation.
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24 .....................................................................................................................
De finitio n o f M otiv ation
and Emotion
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5) Present the psychological explanation of motivation.
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2.4 TYPES OF MOTIVATION

These forces can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic is when the force comes
from within oneself. Extrinsic is when the external forces, positive or negative, produce
a behavioural change.
Definition of Motivation of the Extrinsic Kind
Extrinsic motivation would include circumstances, situations, rewards or punishment,
both tangible and intangible that participation in results in an external benefit.
Tangible benefits could include monetary reward or a prize. Intangible could include
things like adoration, recognition, and praise.
Definition of Motivation of the Intrinsic Kind
Intrinsic motivation would include involvement in behavioural pattern, thought process,
action, activity or reaction for its own sake and without an obvious external incentive
for doing so. A hobby is an example.
If a person is desirous of mastering public speaking for the sake of mastery and not
any reward, then it may be said that the person has experienced intrinsic motivation.
In addition to forces that produce an actuation, there is a need to have the ability
to fulfill the motivation.
For example, a paraplegic may have the desire to get out of a wheelchair and walk,
but lacks the ability.
Definition of Motivation of the Neural Kind
Neuro-linguistic Programming is another way of accessing the mental actuator which
helps the person change the way they think resulting in changed behaviour.
Essentially, Neuro-linguistic Programming actuates a behaviour through a change in
the mental process. It could be considered a biological change as it involves creating
a new thought process complete with new neural synaptic connections. It yields the
same result as other motivations only by a different means.
It is an intrinsic form of change. Unlike other motivations, it could be likened to
running a new program rather than putting a patch or removing a virus on an existing
mental program our brains run on.
25
Introduction
1) “Motivation is your WHY”. Discuss with examples.
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2) What is the definition of motivation of the neural kind?
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3) Differentiate between Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation?
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2.5 DEFINITION AND MEANING OF EMOTION

Can you imagine a life without emotions- without joy, anger, sorrow, or fear? What
would such an existence be like? A would life be without any feelings?
Emotion is a reaction consisting of subjective cognitive states, physiological reactions
and expressive behaviours. They involve three major components:
(1) physiological changes within our bodies-shifts in heart rate, blood pressure and
so on; (2) subjective cognitive states, that is, the personal experience we label as
emotions; and (3) expressive behaviours that is outward signs of these internal
reactions.
motivation. Emotions can be considered as thoughts that you can not identify. For
instance when you feel something, it must be that you are thinking about something
unconsciously. We feel them in our bodies as tingles, hot spots and muscular tension.
There are cognitive aspects, but the physical sensation is what makes them really
different.
Emotions are partly derived from feelings. A model of consciousness can be used to
explain this derivation. Consciousness has three modes or parts, viz., will, mind and
feeling.
Consciousness is the totality of the person, whilst mind is only one feature of it.
However, this model has an innovative feature: the three modes are separate, but
they interlock by the production of desires and emotions.
26
Like so many psychological phenomena, emotion is easily recognised but hard to De finitio n o f M otiv ation
and Emotion
define. Most theories hold that emotion is a syndrome, a complex entity with many
components
2.5.1 Elements of Emotion

Emotions have these elements:
 physiological responses (autonomic nervous system)
 cognitive events
 sensory input
 behavioural correlates, e.g., expressions of emotion
2.5.2 Characteristics of Emotion

Emotions have certain characteristics:
 temporary or transitory
 valence or quality: we feel good or bad
 to some degree passive: we don’t directly choose how we feel
 experience: we know what emotions feel like
 learning
Psychological theories suggest that emotions:
 prepare us for action (e.g., fear preps us to run)
 shape behaviour (perhaps emotion can be reinforcing)
 regulate social interaction and facilitate communication (as we shall see below,
emotions are probably inseparable from the communication of emotion)
2.5.3 Theories of Emotion

i) James-Lange theory: A visceral experience (gut reaction) is labeled as an
emotional state. We have some autonomic reaction to stimuli. We observe these
physical sensations and label them as feelings. This theory is a start but has
many problems:
 The visceral response may not occur quickly enough to account for sudden
emotions.
 Some visceral responses are not interpreted as emotions.
ii) Cannon-Bard theory: When presented with a stimulus, the thalamus activates
both a physiological reaction and an emotional response. (Remember that the
thalamus is a crossroads for sensory pathways). The thalamus simultaneously
signals the autonomic nervous system and the cerebral cortex. But: The rest of
the limbic system, particularly the hypothalamus and amygdala are now known
to play a role in emotional responses. Physiological response and emotional
reaction may not be simultaneous.
iii) Schachter-Singer theory (the “two factor theory” or cognitive-arousal
theory): This is the theoretical basis of canned laughter. A stimulus causes 27
Introduction physiological arousal. This is considered in light of environmental and social
cues. The arousal is then interpreted as an emotional state based on the cues.
In other words, the environment, particularly the behaviour of other people, is
used to explain the physiological state. Events significant to one’s own well-
being are particularly important in determining emotional response. Emotions
can occur without physiological arousal. Physiological factors alone (e.g, drug
states) can cause emotions.
iv) Lazarus’ cognitive meditational theory: This theory is an extension of
Schacter-Singer theory. Cognitive appraisal of a situation is of primary importance
in emotional states. The emotional state strongly influences the cognitive appraisal.
More recently, cognitive scientists have proposed that there may be different
components to our response to stimuli, but it is not productive to segregate them into
cognitive vs. emotional categories.
2.5.4 Non-Verbal Expression of Emotion

Humans have many means of expressing their emotional state, without using words.
1) facial expressions
2) eye movements and eye contact
3) posture
4) non-verbal vocalisations
5) tone of voice
6) non-word sounds
Facial expressions appear to be innate. People everywhere show six basic emotions
in their faces: happiness, sadness, surprise, fear, anger, and disgust.
The facial feed back hypothesis holds that facial expressions may be crucial to the
experience of an emotional state, and may even cause emotional reactions.
Mind has two aspects, intelligence and intellect. Intelligence links to will and to
feeling, and intellect is the source of abstraction. The former expresses the activity
of the mind, whilst the latter is an indication of the degree of maturity of the mind.
Mind is the key to consciousness. Mind is the ‘cement’ that keeps all aspects of
consciousness together.
Will, or will power, is a pure striving, an undirected effort. When will is united with
mind, it generates desire. Desire is the activity of will directed into a mental concept.
The concept governs the use of will. The concept directs the will.
For example, will plus the concept ‘social status’ gives rise to the desire to achieve
social status. (Will+ ‘Social Status’= desire to achieve social status).
Will plus the concept ‘fame’ gives rise to the desire for fame. (Will + ‘Fame’=
desire for fame).
Without the presence of desire it is very difficult to sustain the use of will; if a person
tries to renounce desire then he / she is quite likely to become lethargic.
When feeling is united with mind, it generates emotion. Emotion is the activity of
feeling directed into a mental concept. The feeling energises a conceptual response
to a stimulus.
28
Feelings are primarily either pleasant or unpleasant; rarely are they neutral. Hence De finitio n o f M otiv ation
and Emotion
there are two possible conceptual responses to any stimulus, which in turn leads to
two possible emotional responses.
For example, feeling plus the concept ‘domination’ gives rise to the emotions of
anger and fear (feeling + domination=anger and fear) :
Anger arises because the pleasant feeling makes domination of other people acceptable
to me, whereas the unpleasant feeling makes fear arise when I become subject to
domination by other people.
Another example: feeling plus the concept ‘identity’ gives rise to the emotions of
love and hate (feeling+ identity=love and hate).
Here the pleasant feeling makes a social identity acceptable to me, since I am the
same as everyone else: identity produces love. The unpleasant feeling makes me
reject a social identity and I prefer to be different and have an individual identity.
When there is a difference it produces hate.
1) Define emotions and bring out the importance of emotions.
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2) What elements constitute emotions? Explain in detail.
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3) What are the characteristics of emotions?
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4) What is non-verbal expression of emotions?
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5) Put forward the various theories of emotions.
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29
Introduction
2.6 EMOTION AND FEELING
Emotion is more similar to conscious thought than feelings are to conscious thought.
Although emotion and feeling can be described as unconscious thought, one of them
is going to be more similar to conscious thought. Feelings are more like sensations,
when you touch something you get a feeling.
Therefore feelings are faster than emotions and thought, because when you touch
something there is a slight delay before you can think of something about it (thought),
or feel something deeply about it (emotion).
Emotion is therefore just unconscious thought. Actually it would better be described
as unconscious feeling (so a feeling is like a conscious emotion because you can
“feel” it better and easier but emotion is a deeper, more unconscious experience
similar to unconscious thought, but emotions are also more similar to conscious
thought because thought is a deep experience while feelings are intense or shallow,
but not deep).
Emotion can be “any strong feeling”. From that description many conclusions can be
drawn. Basic (or primary) emotions can be made up of secondary emotions like love
can contain feelings or emotions of lust, love and longing.
Feelings can be described in more detail than emotions because you can have a
specific feeling for anything, each feeling is unique and might not have a name. For
instance, if you are upset by one person that might have its own feeling because that
person upsets you in a certain way. That feeling does not have a defined name
because it is your personal feeling.
The feeling may also be an emotion, say anger. “Upset” is probably too weak to be
an emotion, but that doesn’t mean that it is not strong like emotions. Cold is also just
a feeling. There is a large overlap between how feelings feel and how emotions feel,
they are similar in nature. So there are only a few defined emotions, but there are
an infinite number ways of feeling things.
You can have a “small” emotion of hate and you could say that you have the feeling
hate then, if it is large you could say you are being emotional about hate, or are
experiencing the emotion hate. You can have the same emotion of hate in different
situations, but each time the feeling is going to be at least slightly different.
You can recognise any feeling that is what makes it a feeling. If you are sad that is
a feeling, but if you are depressed that is not a feeling it is more like an emotion.
You can not identify why you are depressed but you can usually identify why you
are sad.
result in a feeling. However, if something happened a long time ago, you are going
to think about it unconsciously and that is going to bring up unconscious feelings. So
emotions are unconscious feelings that are the result of mostly unconscious thoughts.
Feeling is defined as something you can identify. Also, you can not identify the
unconscious thought that caused the unconscious feeling, but you can identify the
unconscious feeling itself, that is emotion.
Another aspect of unconscious thought, emotion, or unconscious feeling (all three are
the same) is that it tends to be mixed into the rest of your system because it is
30 unconscious. If it was conscious then it remains as an individual feeling, but in its
unconscious form you confuse it with the other emotions and feelings and it affects De finitio n o f M otiv ation
and Emotion
your entire system. Therefore most of what people are feeling is just a mix of feelings
that their mind cannot separate out individually. That is the difference between
sadness and depression. While depression lowers the person’s mood and affects
all his feelings and emotions, sadness is just what the individual feeling. So the
reason that the depression affects all other feelings is because the person can no
longer recognise the individual sad emotions that caused it. The feelings become
mixed. If someone can identify the reason they are sad then they become no longer
depressed, just sad.
That is why an initial event might make someone sad, and then that sadness would
later lead into a depression, is because you forget why you originally got sad. You
might not consciously forget, but unconsciously you do.
That is, it feels like you forget, the desire to get revenge on whatever caused the
sadness fades away. When that happens it is like you “forgetting” what caused it. You
may also consciously forget but what matters is how much you care about that
sadness. It might be that consciously understanding why you are depressed or sad
changes how much you care about your sadness, however. That would therefore
change the emotion/feeling of sadness.
The more you care about the sadness/depression, the more like a feeling it becomes
and less like an emotion. That is because the difference between feelings and emotions
is that feelings are easier to identify (because you can “feel” them easier).
Anger as an emotion takes more energy to maintain, so if someone is punched or
something, they are only likely to be mad for a brief period of time, but the sadness
that it incurred might last for a much longer time.
That sadness is only going to be recognisable to the person punched for a brief
period of time as attributable to the person who did the punching, after that the
sadness would sink into their system like a miniature depression. Affecting the other
parts of their system like a depression.
In review, both feelings and emotions are composed of unconscious thoughts, but
feelings are easier to identify than emotions. Feelings are faster than emotions in
terms of response (the response time of the feeling, how fast it responds to real
world stimulation) and it takes someone less time to recognise feelings because they
are faster.
Feelings are closer to sensory stimulation, if you touch something, you feel it and that
is a fast reaction. You care about the feeling so you can separate it out in your head
from the other feelings. “You care” in that sentence could be translated into, the
feeling is intense, so you feel it and can identify it easily. That is different from
consciously understanding why you are depressed or sad. You can consciously
understand why you are depressed or sad, but that might or might not affect the
intensity of that sadness.
If the intensity of the sadness is brought up enough, then you can feel that sadness
and it is not like a depression anymore. It is more like an individual feeling than
something that affects your mood and brings your system down.
Also, if you clearly enough understand what the sadness is then it is going to remain
a sadness and not affect the rest of your system. That is because the feeling would
get mixed in with the other feelings and start affecting them.
31
Introduction The difference between emotion and feeling is that feelings are easier to identify
because they are faster, a feeling is something you are feeling right then. An emotion
might be a deeper experience because it might affect more of you, but that is only
because it is mixed into the rest of your system. That is, a depression affects more
of you than just an isolated feeling of sadness. In other words, people can only have
a few feelings at a time, but they can have many emotions at the same time. Emotions
are mixed in, but to feel something you have to be able to identify what it is, or it
is going to be so intense that you would be able to identify what it is. Emotions just
feel deeper because it is all your feelings being affected at once.
Emotions are greater than feelings and therefore they must have more parts in order
to cause that greater feeling. Feelings are easy to understand because they are
simple, but emotions are harder to understand because they are more complicated.
A moody person would be described as emotional because emotion is a component
of mood. Emotion is something that affects your entire system like a depression does.
A feeling such as sadness is only an individual feeling and can be identified as such.
If something is intense, then it is a feeling, emotions are not intense they are deep.
They are not as intense as feelings but you could call them intense. Feelings are more
intense because that is how we define feelings, if you can feel something then it is
a feeling because, well, you “feel” it. Emotion is just something that affects you, your
mood, how you are, etc. That is why feelings are easier to identify, because they are
more intense. Emotions are deeper, however, when someone becomes emotional
you can’t just snap out of it instantly, it hangs around in your system. That is why
they are probably made up of more parts than feelings are.
Why then do some simple things cause us to become more emotional if emotion is
a deeper experience? That is because the feeling must trigger emotions, the simple
thing is actually a feeling itself, but it triggers emotions. Like how colour can be more
emotional than black and white. It is actually that colour causes more feeling, and we
become emotional then about that feeling. But while you are looking at the colour
it is a feeling which you are feeling, not an emotion. The feeling made you feel good,
however, and that good feeling infects the rest of your feelings and emotions, and
then you become emotional.
In fact, all feelings make someone more emotional. The only difference between
feeling and emotion is that feeling is the immediate feeling you get from something.
It is the thing which you are experiencing currently. Feeling is another word for
current stimulation. You can only feel something that you are either thinking about or
experiencing. Otherwise you aren’t really feeling it, and it is an emotion. That is why
the word feeling is the word feeling, because you can feel it intimately, closely.
Emotion is such a strong feeling that it must be the combination of thoughts and
feelings. By a combination of feeling and thought it means a combination of what it
feels like to have a thought, with the feeling of what it feels like to have a feeling –
It don’t mean the combination of actual verbal thoughts with feelings, but non-verbal
thoughts which are like verbal thoughts in that they are about something, you just
can’t identify what it is all the time because it is non-verbal.
Since thoughts are conscious and unconscious, emotion could be redefined as the
combination of feeling and thought – that you only have emotion when you are
thinking about something, and feeling something at the same time, and the combination
of the two results in individual emotions. There is evidence for this from the facts that
you can only experience one strong emotion at a time, and you can also only think
32
about one strong emotion at a time.
That shows how emotions are pulled up by thoughts, or controlled and generated by De finitio n o f M otiv ation
and Emotion
them. It might be that this only applies to strong emotions, but it depends on each
individuals definition of emotion (it might vary), but I don’t think anyone can experience
two strong emotions simultaneously. You can feel it for yourself, try and feel any
combination of the following emotions (strongly) at the same time – anger, fear,
sadness, disgust, surprise, curiosity, acceptance, or joy. You just can’t do it. A slight
feeling of curiosity is exactly that, a feeling and not an emotion. Emotions are stronger
than feelings, and stronger than thoughts, but what are they made of? The only logical
conclusion is that they are made up of thoughts and feelings.
2.7 LET US SUM UP

Motivation is the activation or energisation of goal-oriented behaviour. Motivation is
said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. Motivation is to give reason, incentive, enthusiasm,
or interest that causes a specific action or certain behaviour. Motivation is present
in every life function. Simple acts such as eating are motivated by hunger. Education
is motivated by desire for knowledge. Motivators can be anything from reward to
coercion.
Emotions are our feelings. We feel them in our bodies as tingles, hot spots and
muscular tension. There are cognitive aspects, but the physical sensation is what
makes them really different. Emotions often lead to coping activities. When we feel
something, we consequently respond to that feeling. This can be both in the immediate
(and often subconscious) response to the feeling and also in the more thoughtful
handling of the aftermath. Where this has been a negative feeling, the response may
range from vigorous justification of our actions to conciliatory apologies and other
‘making up’.

1) Define and bring out the meaning of motivation.
2) Discuss the theories of motivation?
3) Elucidate the drive reduction theory and arousal theory of motivation.
4) What is the theory of motivation of Rotter’s? Explain.
5) What are the psychological explanations of motivation?
6) Discuss Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs and relate it to motivation.
7) What are the various types of motivation? Differentiate between the intrinsic
and extrinsic motivation.
8) Define emotions and bring out the characteristic features of emotions.
9) Elucidate the theories of emotion.
10) Discuss the importance and relationship of feelings and emotions.

Edwards, David C. (1998). Motivation and Emotion: Evolutionary, Physiological,
Cognitive, and Social Influences . Sage Publications, NY.
Reeve, Johnmarshall (2005). Understanding Motivation and emotion. Wiley, John
Wiley and Sons, Inc. NJ
33
UNIT 3 NEEDS, DRIVE AND MOTIVES
Structure
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Objectives
3.2 Needs, Drives and Motives
3.3 Needs
3.3.1 Need Model
3.3.2 Murray’s Needs
3.3.3 Psychogenic Needs
3.3.4 Kano’s Needs
3.3.5 Glasser’s Five Needs
3.4 Drives
3.4.2 Drive Theory: Behavioural Approaches to Drive
3.5 Motives
3.5.1 Definition and Meaning of Motives
3.5.2 Motivation and Feedback Control System
3.5.3 Motivation and Ethnology
3.5.4 Motivation and Learning Theory
3.5.6 Motivation Methods

3.6.1 Maslow’s Theory of Need Hierarchy
3.6.2 Alderfer’s Model
3.6.3 Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory
3.6.4 Process Theories
3.6.5 Equity Theory
3.7 Stimulus Motives

3.7.1 Social Motives
3.8 Let Us Sum Up

3.0 INTRODUCTION
In this unit we will be dealing with Needs, Drives and motives. We start with defining
needs, and present the various models related to needs. The importance of needs
in the beahviour of the individual is discussed in detail. Murray’s concept of needs
and the psychogenic needs as against the physiological needs are discussed. Kano’s
and Glasser’s needs are also presented and how these incite behaviours. Then we
define drives, and the theories related to drives such as the drive reduction theory
and the behavioural approach to drive reduction. We discuss Hull’s concept of drive
and drive reduction in detail. Then we deal with Motives, we define motives and
34
elucidate the characteristics of motives. Then we present the various theories of Needs, Drive and Motives
motivation and how important these are in motivating behaviours. Then we present
the methods of motivation and give a number of examples from organisational and
work settings as to what methods are used in motivating the employees to perform
at their best level. Then we present the theories of motivation followed by a discussion
on stimulus motives and social motives in which we present McCleland’s components
of motivation.
3.1 OBJECTIVES
 Define needs, drives and motives;
 Elucidate their characteristic features;
 Elucidate the theories of needs;
 Define drives and bring out the characteristic features;
 Elucidate the theories of drives and drive reduction theory;
 Define motives and bring out the characteristic features of motives;
 Delineate the theories of motivation;
 Explain stimulus motives; and
 Describe the achievement motivation of and its various components.
3.2 NEEDS, DRIVES AND MOTIVES

A need is something that is necessary for organisms to live a healthy life. Needs are
distinguished from wants because a deficiency would cause a clear negative outcome,
such as dysfunction or death. Needs can be objective and physical, such as food and
water, or they can be subjective and psychological, such as the need for self-esteem.
Drive is the force that goads the organism to satisfy the needs. A drive has a direction
and a valence. The Drive is not always that clear or simple. It sustains motivation.
Motivation is the reason we do something that we do. Motive is an impulse that
acts as an incitement to action. In this unit, we will discuss the definition, characteristics,
theories and role of needs, drives, and motives. Needs are something you fulfill
because you have to. They are basic and quite often instinctive. Drive is something
that makes you keep going. It is more individual in the sense that some people are
more driven than others. Motives however are indicative of why you do what you
do. Motives are factors within a human being or animal that arouses and direct goal
oriented behaviour. Motivation has long been a central subject of study in psychology.
Early researchers, influenced by Charles Darwin, ascribed much of animal and
human behaviour to instinct. Sigmund Freud believed that much of human behaviour
was also based on irrational instinctive urges or unconscious motives. Walter B.
Cannon proposed that basic human drives served homeostatic functions by directing
energies toward the reduction of physiological tensions. Behavioural psychologists, in
contrast, stress the importance of external goals in prompting action, while humanistic
psychologists examine the role of felt needs. Cognitive psychologists have found that
a motive sensitizes a person to information relating to that motive, as for instance, a
hungry subject, will perceive food stimuli as larger than other stimuli.
35
Introduction
3.3 NEEDS
What are needs? Needs are a kind of natural mental programming that make us want
things. They essentially motivate us into action as a stimulated need leads to the inner
tension that drives us into action.
distinguished from wants because a deficiency of a need would cause a clear negative
outcome, such as dysfunction or death. Needs can be objective and physical, such
as food and water, or they can be subjective and psychological, such as the need
for self-esteem.
To most psychologists, need is a psychological feature that arouses an organism to
action toward a goal and the reason for that action, giving purpose and direction to
behaviour. Abraham Maslow in his hierarchical model of needs proposed that people
have a hierarchy of psychological needs, which range from security to self-actualisation.
One of the problems with a psychological theory of needs is that conceptions of
“need” may vary radically between different cultures or different parts of the same
society. One person’s view of need may easily be seen as paternalistic by another.
According to Ian Gough and Len Doyal, an individual’s needs are representative of
the costs of being human within society. A person, who does not have his or her
needs fulfilled, will function poorly in society.
In their view, each person has an objective interest in avoiding serious harm that
prevents the endeavor to attain his or her vision of what’s good, no matter what that
is exactly. This attempt requires the ability to participate in the societal setting in
which an individual lives.
More specifically, each person needs to have both physical health and personal
autonomy. The latter refers to the capacity to make informed choices about what
should be done and how to implement that. This requires mental health, cognitive
skills, and chances to participate in society’s activities and collective decision making.
How are such needs satisfied? Doyal and Gough point to eleven broad categories
of “intermediate needs” that define how the need for physical health and personal
autonomy are fulfilled:
 Adequate nutritional food and water
 Adequate protective housing
 A safe environment for working
 A safe physical environment
 Appropriate health care
 Security in childhood,
 Significant primary relationships with others
 Physical security
 Economic security
 Safe birth control and child-bearing
36  Appropriate basic and cross-cultural education.

The satisfaction of human needs cannot be imposed “from above”. Those with more Needs, Drive and Motives
internal “assets” or “capacities” (e.g., education, sanity, physical strength, etc.) have
more capabilities (i.e., more available choices, more positive freedom) to fulfill the
needs. They are thus more able to escape or avoid poverty and many other
deprivations. Those with more capabilities fulfill more of their needs.
3.3.1 Need Model

There are a number of theories and models of needs that have been proposed,
including:
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham
Maslow. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid,
with the largest and lowest levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-
actualisation at the top.
A key aspect of the model is the hierarchical nature of the needs. The lower the
needs in the hierarchy, the more fundamental they are and the more a person will
tend to abandon the higher needs in order to pay attention to sufficiently meeting the
lower needs. For example, when we are ill, we care little for what others think about
us: all we want is to get better.
The five needs
i) Physiological needs are to do with the maintenance of the human body. If we
are unwell, then little else matters until we recover.
ii) Safety needs are about putting a roof over our heads and keeping us from harm.
If we are rich, strong and powerful, or have good friends, we can make
ourselves safe.
iii) Belonging needs introduce our tribal nature. If we are helpful and kind to others
they will want us as friends.
iv) Esteem needs are for a higher position within a group. If people respect us, we
have greater power.
v) Self-actualisation needs are to ‘become what we are capable of becoming’,
which would be our greatest achievement.
Three more needs
These are the needs that are most commonly discussed and used. In fact Maslow
later added three more needs by splitting two of the above five needs.
 Between esteem and self-actualisation needs was added:
 Need to know and understand, which explains the cognitive need of the
academic.
 The need for aesthestic beauty, which is the emotional need of the artist.
 Self-actualisation was divided into:
 Self-actualisation, which is realising one’s own potential, as above.
 Transcendence, which is helping others to achieve their potential.
Using it: It is used to distract people from higher needs, threaten their lower needs. 37
Introduction It is no surprise that poison has been effectively used to bring down kings and
princes without necessarily killing them.
Perceive and help people to meet the needs on which they are currently focussed.
Their attention is here and they will thank you for assistance in meeting their present
needs. Encourage them reach up to higher needs. Create a tension which you can
use for your purpose.
Defending: Seek only needs at your current level. Neither retreat too rapidly to
lower needs nor reach too quickly for higher needs. When you are ready, only then
reach in your own time for higher needs. If other people seek to help you, you may
accept their help but are not obliged to repay in any way they demand.
3.3.2 Murray’s Need

Henry Murray, a psychologist was active in developing a theory of motivation. He
believed that a need is a potentiality or readiness to respond in a certain way under
certain given circumstances. It is a noun which stands for the fact that a certain trend
is apt to recur.
Murray identified needs as primary and secondary needs. Primary needs refer to the
needs that are based upon biological demands, such as the need for oxygen, food,
and water. Secondary needs are generally psychological, such as the need for
nurturing, independence, and achievement.
Murray and his colleagues identified 24 needs and called them as psychogenic needs.
3.3.3 Psychogenic Needs

The following is a partial list of 24 needs identified by Murray and his colleagues.
According to Murray, all people have these needs, but each individual tends to have
a certain dominant level of each need.
1) Ambition Needs
Achievement: Success, accomplishment, and overcoming obstacles.
Exhibition: Shocking or thrilling other people.
Recognition: Displaying achievements and gaining social status.
2) Materialistic Needs
Acquisition: Obtaining things.
Construction: Creating things.
Order: Making things neat and organised.
Retention: Keeping things.
3) Power Needs
Abasement: Confessing and apologising.
Autonomy: Independence and resistance.
Aggression: Attacking or ridiculing others.
Blame Avoidance: Following the rules and avoiding blame.
38
Deference: Obeying and cooperating with others. Needs, Drive and Motives
Dominance: Controlling others.

4) Affection Needs
Affiliation: Spending time with other people.
Nurturance: Taking care of another person.
Play: Having fun with others.
Rejection: Rejecting other people.
Succorance: Being helped or protected by others.
5) Information Needs
Cognizance: Seeking knowledge and asking questions.
Exposition: Education others.
Influences of Psychogenic Needs: Each need is important in and of itself, but
Murray also believed that needs can be interrelated, can support other needs, and
can conflict with other needs. For example, the need for dominance may conflict with
the need for affiliation when overly controlling behaviour drives away friends, family,
and romantic partners. Murray also believed that environmental factors play a role
in how these psychogenic needs are displayed in behaviour. Murray called these
environmental forces “presses.”
3.3.4 Kano’s Needs

Japanese consultant Noriaki Kano has produced a simple diagram that was intended
for use in understanding business customer needs, but also is applicable to general
psychological situations.
1) Basic needs: They are the things that we expect to get without having to ask
for them. When they are being met, we hardly notice them. When we buy a
second hand car, we expect it to have five fully inflated tyres with good amount
of tread on them. If we got home and found the spare was bald and punctured,
we would not be happy.
2) Performance needs: Performance needs are those things which are at the top
of our consciousness and which we will deliberately seek. If these are well met
we are happy; if they are not well met, we become dissatisfied. To take the
above example of buying a second hand car, these are the things that we will
ask about, such as traction control and modern styling.
Performance needs come from two sources. When basic needs have not been
met before, they may escalate next time to performance needs. More commonly,
they come from expectations that have been set, either from such as magazines
and friends or by the persuader. Thus the car salesperson may point out that
the new safety protection system is something that every family is asking about
these days.
3) Excitement needs: Beyond basic and performance needs, excitement needs
are those things that we did not expect, those little extras that make us gasp with
delight. Thus you may be amazed by new hands—free radio system or even
something as simple as a soft-hold padded steering wheel. 39
Introduction A simple equation that has been put forward fits here:
Delight = Expectation + 1.
This equates to doing small things beyond performance needs. The essence of
excitement is surprise, and the essence of surprise is unexpectedness. You can surprise
by revealing carefully or sudden appearance.
3.3.5 Glasser’s Five Needs

William Glasser, in his ‘Control Theory’ (later renamed as ‘Choice Theory’) detailed
five needs that are quite close to Maslow’s Hierarchy, but with some interesting
twists.
1) Survival: This is similar to Maslow’s Physiological and Safety level. They are
basic needs which are of little interest unless they are threatened.
2) Love and belonging: This is the same as Maslow’s Belonging need and
recognises how important it is for us as a tribal species to be accepted by our
peers.
3) Power or recognition: This maps to some extent to Maslow’s Esteem need,
although the Power element focuses on our ability to achieve our goals (which
is perhaps a lower-level control need).
4) Freedom: This is the ability to do what we want, to have free choice. It is
connected with procedural justice where we seek fair play.
5) Fun: An interesting ultimate goal. When all else is satisfied, we just ‘want to
have fun’.
You can leverage needs in two ways, stimulating or satisfying them.
Stimulate needs: The simplest way of stimulating needs is to make them visible.
Show people what they have not got. Show them the future, and how their needs
might be met. If you have the power, you can even take things away from them.
Satisfy needs: When people have needs (perhaps those which you have stimulated),
you can promise to satisfy them. It puts you in a position of being able to negotiate.
1) Discuss the relationship between needs, drives and motives.
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2) Define needs and bring out its characteristic features.
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40
Needs, Drive and Motives
3) What is Needs Model? Explain it.
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4) What needs did Murra’s model put across?
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5) What are psychogenic needs?
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6) Discuss Kano’s and Glasser’s models of needs.
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3.4 DRIVES
A drive is a psychological state of arousal that compels humans to take action to
restore their homeostatic balance. When balance is restored, the drive is reduced.
Examples are primary and secondary drives.
Hull viewed the drive as a stimulus, arising from a tissue need, which in turn stimulates
behaviour. The strength of the drive is determined upon the length of the deprivation,
or the intensity / strength of the resulting behaviour. He believed the drive to be non-
specific, which means that the drive does not direct behaviour rather it functions to
energise it. In addition this drive reduction is the reinforcement. Hull recognised that
organisms were motivated by other forces, secondary reinforcements. This means
that previously neutral stimuli may assume drive characteristics because they are
capable of eliciting responses that are similar to those aroused by the original need
state or primary drive (Schultz & Schultz, 1987, p 240). So learning must be taking
place within the organism.
Hull’s learning theory focuses mainly on the principle of reinforcement. When a
Stimulus (S) – Response (R) that is a S-R relationship is followed by a reduction of
the need, the probability increases that in future similar situations the same stimulus 41
Introduction will create the same prior response. Reinforcement can be defined in terms of
reduction of a primary need. Just as Hull believed that there were secondary drives,
he also felt that there were secondary reinforcements. He stated that if the intensity
of the stimulus is reduced as the result of a secondary or learned drive, it will act
as a secondary reinforcement. The way to strengthen the S-R response is to increase
the number of reinforcements, habit strength.
Clark Hull’s Mathematical Deductive Theory of Behaviour relied on the belief that
the link between the S-R relationship could be anything that might effect how an
organism responds. Learning, fatigue, disease, injury, motivation, etc are sonme of
the ways in which an organism responds. He labeled this relationship as “E”, a
reaction potential, or as sEr. Clark goal was to make a science out of all of these
intervening factors. He classified his formula
sEr = (sHr x D x K x V) - (sIr + Ir) +/- sOr
as the Global Theory of Behaviour. Habit strength, sHr, is determined by the number
of reinforces. Drive strength, D, is measured by the hours of deprivation of a need.
K, is the incentive value of a stimulus, and V is a measure of the connectiveness.
Inhibitory strength, sIr, is the number of non reinforces. Reactive inhibition, Ir, is
when the organism has to work hard for a reward and becomes fatigued. The last
variable in his formula is sOr, which accounts for random error. Hull believed that
this formula could account for all behaviour, and that it would generate more accurate
empirical data, which would eliminate all ineffective introspective methods within the
laboratory.
Although Hull was a great contributor to psychology, his theory was criticized for the
lack of generalisability due to the way he defined his variables in such precise
quantitative terms.

The Drive Reduction Theory grows out of the concept that we have certain biological
drives, such as hunger. As time passes the strength of the drive increases if it is not
satisfied (in this case by eating). Upon satisfying a drive the drive’s strength is
reduced.
Drive theory has some intuitive or folk validity. For instance when preparing food,
the drive model appears to be compatible with sensations of rising hunger as the food
is prepared, and, after the food has been consumed, a decrease in subjective hunger.
There are several problems, however, that leave the validity of drive reduction open
for debate. The first problem is that it does not explain how secondary reinforcers
reduce drive. For example, money satisfies no biological or psychological needs, but
a pay cheque appears to reduce drive through second order conditioning. Secondly,
a drive, such as hunger, is viewed as having a “desire” to eat, making the drive a
homancular (a diminutive human) being. This idea is criticized as simply moving the
fundamental problem behind this “small man” and his desires.
In addition, it is clear that drive reduction theory cannot be a complete theory of
behaviour, or a hungry human could not prepare a meal without eating the food
before he finished cooking it. The ability of drive theory to cope with all kinds of
behaviour, from not satisfying a drive (by adding on other traits such as restraint), or
adding additional drives for “tasty” food, which combine with drives for “food” in
order to explain cooking render it hard to test.
42
Drive theory states that biological needs, which are created by imbalances in Needs, Drive and Motives
homeostasis, produce drives. (Example: Rana has not had anything to drink for
hours. He has a need for fluids, which has caused a drive to find something to drink.
i) Primary drives are drives that arise from biological needs.(Example: Rana
has primary drives for obtaining food, water, and warmth. These are basic
biological needs.
ii) Secondary drives are learned through operant or classical conditioning. Humans
learn drives that prompt them to obtain objects that are associated with the
reduction of a primary drive. (Example: Rana lives in Shimla. He has learned
that it is necessary to pay his power bill on time (secondary drive) in order to
stay warm (primary drive) during the winter.
3.4.2 Drive Theory: Behavioural Approaches to Drive

The behavioural approach to understanding motivation deals with drives, both learned
and unlearned, and with incentives.
By early 1950s drive theory had replaced instinct theory as the major model of
human motivation. Its foremost proponent was Clark Hull who believed that humans
have biological needs such as the need for food, water and sex that demand satisfaction.
A need is a state of deprivation or deficiency. A drive is a state of bodily tension
such as hunger or thirst that arises from an unmet needs. The satisfaction of a drive
is called drive reduction.
Drive theory is based on the principle of homeostasis, the tendency of the body to
maintain a steady internal state. According to drive theory when homeostasis is
disturbed, drives activate the behaviour needed to restore a steady balance.
Though needs and drives are related, they are distinct from each other.
We may have a bodily need for a certain vitamin but not become aware of it until
we develop vitamin deficiency disorder. In other words, the need may exist in the
absence of a corresponding drive. Also the strength of a need and the drive to
satisfy may differ. Unlike instinct theory, drive theory posits an important role for
learning, especially operant conditioning. We learn responses like ordering food
when we are hungry. These responses are reinforced by drive reduction.
A behaviour that results in drive reduction is more likely to be repeated the next time
the need arises.
Drives may also be acquired through experience. Biological drives such as hunger,
thirst and sexual desire are called primary drives because they are considered inborn.
Drives that are the result of experience are called secondary drives. For example,
a drive to achieve monetary wealth is not something we are born with. We acquire
it as a secondary drive because we learn that money can be used to satisfy primary
and other secondary drives.
Woodworth took the concept of drive from the field of mechanics and viewed it as
the source of motive power or force in organismic functioning. Thereafter until the
1960’s this concept was extensively used in human or anuimal behaviour by
psychologists. Often distinctions were made between the following:
 Innate and Acquired drives
 Primary and Secondary drives
 Viscerogenic and psychogenic drives 43
Introduction Miller and Dollard emphasised the role of learned secondary drives in human behaviour.
For example, anxiety was viewed as a secondary drive based on the primary drive
of pain. The anxiety drive is important because it can be learned quickly, become
a strong motivating force and klead to a variety of behaviours relevant to normal and
abnormal beahviours.
Drive theory thus involves the concepts of unlearned (or primary) drives, drive
reduction, and learned (secondary) drives. It is based on the fact that all living
organisms have physiological needs that must be satisfied for survival (for example,
the need for food, water, sleep, and so forth) to maintain a state of homeostasis,
that is, a steady internal state.
Disruption of an organism’s homeostatic state causes a state of tension (arousal)
called an unlearned, or primary, drive. If the aroused state has been created by
hunger, it is called a hunger drive, and the drive can be reduced by food. Drive
reduction moves toward the re-establishment of homeostasis. Drives, then, may be
thought of as the consequence of a physiological need, which an organism is impelled
to reduce or eliminate.
Drives may also be learned, or secondary. Fear (or anxiety), for example, is often
considered a secondary drive that can be learned through either classical or operant
conditioning. In Neal Miller’s well known operant conditioning experiment, a rat was
placed in a black box and then given a mild electrical shock. Eventually, the rat
learned to react to the experience of being put in a black box (with no shock given)
with the response of turning a wheel to escape. In this case, the black box is said
to have elicited the learned drive of fear.
1) Define drives and bring out the characteristic features of drives.
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2) Discuss Hull’s concept of drives and how he made it mathematical in approach.
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3) Elucidate drive reduction theory.
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44
4) Discuss the behavioural approach to drive theory.
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5) Differentiate between primary and secondary drives.
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3.5 MOTIVES
The intentions, desires, goals, and needs that determine human and animal behaviour.
An inquiry is made into a person’s motives in order to explain that person’s actions.
3.5.1 Definition and Meaning of Motives

Motives are hypothetical state that activates behaviour and propels one towards
goals.
Meaning of motive is the reason for doing something or behaving in a specific way.
Different roles have been assigned to motivational factors in the causation of behaviour.
Some have defined motivation as a nonspecific energising of all behaviour. Others
define it as recruiting and directing behaviour, selecting which of many possible
actions the organism will perform. The likely answer is that both aspects exist. More
specific determinants of action may be superimposed on a dimension of activation
or arousal that affects a variety of actions non selectively. The situation determines
what the organism does, arousal level affects the vigor, promptness, or persistence
with which the organism does it.
Early drive theorists saw motivated behaviour as adjunct to physiological mechanisms
of homeostasis, that is, the mechanisms by which the body regulates internal variables
such as temperature, blood sugar level, and the volume and concentration of body
fluids.
However, the homeostatic model was not satisfactory. This was so because of the
following reasons:
1) Not all “basic biological drives” work this way.
2) Motivated behaviour can be influenced by external as well as internal factors.
3) Since these external influences are not coupled with the animal’s internal state,
they can lead to behaviour that does not promote homeostasis and may even
threaten it.
4) Internal and external factors are not independent and additive; rather they interact
with each other. In such cases, internal influences affect behaviour by setting the
organism’s responsiveness to certain external signals. 45
Introduction 5) The interaction occurs in the opposite direction as well that is, external signals
can affect internal state.
6) In humans, vigorous and persistent goal directed behaviour can occur in the
absence of any physiological need.
7) Even relatively simple motives such as hunger and thirst can be influenced by
much more than the existing internal and external situation. They respond to
potential or expected factors, as registered by cognitive apparatus.
To a hungry rat, food becomes a goal. The rat will make various responses, including
arbitrarily learned ones or operants, that lead to contact with food. A rat can be
trained to do whatever else is necessary (within its capabilities) to attain its goal. It
is this flexibility of goal directed behaviour that justifies the concept of motivation. If
an animal will do whatever is necessary to obtain food, it must first of all want food.
Internal factors then may act by setting the goal status of environmental commodities.
That is, the effect of hunger is to make food a goal.
3.5.2 Motivation and Feedback Control System

Motivated behaviour can be thought of as guided by a feedback control system with
a set point. A set point establishes a goal state which the control system seeks to
bring about. Behaviour is controlled, not by present external or internal stimuli alone,
but by a comparison between the existing state of affairs and a desired state of
affairs, that is, the set point or goal, registered or specified within the brain. The
organism then acts to reduce the difference between the existing and the desired state
of affairs.
This way of looking at motivation helps bridge the gap between simple motives in
animals and complex ones in humans. If to be motivated is to do whatever is
necessary to bring about an imagined state of affairs, then human motives can literally
be as complex, and be projected as far into the future, as human imaginations permit.
3.5.3 Motivation and Ethnology

Another approach to motivation comes from ethnology, which has formed links with
cognitive psychology. Motivation and emotion are closely related. Indeed, it has been
argued that emotions are the true motivators and that other factors internal, situational,
and cognitive take hold of behaviour by way of the emotions they evoke.
In the simplest case, pleasure and displeasure have been recognised for centuries as
having motivational force. In more complex cases, the role of cognitive operations,
such as how an individual feels about an event, as well as what is done about it, can
depend heavily on how an individual thinks about it.
The culture in which an individual is raised has a powerful effect on how the individual
behaves. It has been argued that culture teaches its members what to believe are the
consequences of a specific action (cognitive), and how the individuals should feel
about those consequences or about the actions themselves (emotional/ motivational).
3.5.4 Motivation and Learning Theory

Motivation is a pivotal concept in most theories of learning. It is closely related to
arousal, attention, anxiety, and feedback/reinforcement. For example, a person needs
to be motivated enough to pay attention while learning; anxiety can decrease our
motivation to learn. Receiving a reward or feedback for an action usually increases
46
the likelihood that the action will be repeated. Weiner (1990) points out that behavioural Needs, Drive and Motives
theories tended to focus on extrinsic motivation (i.e., rewards) while cognitive theories
deal with intrinsic motivation (i.e., goals).
In most forms of behavioural theory, motivation was strictly a function of primary
drives such as hunger, sex, sleep, or comfort. According to Hull’ Drive Reduction
theory, learning reduces drives and therefore motivation is essential to learning. The
degree of the learning achieved can be manipulated by the strength of the drive and
its underlying motivation.
In cognitive theory, motivation serves to create intentions and goal seeking acts.
One well developed area of research highly relevant to learning is achievement
motivation. Motivation to achieve is a function of the individual’s desire for success,
the expectancy of success, and the incentives provided. Studies show that in general
people prefer tasks of intermediate difficulty. In addition, students with a high need
to achieve, obtain better grades in courses which they perceive as highly relevant to
their career goals. On the other hand, according to Carl Rogers, the humanist theorist,
all individuals have a drive to self actualise and this motivates learning.

Malone (1981) presented a theoretical framework for instrinsic motivation and is of
the view that intrinsic motivation is created by three qualities: challenge, fantasy, and
curosity.
Challenge depends upon activities that involve uncertain outcomes due to variable
levels, hidden information or randomness.
Fantasy depends upon skills required for the instruction.
Curiosity can be aroused when learners believe their knowledge structures are
incomplete, inconsistent, or unparsimonious.
According to Malone, intrinsically motivating activities provide learners with a broad
range of challenge, concrete feedback, and clear cut criteria for performance.
Keller (1983) presents an instructional design model for motivation that is based
upon a number of other theories. His model suggests a design strategy that
encompasses four components of motivation:
 arousing interest,
 creating relevance,
 developing an expectancy of success, and
 producing satisfaction through intrinsic/extrinsic rewards.
One approach to employee motivation has been to view “add-ins” to an individual’s
job as the primary factors in improving performance. Endless mixes of employee
benefits such as health care, life insurance, profit sharing, employee stock ownership
plans, exercise facilities, subsidized meal plans, child care availability, company cars,
and more have been used by companies in their efforts to maintain happy employees
in the belief that happy employees are motivated employees.
Many modern theorists, however, propose that the motivation an employee feels
toward his or her job has less to do with material rewards than with the design of
the job itself. On the academic front, Turner and Lawrence suggested that there are 47
Introduction three basic characteristics of a “motivating” job:
1) It must allow a worker to feel personally responsible for a meaningful portion
of the work accomplished. An employee must feel ownership of and connection
with the work he or she performs.
2) It must provide outcomes which have intrinsic meaning to the individual. Effective
work that does not lead a worker to feel that his or her efforts matter will not
be maintained. The outcome of an employee’s work must have value to himself
or herself and to others in the organisation.
3) It must provide the employee with feedback about his or her accomplishments.
A constructive, believable critique of the work performed is crucial to a worker’s
motivation to improve.
3.5.6 Motivation Methods

There are as many different methods of motivating employees today as there are
companies operating in the global business environment.
Empowerment: Giving employees more responsibility and decision making authority
increases their realm of control over the tasks for which they are held responsible
and better equips them to carry out those tasks. As a result, feelings of frustration
arising from being held accountable for something one does not have the resources
to carry out are diminished. Energy is diverted from self-preservation to improved
task accomplishment.
Creativity and innovation: In many companies, employees with creative ideas do
not express them to management for fear that their input will be ignored or ridiculed.
When the power to create in the organisation is pushed down from the top to line
personnel, employees who know a job, product, or service best are given the
opportunity to use their ideas to improve it. The power to create motivates employees
and benefits the organisation in having a more flexible work force, using more wisely
the experience of its employees, and increasing the exchange of ideas and information
among employees and departments.
Learning: If employees are given the tools and the opportunities to accomplish
more, most will take on the challenge. Companies can motivate employees to achieve
more by committing to perpetual enhancement of employee skills. Accreditation and
licensing programs for employees are an increasingly popular and effective way to
bring about growth in employee knowledge and motivation. Often, these programs
improve employees’ attitudes toward the client and the company, while bolstering
self-confidence.
Quality of life: The number of hours worked each week by American workers is
on the rise, and many families have two adults working those increased hours. Under
these circumstances, many workers are left wondering how to meet the demands of
their lives beyond the workplace. Often, this concern occurs while at work and may
reduce an employee’s productivity and morale. Companies that have instituted flexible
employee arrangements have gained motivated employees whose productivity has
increased.
Programs incorporating flextime, condensed workweeks, or job sharing, for example,
have been successful in focusing overwhelmed employees toward the work to be
done and away from the demands of their private lives.
48
Monetary incentive: For all the championing of alternative motivators, money still Needs, Drive and Motives
occupies a major place in the mix of motivators. The sharing of a company’s profits
gives incentive to employees to produce a quality product, perform a quality service,
or improve the quality of a process within the company. What benefits the company
directly benefits the employee. Monetary and other rewards are being given to
employees for generating cost savings or process improving ideas, to boost productivity
and reduce absenteeism. Money is effective when it is directly tied to an employee’s
ideas or accomplishments.
Other incentives: Monetary systems are insufficient motivators, in part because
expectations often exceed results and because disparity between salaried individuals
may divide rather than unite employees. Proven nonmonetary positive motivators
foster team spirit and include recognition, responsibility, and advancement. Managers
who recognise the “small wins” of employees, promote participatory environments,
and treat employees with fairness and respect will find their employees to be more
highly motivated.
High motivation is the key to success in any endeavour. It may come from within a
person (intrinsic motivation) or from external influences (extrinsic motivation). For
example, intrinsic motivation is derived from engaging in exercise for its own sake,
for the satisfaction and the sheer enjoyment it brings, and for no external reason.
Those who are intrinsically motivated give up less easily and generally achieve higher
levels of fitness than those who are solely motivated by external rewards such as
praise, money, and trophies.
Motivational strategies include providing competition; giving pep talks, praise and
constructive criticism; and setting appropriate short term goals. In order to train
successfully, exercisers must have sufficient motivation to expend time and energy on
their training and be able to endure a certain amount of fatigue, boredom, and
discomfort. Many coaches adopt the attitude encapsulated in the phrase ‘No pain,
no gain!’, but this should not be taken as an exhortation to overtrain and become
injured or ill.
1) Define motives and bring out the meaning of motives.
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2) Discuss motivation and feedback control system.
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3) Discuss the relationship between motivation and learning theory.
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49
Introduction
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4) What is intrinsic motivation and how does Malone conceptualise the same?
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4) What are the various methods of motivating persons? Give examples from
workplace situations.
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3.6.1 Maslow’s Theory of Need Hierarchy
This is one of the most widely discussed theories of motivation.
The theory can be summarized as follows:
 Human beings have wants and desires which influence their behaviour. Only
unsatisfied needs influence behaviour, satisfied needs do not.
 Since needs are many, they are arranged in order of importance, from the basic
to the complex.
 The person advances to the next level of needs only after the lower level need
is at least minimally satisfied.
 The further the progress up the hierarchy, the more individuality, humanness and
psychological health a person will show.
The needs, listed from basic (lowest-earliest) to most complex (highest-latest) are as
follows:
 Physiology (hunger, thrist etc.)
 Safety / security / shelter / health
 Belongingness / love/ friendship
 Self esteem / recognition / achievement
 Self actualisation
50
3.6.2 Alderfer’s Model
Alderfer identified three groups of core needs.
1) Existence, 2) Relatedness and 3) Growth
The existence needs are concerned with survival (physiological well-being).
The relatedness needs stress the importance of interpersonal, social relationships.
The growth needs concerned with the individual’s intrinsic desire for personal
development.
3.6.3 Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory

Hygiene factors
 Company policy and administration
 Supervision, technical
 Salary
 Interpersonal relations, supervisor behaviour
 Working conditions
Motivators
 Achievement
 Recognition
 Work itself
 Responsibility
 Advancement
Luthans has commented that although such a content approach has surface logic, is
easy to understand and can be readily translated into practice, the research evidence
points out some definite limitations. There is very little research support for these
models’ theoretical basis and predictability. The trade-off for simplicity sacrifices true
understanding of the complexity of work motivation. On the positive side, however,
the content models have given emphasis to important content factors. In addition,
the Alderfer model allows more flexibility, and the Herzberg model is useful as an
explanation for job satisfaction and as a point of departure for practical application
to enrich jobs.
3.6.4 Process Theories

The process theories provide a much sounder theoretical explanation of work
motivation. The expectancy model of Vroom and the extensions and refinements
provided by Porter and Lawler help explain the important cognitive variables and
how they relate to one another in the complex process of work motivation. The
Porter-Lawler model also gives specific attention to the important relationship between
performance and satisfaction. Porter and Lawler propose that performance leads to
satisfaction, instead of the human relations assumption of the reverse.
A growing research literature is somewhat supportive of these expectancy models,
but conceptual and methodological problems remain. Unlike the content models, 51
Introduction these expectancy models are relatively complex and difficult to translate into actual
practice, and, consequently, they have made a contribution but are not the final
answer for motivation in the field of organisational behaviour and human resource
performance.
3.6.5 Equity Theory

More recently, in academic circles, equity theory has received increased attention.
Equity theory, which is based on perceived input-outcome ratios of oneself compared
to relevant other(s), can lead to increased understanding of the complex cognitive
process of work motivation but has the same limitation as the expectancy models for
prediction and control in the practice of human resource management. More recently,
this equity theory has been applied to the analysis of organisational justice in the
workplace.
Control and agency theories, coming from other disciplines, are representative of
other approaches receiving recent research attention in organisational behaviour.
1) Discuss Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory in terms of motivation.
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2) Elucidate Alderfer’s model of motivation.
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3) Discuss Herzberg’s two factor theory of motivation.
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4) What are process theories?
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5) Explain Equity theory of motivation.
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52 .....................................................................................................................
3.7 STIMULUS MOTIVES
These motives increase the stimulus on an object, as for example Sensory Stimulation
and Activity
i) Sensory Deprivation: Research method that systematically decreases the
amount of stimulation on sensory receptors; sensory deprivation is intolerable;
people seek different levels of stimulation.
ii) Exploration and Manipulation: Novel Stimulation – Unusual source of arousal
or excitement; people are motivated to seek it. People explore and manipulate
their environment f3.7.1. or reduction of primary drives or for their own sake
The Search for Optimal Arousal
 Arousal – General level of activity or motivation in an organism.
 Optimal Arousal – The level of arousal at which we function best.
 Fiske and Maddi – Theorized that people behave in ways to increase their
arousal when their levels are too low and ways to decrease their arousal when
their levels are too high.
 Yerkes-Dodson Law – A high level of motivation increases efficiency in the
performance of simple tasks, whereas a low level of motivation increases the
efficiency in the performance of complex tasks.
3.7.1 Social Motives

These are learned or acquired motives.
Henry Murray developed Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
David McClelland helped pioneer assessment of need for achievement; found that
motives measured by the TAT permit the production of long-term behaviour patterns
McClelland identified three key motivating drives that work for everyone. He named
these key drives as:
 The Need for Achievement
 The Need for Affiliation
 The Need for Power
He also identified how these needs each vary in strength between different people.
Everyone, says McClelland, is motivated by all of these, but to motivate individuals,
the manager needs to consider what the primary drivers in each case are.
Achievement
 How to recognise the Achievement Motive in a person
 They like working by themselves and making their own decisions
 They like realistic challenges and getting things done
 They do not work well under close supervision
 How to deal with them and arouse their Motivation
53
Introduction  Be factual, to the point and straightforward, minimise discussions
 Use a business-like approach, no unproductive encounters or ‘passing the
time of day’
 Offer ideas and suggestions and avoid telling them precisely what to do
 Let them play a significant role in making the decision as this will commit
them to it.
Affiliation
 How to recognise the Affiliation Motive in a person
 They seek the company of others and seek to make friends
 They are eager to interact and need to be liked as a person
 They are warm and can appear non-assertive
 They may talk at length about family, friends and outside interests and engage
in social ritual
 How to deal with them and arouse their motivation
 They respond to warm human qualities, a smile and interest in family,
social activities
 Be prepared to spend time developing a warm relationship with them as
they will do things for people they like
 They are motivated by friendship and relationships and do things for people
they relate to on a personal basis.
Power
 How to recognise the power motive in a person
 They tend to be firm, direct and competitive, and they try to be persuasive in
their dealings
 Thy like to impress and may express their status needs by displaying objects,
such as trophies, medals and works of art
 Like to act as a representative and spokesman for other people and to give
advice
 How to deal with them and arouse their motivation
 Treat them as important people and recognise and refer to their status
objects
 They are impressed by manner of dress, the size of the office, club
membership, salary, type of car and status achievements of the people they
associate with
 Ask their advice and opinion on matters, and listen to their point of view.
 They pay particular attention to the manner of presentation of reports of
discussions, they like things to ‘look good’ as well as be good.
54
3.8 LET US SUM UP
In this unit we have studied needs, drives and motives. Motivation can be defined
as the driving force behind all the actions of an individual. The influence of an
individual’s needs and desires both have a strong impact on the direction of their
behaviour. Motivation is based on your emotions and achievement-related goals.
Motivation is the basic drive for all of our actions. Motivation refers to the dynamics
of our behaviour, which involves our needs, desires, drives, motives and ambitions
in life. Achievement motivation is based on reaching success and achieving all of our
aspirations in life.
water, or they can be subjective and psychological, such as the need for self-esteem.
A Drive is an internal state of tension that motivates an organism to engage in
activities that should (hopefully) reduce this tension. Motives are based on needs:
States of tension within a person, and as need is satisfied, tension is reduced. It
propels people to perceive, think, and act in ways that serve to satisfy a need.
Needs are created or come into existence whenever there is a physiological or
psychological imbalance. A need exists when cells in the body are experiencing a
shortage of food or water. A drive is a deficiency with a direction. Drives denote
actions and intention to act by individuals and they are exhibited to alleviate needs.
Drives and motives are terms used interchangeably. Drives provide an energising
thrust toward reaching an incentive or goal. The drives, or motives, may be classified
into primary (and general), and secondary categories. Anything that will alleviate
a need is an incentive or goal in the motivation cycle. Attaining an incentive or goal
will tend to restore physiological or psychological balance and will reduce the drive
up to zero level. The primary motives are unlearned and physiologically based, such
as, hunger, thirst, sleep, avoidance of pain, sex, and maternal concern. Secondary
motives are learned motives. The needs for power, achievement, affiliation, security,
and status are major motivating forces in the behaviour of organisational participants.
Motivator can be a general term that can describe a need, a motive, incentive or a
person.

1) What are needs? Explain in terms of the various theories of needs.
2) What are drives? Discuss Hull’s contribution to drives and relate it to motivation.
3) Define motives and bring out its characteristic features in terms of different
aspects.
4) Discuss Herzberg’s two factor theory and process theories from motivation
point of view.
5) Put forward Maslow’s theory of need hierarchy and discuss its importance for
motivation.
6) What are stimulus motives? Explain
7) What are social Motives?
55
Introduction 9) Discuss the needs for achievement, affiliation and power and indicate how these
can be used to motivate persons to perform at the highest level?

Ames, C. & Ames, R. (1989). Research in Motivation in Education, Vol 3. San
Diego: Academic Press.
Atkinson, J. & Raynor, O. (1974). Motivation and Achievement. Washington:
Winston.
Dennis Coon and John Mitterer (2010). Introduction to psychology. Gateway to
mind and behaviour. Wadsworth Belmont, USA.
Keller, J. (1983). Motivational design of instruction. In C. Riegeluth (ed.), Instructional
Design Theories and Models. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Reiss, Steven (2000), Who am I: The 16 basic desires that motivate our actions
and define our personalities, New York: Tarcher/Putnam. References:
56
UNIT 4 FEELINGS, AFFECTION AND
EMOTION
Structure
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Objectives
4.2 Emotion, Feeling and Affection
4.2.1 Definition of Emotion
4.2.2 Emotion and Affection
4.2.3 Definition of Feeling
4.3 Difference between Emotion and Feeling

4.3.1 Overlap between Emotions and Feelings
4.3.2 Caring and not Caring about Feelings
4.4 Definition of Affection

4.4.1 Difference between Emotion and Affection
4.4.2 Approaches to Affection
4.4.3 Approaches to Studying Affectionate Communication
4.4.4 Affection and its Effects
4.4.5 Affection as Social Help
4.4.6 Signs of Affection
4.4.7 Emotion of Love or Affection
4.5 Emotion and Thought

4.5.1 Emotions are Complex
4.5.2 Emotions can Direct and Control Thoughts
4.5.3 Emotions and Feelings are Broad Thoughts
4.5.4 Emotion is a Combination of Feelings and Thoughts
4.5.5 Emotions are Derived from Feelings
4.5.6 Feelings Unites with Mind to Generate Emotions
4.6 Influence of Value

4.7 Let Us Sum Up
4.0 INTRODUCTION
In this unit we will be dealing with emotions, feelings and affection. We start the unit
with definition of emotions and bring out its important features. We discuss what is
emotion and what is affection and how they are related. Then we define feelings and
elucidate the characteristic features of feelings. Then differentiate between emotions
and feelings and how they differ in a large number of dimensions and ways. In the
process we also discuss the similarities between feelings and emotions and the
overlapping aspects in them. Then we move on to affection, we first define affection
and describe the same. We delineate the important characteristic features of affection
and relate affection with emotions. We discuss the approaches to the study of 57
Introduction affection and affectionate communications. Then we put forth how affection brings
about changes in the behaviour, stress etc. in individuals. We then discuss the signs
of affection and affection as social help and point out how affection is important for
the very survival of the human species. Then we present the emotions of love and
affection emotions and thoughts and how thoughts are directed by emotions etc. We
bring out the relationship between emotions and thoughts and feelings.
4.1 OBJECTIVES
 Define emotions;
 Define feelings;
 Describe the characteristic features of emotions and feelings;
 Differentiate between emotions and feelings;
 Elucidate the overlaps between emotions and feelings and the caring and non
caring aspects of feelings;
 Define and elucidate the characteristic features of affection;
 Explain the different approaches to the study of affection and affectionate
communication;
 Describe affection as a social help;
 Present the signs of affection and its effects on behaviour;
 Analyse the relationship between emotions and thoughts;
 Analyse the relationship between emotions, feelings and thoughts.
4.2 EMOTION, FEELING AND AFFECTION

Emotions and feelings: These are often spoken of as being one and the same, and
it is easy to get them mixed up and confused. Although related, there is a difference
between emotions and feelings, and they each serve in unique ways.
Affection: a positive feeling of liking. To give an example, “He had trouble expressing
the affection he felt”; The child won everyone’s heart”. “The warmness of his
welcome made us feel right at home”.
Affection means a tender feeling toward another; fondness.
4.2.1 Definition of Emotion

Objects evoke an emotion which is a natural phenomenon, and is essential for human
survival. When an unknown thing is encountered one may have a range of reactions
such as curiosity, fear etc. When this reaction to the object is given a name it attains
a meaning. It is through this process emotions get attached to an object. On a daily
basis these emotions can be as subtle as: “like”, “dislike” or “ambivalence”. Even a
state of ambivalence is a state of meaning.
Emotions offer the sense of life itself. Emotions are an abstract, metaphysical state
of mind and they are essential impressions of the world and one’s relationship with
58
it. Emotions establish the person’s attitude toward reality, and provide the needed Fe elings, Affection and
Emotio n
drive for all of life’s pleasures.
Additionally, these emotions are connected to the biological systems, and are designed
to alert the person of danger, or to draw the person to something pleasurable. If
the person does not have emotions, he would carelessly walk right up to a lion in
the forest.
Emotions provide awareness, bodily changes, interpretation and action. As the
objects in the world induce emotions in a person, they are collected in the
subconscious and begin to accumulate. This is especially so when the events are
repeated. Ultimately they form a final emotional conclusion about life, how to live
it, and more importantly, how to survive physically and mentally in a world of chaos.
When this happens a feeling is born. In this way, emotions serve as a sort of,
“Feelings Factory”.
4.2.2 Emotion and Affect

 Emotion is the umbrella term for all of the behavioural, expressive, cognitive
and physiological changes that occur.
 Affect is the conscious experience of an emotion.
 Emotional affect is the unconscious component of emotion.
 Non-emotional affect is rather a vague term that just includes everything that
is not an emotional affect, e.g. nausea and pain
The well-known neurologist and emotion researcher Antonio Damasio has suggested
the following taxonomy:
 A state of emotion can be started and executed unconsciously.
 A state of feeling is unconscious.
 A state of feeling made conscious means it is the emotion and feeling made
conscious
 Affect, then, is the conscious experience of emotion.
Davidson (2003) used the words ‘affect’ and ‘emotion’ interchangeably.
Affect is subcortical. There is a tendency among some investigators to regard emotions
as largely subcortical and to sometimes also assume that cognitions are cortical.
One may also state that Affect is a Feeling or emotion, especially as manifested by
facial expression or body language, but, clearly for psychologists and those in related
fields, the word’s technical usage has yet to settle down.
4.2.3 Definition of Feeling

Feelings in a general sense, are what we may feel in any part of our body. These
may be simple bodily sensations, such as hot or cold, pain, a touch or else they may
be feelings associated with emotions, such as love or hate, joy or anger.
Feelings generated by mechanical or chemical means, commonly from the outside
will be called ‘body sensations’ or simply ‘sensations’.
Emotions, on the other hand, are feelings or reactions about someone or something,
59
Introduction and usually involving our ego. We are angry about someone, afraid of something, in
love with someone. These emotions may be directly felt in the body or we may just
react strongly with thoughts or verbal displays originating from our head.
This means, we may have a strong reaction without actually being aware of a feeling
in the body. We may even smash something in anger without feeling the energy of
the anger itself in our body. This can be termed as ‘cold anger’, a strong emotion
without feeling.
A feeling is the inner body experience that we have if we can directly feel the energy
associated with an emotion.
Another group of feelings are associated with energy flows within the body that we
may experience during meditation, guided imagery, bodywork or other forms of
healing. We may experience a part of our body become warm or tingling or notice
pleasant streamings in the pelvic area, we may also feel our muscles being tense or
relaxed, our head being clear or congested. These however are not emotions.
You can recognise any feeling, that is what makes it a feeling. If you are sad that is
a feeling, but if you are depressed that is not a feeling it is more like an emotion. You
can not identify why you are depressed but you can usually identify why you are sad.
result in a feeling. However, if something happened a long time ago, you are going
to think about it unconsciously and that is going to bring up unconscious feelings. This
is known as emotion. So emotions are unconscious feelings that are the result of
unconscious thoughts. Moods are generalised feelings usually beyond our conscious
control, and often with a somewhat negative connotation.
Sentiment’ are more tender feelings but usually about something and may then be
grouped with the emotions.
Desires, too, are about ‘something’ and, therefore, emotions.
Passions are generally regarded as strongly felt and expressed emotions.
Once feelings are established, they often feed back into emotions to produce the
appropriate result to ensure survivability.
Take an example: Imagine you observe your child approaching an electrical outlet
with a paper clip in hand. Your sustained feeling of love for your child, will generate
the temporary emotion of fear, and you quickly act by yelling “No!” and swatting
your child’s hand away from the outlet. Perhaps your child responds with surprise
and anger, and defiantly attempts to insert the paperclip into the outlet again. Your
sustained feeling of love for your child, may generate the temporary emotion of anger
because your child is expressing stubbornness, and disrespect to your attempts at
preserving their life.
1) Define emotions and feelings.
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60 .....................................................................................................................
Fe elings, Affection and
2) Describe the characteristic features of emotions and feelings. Emotio n
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3) What is the relationship between emotions and feelings?
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4) How are emotion and affect related?
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4.3 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EMOTIONS AND

FEELING
Emotion is more similar to conscious thought than feelings are to conscious thought.
Although emotion and feeling can be described as unconscious thought, one of them
is going to be more similar to conscious thought. Feelings are more like sensations,
when you touch something you get a feeling. Therefore feelings are faster than
emotions and thought.
Emotion can be considered just unconscious thought. Actually it would better be
described as unconscious feeling because you can “feel” it better and easier. However
emotion is a deeper, more unconscious experience similar to unconscious thought,
but emotions are also more similar to conscious thought because thought is a deep
experience while feelings are intense or shallow, and not deep.
4.3.1 Overlap between Emotions and Feelings

There is a large overlap between how feelings feel and how emotions feel, they are
similar in nature. So there are only a few defined emotions, but there are an infinite
number ways of feeling things. You can have a “small” emotion of hate and you could
say that you have the feeling hate then, if it is large you could say you are being
emotional about hate, or are experiencing the emotion hate. You can have the same
emotion of hate in different situations, but each time the feeling is going to be at least
slightly different.
result in a feeling. However, if something happened a long time ago, we may think
about it unconsciously and that is going to bring up unconscious feelings. Emotions
61
are unconscious feelings that are the result of mostly unconscious thoughts. Feelings
Introduction defined there can be identified. While you can not identify the unconscious thought
that caused the unconscious feeling, you can identify the unconscious feeling itself.
There is a difference between sadness and depression. Depression lowers your
mood and affects all your feelings and emotions, but sadness is just that individual
feeling. So the reason that the depression affects all your other feelings is because
you can no longer recognise the individual’s sad emotions that caused it. The feelings
become mixed. If someone can identify the reason they are sad then they become
no longer depressed, just sad. Once they forget that that was the reason they are
depressed however, they will become depressed again.
4.3.2 Caring and not Caring about a Feeling

The following is a good example of the transition from caring about a feeling to not
caring about a feeling. Anger as an emotion takes more energy to maintain, so if
someone is punched or something, they are only likely to be mad for a brief period
of time, but the sadness that it incurred might last for a much longer time. That
sadness is only going to be recognisable to the person punched for a brief period
of time as attributable to the person who did the punching, after that the sadness
would sink into their system like a miniature depression.
To state briefly about feelings and emotions, it may be stated as follows:
a) both feelings and emotions are composed of unconscious thoughts,
b) feelings are easier to identify than emotions.
c) Feelings are faster than emotions in terms of response (the response time of the
feeling, how fast it responds to real world stimulation) and
d) it takes someone less time to recognise feelings because they are faster.
e) Feelings are closer to sensory stimulation, if you touch something, you feel it and
that is a fast reaction.
f) You care about the feeling so you can separate it out in your head from the
other feelings.
g) You can consciously understand why you are depressed or sad, but that might
or might not affect the intensity of that sadness.
h) If the intensity of the sadness is brought up enough, then you can feel that
sadness and it isn’t like a depression anymore, it is more like an individual
feeling than something that affects your mood and brings your system down
(aka a depression).
i) Also, if you clearly enough understand what the sadness is then it is going to
remain a sadness and not affect the rest of your system.
j) Emotions are stronger than feelings.
k) Feelings however are a more directed focus. When you feel something you can
always identify what that one thing is. When you have an emotion, the emotion
is more distant, but stronger.
l) All your feelings must feel a certain way about whatever is causing the emotion.
m) Feelings can be defined as immediate unconscious thought and emotions as
unconscious thought.
62
Feelings are thus products of emotions. But unlike short term, intense emotions, Fe elings, Affection and
Emotio n
feelings are of low key, stable and sustained over time. Table below gives the
difference between emotions and feelings.
Table: The Differences between Emotions and Feelings
Feelings Emotions
Emotions tell us what we “like” and
Feelings tell us “how to live.”
“dislike.”
Feelings deliver the message: Emotions deliver the message:
“There is a right and wrong way to be.” “There are good and bad actions.”
Feelings deliver the message: Emotions deliver the message:
“your emotions matter.” “The external world matters.”

Feelings establish our long term Emotions establish our initial attitude
attitude toward reality. toward reality.
Feelings alert us to anticipated dangers Emotion alert us to immediate dangers
and prepare us for action. and prepares us for action
Feelings ensure long-term survival of Emotions ensure immediate survival
self. (body and mind.) of self. (body and mind.)
Feelings are Low-key but Sustainable. Emotions are Intense but Temporary.
Happiness: is a feeling. Joy: is an emotion.
Worry: is a feeling. Fear: is an emotion.
Contentment: is a feeling. Enthusiasm: is an emotion.
Bitterness: is a feeling. Anger: is an emotion.
Love: is a feeling. Lust: is an emotion.
Depression: is a feeling. Sadness: is an emotion.
The difference between emotions and feelings is crucial to one’s personal growth. If
a person is dissatisfied in life, the uniqueness of the person’s feelings can provide the
person with a new understanding that can lead to many positive changes for that
person.
1) Differentiate between emotions and feelings.
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2) What are the overlapping dimensions in emotions and feelings?
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Introduction
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3) What is meant by caring and non caring about a feeling?
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4.4 DEFINITION OF AFFECTION

Affection is usually identified with emotion, but actually these are very different
phenomena although closely related. Whereas the emotion is an internal individual
response which informs of the survival probabilities that every concrete situation
offers, affection is a process of social interaction between two or more organisms.
Considering the use that we make of the word ‘affection’ in every day’s life, it can
be inferred that affection is something that can be given to others. We say that we
“give affection” or we “receive affection”. This way, it seems that affection may be
something that we can provide and receive. On the contrary, emotions are neither
given nor taken, they are only experienced by oneself without the requirement of any
other person.
We usually describe our emotional state using expressions like “I feel tired” or “I’m
feeling a great joy”, while we describe the affective processes as “he gives me his
love” or “I give her my trust”. Generally, we do not say “she gives me her emotion”
or “ he gives me his feeling” but we say “he/she gives me his/her affection”.
But, when we use the word ‘emotion’ in relation to another person, we say “you
move me” or “you produce in me such and such emotion”.
Unlike emotions, affection is something that can be stored (accumulated). We talk
about holidays, for instance, as a time of “loading batteries”, having in mind a better
disposition to assist our children, friends, clients, students, partners, etc.
This means that in certain circumstances, we store a high capacity of affection, the
affection that we can give to other people. It seems that affection is a phenomenon
like the mass or the energy that it can be stored and moved or transported.
On the other hand, our experience teaches us that giving affection is something that
requires some effort. Taking care, helping or understanding another person cannot be
carried out without an effort. Sometimes, we do not realise the effort made. For
example, the illusion of a new relationship does not let us see the effort that we carry
out to please our partner and take care of his/her well being.
To understand this, we must distinguish between our good and happy predisposition
to give affection (this is a positive emotion) and the physical amount of energy that
we spend when we give affection. And that positive emotion may frequently hide the
efforts made.
For example, caring for somebody who is sick requires an effort and it is a way of
64
providing affection. Trying to understand the problems of the other people is an effort
and it is another way of giving affection. Trying to please others, to respect their Fe elings, Affection and
Emotio n
freedom, to make them happy with a gift, etc., are all actions that require an effort
(energy expenditure) and they all are different ways of providing affection.
4.4.1 Difference between Emotion and Affection

Affection is intimately related to emotions, given that similar terms can be used to
express one or the other. We designate the affection received by the particular
emotion that it brings us.
Affection is something essential in the humans.
None denies the necessity of affection that people have. In this sense, we all share
the sensation that human species needs in great measure affection contrary to other
species as cats or snakes, for example. This necessity is accentuated to the maximum
in certain circumstances, for example, in the childhood and in the illness.
In summary, our knowledge of affection allows us to point out some clear
characteristics:
 Affection is something that flows among people, something that one gives and
one receives.
 To provide affection is something that requires effort.
 Affection is something essential for human species, especially in the childhood
and in the illness.
4.4.2 Approaches to Affection

The importance of affection in human social interaction has been recognised by
researchers and clinicians alike for some time. For example, Rotter, Chance, and
Phares (1972) referred to “love and affection” as one of six fundamental human
needs. Frank (1973) and Koch (1959) both stressed the importance of affection and
warmth in therapeutic interventions, and others have indicated that affection plays a
critical role in developmental psychological processes (e.g., Bowlby, 1953; Harlow,
1974).
Affectionate communication is also critical for relational development and definition.
Most forms of emotional expression carry some type of relational meaning in addition
to their literal meaning For example, when one relational partner expresses fear or
anxiety to another, he or she is also implicitly communicating a perception of trust for
the other.
4.4.3 Approaches to Studying Affectionate Communication

Studies of affectionate communication have taken a number of approaches to defining
the construct operationally. First, it is important to distinguish between affection and
affectionate communication.
Affection represents an internal psychological state of positive, often intimate regard
for another. Affectionate communication on the other hand focuses on on the
communication of affection, which we conceptualise as an individual’s intentional and
overt enactment or expression of feelings of closeness, care, and fondness for another.
There are three approaches to operational zing the construct of affectionate
communication.
65
Introduction The first approach has been to measure affectionate behaviour without providing an
explicit definition of the particular behaviours assessed.
Second, a more common approach has been to use observers to code the frequency
of behaviours specified a priori. Early studies adopting this method focused on
relatively few behaviours, most of them nonverbal. This approach is advantageous
because the specific behaviours being assessed are specified, thus allowing the results
to be interpreted with reference to particular behaviours.
Included in this are four classes of affectionate behaviour: (1) smiling and laughing;
(2) affectionate words, such as verbal statements expressing love, praise, or friendship;
(3) active affectionate physical contact, including kissing, hugging, and patting; and,
(4) passive affectionate physical contact, such as sitting on another’s lap.
The third approach to measuring affectionate communication is one in which participants
provide self reports of their behaviours.
4.4.4 Affection and its Effects

Reaching out and touching someone, and holding them tight are all ways of saying
you care. Its effects are immediate: for both, the hugger and the person being
hugged, feel good.
“Touch is an important component of attachment as it creates bonds between two
individuals,” says Dr Bhagat. For Malhotra, who describes herself as a friendly,
warm, affectionate and demonstrative person, hugging is simply a natural expression
of showing that you love and care.
Affection also has a direct response on the reduction of stress which prevents many
diseases. Recent research has found that stresses that affect the brain can hurt the
body at the cellular and molecular level, resulting in diminished health and quality of
life. On the other hand, maintaining a positive frame of mind can help people fend
off some of these stress effects, combat disease and live longer.
4.4.5 Affection as Social Help

Living beings can be divided into social and asocial species. Asocial species are
those whose individuals do not need the collaboration of other individuals of their
species to survive. This means that an individual of an asocial species can obtain the
resources needed by itself. It exist a great number of asocial species, such as
mosquitoes, crabs or blackberries.
While help and cooperation is a requirement in all social species, the humans especially
need, for quite long periods of time , the collaboration of other members of their
species to survive. A social individual cannot obtain by itself all the resources that it
needs to survive. Without help, without cooperation of the others, an individual of
a social species cannot survive. This means that a human being cannot survive
alone, without the direct or indirect collaboration of other persons. Since the time the
humans are born, they constantly need the collaboration of their fellow men. This
social dependence has its benefits because, as a result of collaboration, the group
becomes stronger and the individual has more probabilities to survive and to reproduce.
Affection is the means through which such help and cooperation are provided by
members of the species to the other members. Thus affection is a kind of social help
which is given without remuneration or asking in turn for something else. Then, when
people usually say that the human beings need affection for their well-being, we
66
maintain that they are referring actually to the fact that they need the help and
cooperation of other human beings to survive. That is to say, people express this Fe elings, Affection and
Emotio n
need of social help as a necessity of affection. Hence, affection is considered something
essential in the life of every human being. Giving affection means to help the others,
provide for their welfare and procure their survival.
Sociability is, then, the result of needing the others in order to survive. Social species
have very different degrees of need and social organisation.
Many species are social only during a part of their life, normally while they are young,
and later they become solitary individuals.
Other species are social during all their life. Species like ants, lions or men are highly
social, since they cannot survive without the collaboration and help of other individuals
of their species.
Of course, the degree of social complexity and social necessity varies at length from
one species to another. Within mammals, human being is undoubtedly the most social
species.
Of course, there are very many ways of providing affection, given that a person can
carry out a lot of diverse activities that benefit the other people.
Also, we should distinguish affective work of what we know as remunerated work.
In modern societies people talk very often about work referring exclusively to that
work that is made in exchange for an economic remuneration. But we shouldn’t
forget that work as any action that consumes energy and then, in fact, we never quit
working. Even when we sleep we carry out a little amount of work.
We define affection, then, as the non-remunerated work done in benefit of the
survival of other people or other living beings. Generally, this work consists of giving
others, or helping them to obtain, some resources (food, territory, security or
knowledge) needed for their survival.
Every individual’s affective capacity is determined by its capacity to work in benefit
of others in a non-remunerated way. The capacity of helping others that an individual
has is limited, since it depends directly on the amount of resources he/she can obtain
and on his/her work efficiency. Therefore, we can also say that the affective capacity
(or social help capacity) is something that can be accumulated, that is to say, it is
something that can vary in time and according to each individual, since both the
available resources and the capacity of work are accumulative variables. If emotion
behaves as an intensive state variable, affection does it as an extensive state variable
(the total value is equal to the addition of the parts).
Lastly, the need of affection varies among individuals. This way, the most socially
dependent individuals such as children, old people, sick people, etc., are groups that
need more affection to survive. On the contrary, the mature individuals that have
experienced an appropriate development, they need much less affection and so, they
can provide more affection to the others.
4.4.6 Signs of Affection

We have expressed that affection is a necessity of all social species, since it refers
to the help that any social individual needs from the others to survive.
Particularly, affective signs are expressed in a wide repertoire of genetically and
culturally stereotyped behaviours, whose function is to ensure the affective readiness
of the one who emits them with regard to the receiver. 67
Introduction Smiling, cordial greetings, signs of acceptance, promises of support, etc., they show
the commitment of the person who emits them and they constitute a source of
potential affection for the receiver. Both Ethology and Anthropology study profusely
this type of signs or behaviours.
A social individual not only needs to ensure the support from his/her group in the
present, but rather, it also needs to have some security that this support will be
provided in the future. The function of the affective signs lies in satisfying this necessity.
When people smile to others they transmit them the promise that they can count on
them in the future. This means that they are and will be recognised as members of
the group and therefore, that they are willing to provide their affection (work) when
needed. The result is that the person that receives the smile experiences a positive
emotion.
Nevertheless, the fact of emitting affective signs does not assure a future transmission
of affection in all cases, because this will depend on the real working capacity that
the transmitter has. This explains why, in practice, people that emit affective signs
(smiles, greetings, promises, etc.) not always can provide the help expected. This
difference between affective intention and real affection give rise to frequent and
varied conflicts within the human relationships.
Thus we may state that affection is the help and collaboration from others that all
social individual need to survive. Affection is provided through the execution of any
type of work (non-remunerated work in the modern human species) done in benefit
of the survival of another individual and, therefore, it is transferable, limited and
accumulative.
4.4.7 Emotion of Love or Affection

Love or affection refers to:
1) A caring relationship between two people,
2) Desiring or participating in affection and physical intimacy, usually but not
necessarily reciprocated.
3) A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person.
4) Limbic Resonance.
The word “love” can refer both to an acute passionate emotion, lasting for minutes,
hours, or days as well as to a lasting sentiment, enduring for years through many ups
and downs. The phrase “in love” often refers to the sentiment. “Passion” describes
the emotion.
Emotions allow us to sense the inner states and motives of the people around us.
We can detect what others are feeling and rapidly adjust our own thinking, feeling,
physiology, and actions to precisely match the situation. We have a capacity for
limbic resonance which is a complex and rapid exchange of information, largely non-
verbal, between two people about one’s own state and one’s adaptations to the
other’s state.
Limbic Resonance (Limbic resonance is a concept of empathic harmony arising
from the limbic system of the brain. It was first advanced in the book A
General Theory of Love (2000)
This limbic resonance is what makes gazing into the face of another person so
68 fascinating. Limbic resonance allows for a deep, personal connection, below the level
of consciousness. It is emotional harmony. It draws emotions into congruence. It is Fe elings, Affection and
Emotio n
the mechanism that provides the “bonding” between mother and infant and even
between an owner and his dog. Limbic resonance is the mechanism of love.
Some things in life cause people to feel and these are called emotional reactions.
Some things in life cause people to think and these are sometimes called logical or
intellectual reactions. Thus life is divided between things that make you feel and things
that make you think. The question is if someone is feeling, does that mean that they
are thinking less? If part of your brain is being occupied by feeling, then it makes
sense that you have less capacity for thought. This issue is being discussed in emotion
and thought.
1) Define affection and delineate its important features.
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2) What is the difference between emotion and affect?
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3) What are the various approaches to study of affection?
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4) Delineate the effects of affection.
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5) Discuss affection as a social help.
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Introduction
6) What are the signs of affection?
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7) Discuss emotion of love or affection.
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4.5 EMOTION AND THOUGHT

A person may like something and it may cause the person to think. Thoughts thus
are separate from emotions. Thinking then means one can think about emotions, as
for example, “how did I feel then?” etc. Would this mean that thought requires
increased attention, or is it a sharp spike in attention focused on one particular thing?
It is hard to focus that much if a person is feeling a lot, however.
But there are still parts of thought that do not have feeling or emotion in them, and
parts of emotion that do not have thought in them. That means thought requires more
concentration than feeling does. Thought thus requires more attention, more focus,
etc. If a person is feeling and is emotional, the energy that is focused on thought gets
distributed to feeling and thus the focus and attention on thought become lesser than
otherwise.
Then again, if a person is emotional it means that he is being attentive to his
emotions, whatever they may be, and if his emotions are on something like the sun,
then when he sees the sun he is going to be attentive to it, but not be thinking about
it. So one can pay attention to something and not be thinking about it at the same
time.
Suppose a person is thinking that sun is bad, then he is going to feel that it is bad.
Thus thought and feeling are highly related. But thoughts are really clearer than
feelings. Thought and feeling may result in the same amount of attention to something,
but thought is more precise.
So, the more something is liked or disliked, or have any strong emotional reaction
to anything, the more emotional it is, but that does not mean that it might not also
cause the person to think about it. One can not label everything in life as either
emotion or thought however.
Life is not a scale with emotion on one end and thought on the other. There are other
factors involved, things like adrenaline and physical action, which might also cause
increased attention that is not either emotional or thoughtful. When one is running
or jogging he does have a lot of attention on the fact that he is jogging or running
but he is not thinking about it or being emotional about it.
70
This means that just because one likes something one may not necessarily be emotional Fe elings, Affection and
Emotio n
about it. One might like jogging, but it does not cause emotions in the person..
What does emotion mean then? Emotions are then thoughts that one can not identify.
When one feels something it must be that the person is thinking about something
unconsciously and has no idea what it is, usually.
So the difference between emotions, feelings and thoughts is that the person knows
what thoughts are about, but he does not have as good an idea of what emotions
and feelings are, because the latter are more obscure and harder to identify.
Thus it may be stated that if a person knows what is causing the emotion, it is no
longer an emotion, but it is a thought.
The above would mean that all emotions have their roots in real things, and these real
things can be explained with thoughts. So when we identify an emotion, it is a
thought because thoughts can generate emotions, so if the emotion is still there after
we identified it we would say that it falls under the category of thought , because
the thought is making it.
To give an example, when we see a beautiful golden sword, we may exclaim, “Ah
that gold sword is pretty”. This is an emotion, but to the conscious mind it would
have no idea that we like the sword because it is pretty. All that you would know
is that we like the sword and it is making us emotional about it.
Therefore, emotional things are really feelings that cause unconscious or conscious
thought. Feeling is also another word for unconscious thought. By circular argument
we can say that thought can be emotional.
While a person can only express a few thoughts a minute, the person’s emotions
can contain endless numbers of thoughts per minute. They are however not as exact
and hence do not make as much sense as thoughts do.
So thought is just a lot of attention on one little thing. And emotion is attention on
lots of individual things, or possibly one thing. So things that are emotional are things
that cause the person to think, consciously or unconsciously, thereby feel consciously
or unconsciously.
4.5.1 Emotions are Complex

Emotions are very complex experiences and, to express them, we use a great variety
of terms, besides gestures and attitudes. In fact we could use all the words of a
dictionary to express different emotions. Emotion would better be described as
unconscious feeling. One definition of emotion can be “any strong feeling”. Basic
or primary emotions can be made up of secondary emotions such as for instance
love can contain feelings or emotions of lust, love and longing.
Feelings can be described in more detail than emotions because one can have a
specific feeling for anything, and each feeling is unique and might not have a name.
The feeling may also be an emotion, say anger. Cold is also just a feeling. There is
a large overlap between how feelings feel and how emotions feel, so there are only
a few defined emotions, while there are an infinite number of ways of feeling things.
Emotion goes on and off for everyone. That is, there are degrees to which someone
can be focused on and feel thought, and feel feeling. Some things in life can identifiably
be more emotional than other things.
71
Introduction 4.5.2 Emotions can Direct and Control Thoughts
Thought is concrete and real in the world, and emotion is something that you feel but
can not visualize. Here we use intelligence. Intelligence is just the ability to do things
which are real, versus feeling something, which is not as “real” as thoughts are.
The difference between emotion, feeling, thought, logic, and intelligence is that each
of them requires a lot of attention. Even when one is feeling something the person’s
attention is directed toward it. The answer is that everything in life eventually results
in a feeling. Even emotion results in a feeling. Emotion is unconscious thoughts about
things. Thought results in feelings, so unconscious thought (emotion) is also going to
result in feelings.
Therefore emotion, thought and feeling are really just periods of focus on certain
things. With thought you just recognise what it is that you are focusing on. With
emotions you feel deeply about what you are focusing on, and with feelings you are
focusing on it less.
All facts and information are going to be about things that cause feeling, however,
since all things that happen cause feelings and all facts and information are about
things that happen, so facts and information are just feelings organised in a logical
manner. Intellect and thought also generate feelings when those thoughts are processed
in the mind. This is why we say that emotions can direct and control thought. In fact
when we are focusing on emotions, we cannot think properly and many times our
perceptions become distorted due to our emotions. Once the emotional state is
removed we are able to think more clearly as we are also able to perceive objectively
and factually.
4.5.3 Emotions and Feelings are Broad Thoughts

Any emotion or feeling can be broken down into the sensations and real events that
caused it. And you can think about any of those things (with thoughts).
A thought is thinking about something specific. You can have a thought about an
entire paragraph, but it is going to be just a thought, it is going to be about one thing,
and that one thing might be a summary of the paragraph, but it is still a thought.
Thoughts are in general talked about as being verbal, people rarely think of emotions
and feelings as thoughts. But emotions and feelings are thoughts if you think about
that emotion and feeling. The short period of time in which you think about the
emotion or feeling is a thought. So thoughts can be about emotions and feelings. They
are just harder to identify because they are not verbal.
Emotions, feelings and thoughts are made up of real experiences. A sound in your
head is just like a sound in reality, you are mimicking the emotion that the sound in
reality is causing in your head by yourself, without having the real sound be there.
Just try it and think about any sound, it produces the same emotions as when the
sound itself occurred outside your head.
Thus any emotion or feeling can be broken down into the sensations and real events
that caused it. And you can think about any of those things (with thoughts). You can
also think about those things as individual thoughts.
Emotions and feelings are so intense, that it is like you are trying to focus your
attention on them. So emotions, feelings, and thoughts are all periods of focused
attention. A thought is just more focused attention than a feeling or emotion. So
72
emotions, feelings, and thoughts are all related, they are all things that you pay more Fe elings, Affection and
Emotio n
attention to. And since emotion and feelings are made up of stuff which occurs in the
real world, one could label each one of those things which occurs in the real world
a thought, and say that emotions are made up of thoughts, or are broad thoughts.
That is, you pay attention to your thoughts, and you pay attention to your emotions,
so you could say that emotions are just a bunch of individual thoughts squeezed into
one thing.
4.5.4 Emotion is a Combination of Feelings and Thoughts

Emotion is such a strong feeling that it must be the combination of thoughts and
feelings. If you think about it, if you combine positive thoughts and positive feelings,
you’re going to have a general overall greater experience, If, for instance the
thoughts and feelings are on the same idea or the same thing, the person will be able
to have a greater positive single emotion about that idea or thing.
Since thoughts are conscious and unconscious, emotion could be redefined as the
combination of feeling and thought. There is evidence for this from the facts that you
can only experience one strong emotion at a time, and you can also only think about
one strong emotion at a time. That shows how emotions are pulled up by thoughts,
or controlled and generated by them. It might be that this only applies to strong
emotions, but it depends on each individual’s definition of emotion.
Is a thought sensory input? No it isn’t, you can think about sensory input, and that
would give rise to a feeling of the sensation itself, but a thought is much faster in the
brain. A thought is like a fast firing of neurons while a feeling or a sensation is an
experience that actually takes some amount of time longer than it takes for a neuron
to fire, which is the length of a short thought.
Feelings and thoughts work together; you have your present experience of the
sensation, and your mental direction of thinking about that sensation. The latter part
you can turn on if you want to make that natural, environmental feeling a strong one.
It is hard to experience a strong feeling just by bringing the feeling up in your head,
to have a strong feeling you need to have some type of direct sensory input and be
thinking about that sensory input at the same time.
Emotion always precedes thought. Thought is always just going to be an explanation
of emotion. Everything in the end turns out to be an emotion in your system, so
therefore everything is really an emotion. When you say “I want to leave” the feeling
of you wanting to leave is always going to precede the thought.
Actually first you understand what it is that you are feeling when you realise what it
is you are feeling as an unconscious thought process. Then you have a more regular
feeling about it, and then you are able to verbalize that feeling into a thought.
Unless something is said to you instead of you thinking it, in which case the process
is reversed. First it is a thought because it is expressed that way, then it is a feeling,
and then it is a quick unconscious thought process to think about what was said.
When the thing is said or thought of verbally it is most clear what the meaning is. In
this way words assist understanding. This is probably because the combination of
adding the stimulation of sound to the stimulation of the visual sense of the object/
idea enhances understanding and forces you to think deeper about it because sound
is an enhancing mechanism for thought.
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Introduction Feelings are fast, you don’t pause and think about them. Emotion you could say,
since it is deeper, that you almost “think” about it.
Thought is also powered by feeling in other ways, as when you are nervous that you
didn’t understand something, your feelings then cause you to think nervous things like
“do I know that too?, does he think I care that he knows that?” Those thoughts are
a function of intelligence, because they are causing you to think about real things,
which is what intelligence is.
Feelings are more direct than emotions and thought because they are more sensory
– when you touch something you get a feeling. That shows further how emotions are
really about things in the real world, only it more like you are thinking about them
instead of feeling them in real time.
Things that come from memory are going to be emotions and/or thoughts, not
feelings because feelings are things which are more tangible, those memories might
result in new feelings, but the memories themselves are not feelings because they are
just thoughts.
That shows how you can feel some things more than others, that thought and feeling
are indeed separate and intelligence is sometimes driven by feelings and emotions,
and sometimes it is not.
A person is always experiencing some emotion at any time, since when the present
emotion fades away so another emotion will take its place and be felt by him / her.
No single emotional response can be permanent. When any emotion, such as anger,
is experienced the person can stay angry only for some time, eventually the anger will
fade away and a fresh emotion will arise.
When emotions become intense they neutralise intellectual concerns. In fact, common
negatively valued emotions such as self pity, fear, anxiety, as well as moods like
depression, actually tend to inhibit rationality. To cite an example, intense anxiety
seems to produce a mental fog in one’s mind, making it impossible to study.
Some people might take offence if they were thought to be emotional, whereas it is
acceptable for them to show feelings.
There are a multitude of emotions, but only there are three feelings, viz.,
i) the pleasant one,
ii) the unpleasant one, and
iii) the neutral one.
The importance of feelings is that they help give rise to emotions, that is, the bases
of all emotions are the three feelings.
The peculiarity of any particular emotion is that, whilst it is just an emotion, it is
nevertheless intimately associated with specific mental attitudes and ideas that have
become characteristic of that emotion
Understanding the nature of emotions has profound implications for psycho therapy.
4.5.5 Emotions are Derived from Feelings

Emotions are partly derived from feelings. To explain how this derivation occurs I use
a model of consciousness that is a traditional one:
74
Consciousness has three modes; these are: Fe elings, Affection and
Emotio n
 will (or will power),

 mind, and
 feeling.
Past variations on this model substituted action for will, and emotion or sensibility for
feelings.
In this model, I distinguish between consciousness and mind.
Consciousness is the totality of the person, whilst mind is only one feature of it. The
three modes are separate, but they interlock by the production of desires and emotions.
In this model, mind has two aspects: intelligence and intellect. Intelligence links to
will and to feeling, and intellect is the source of abstraction.
 Intelligence expresses the activity of the mind.
 The intellect is an indication of the degree of maturity of the mind.
Mind is the key to consciousness. Mind, in fact, is the ‘cement’ that keeps all aspects
of consciousness together. Now the mind, in its aspect of intelligence, helps to
produce desires and emotions. In this aspect of mind we use ideas or concepts.
Will is a pure striving, an undirected effort. When will is united with mind, it generates
desire.
Desire is the activity of will directed into a mental concept.
The concept governs the use of will. The concept directs the will.
For example, will plus the concept ‘social status’ gives rise to the desire to achieve
social status. Will plus the concept ‘fame’ gives rise to the desire for fame. Without
the presence of desire it is very difficult to sustain the use of will; if a person tries
to renounce desire then he /she is quite likely to become lethargic.
4.5.6 Feeling Unites with Mind to Generate Emotions

Emotion is the activity of feeling directed into a mental concept. The feeling energises
a conceptual response to a stimulus. Feelings are primarily either pleasant or unpleasant
and rarely are they neutral. Hence there are two possible conceptual responses to
any stimulus, which in turn leads to two possible emotional responses.
For example, feeling plus the concept ‘domination’ gives rise to the emotions of
anger and fear. Anger arises because the pleasant feeling makes domination of
others acceptable to me, whereas the unpleasant feeling makes fear arise when I
become subject to domination by others.
Another example, feeling plus the concept ‘identity’ gives rise to the emotions of
love and hate. Here the pleasant feeling makes a social identity acceptable to me,
since I am the same as everyone else. Identity produces love. The unpleasant feeling
makes me reject a social identity. I prefer to be different and have an individual
identity. Difference produces hate.
The mental concept that is associated with an emotion actually creates the boundaries
of that emotion. If the mental concept changes, the emotion does not change and
75
Introduction instead, it fades away and a different emotion arises, that is the one that fits the
current mental concept. The mental concepts of emotions are not normally a part of
our awareness. Emotions are not unique to any particular individual, so the mental
concepts that underlie them come from the unconscious mind. Since the mental
concepts are unconscious they are extremely difficult to identify.
An emotion is not unique to any particular individual, so the mental concept that
underlies it comes from the unconscious mind.
Now an unconscious idea has two values : it is good or it is bad. The good value
generates the pleasant feeling, the bad value the unpleasant feeling. This division leads
to two choices. One choice gives rise to one emotion, the other choice to its
complement.
1) Discuss emotions and thought.
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2) How are emotions complex? Describe.
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3) Can emotions direct and control thoughts? Explain.
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.....................................................................................................................
4) Discuss emotions and feelings as broad thoughts.
.....................................................................................................................
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.....................................................................................................................
5) How do we visualize emotions a combination of feelings and thought?
.....................................................................................................................
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76
Fe elings, Affection and
Emotio n
6) How do feelings generate emotions?
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4.6 INFLUENCE OF VALUE

No feeling is permanent. There is a constant oscillation between the positive and
negative feelings. Emotions too are constantly changing, in part because feelings
change, and in part due to the constant stream of ideas that flow in the unconscious
mind. At the conscious and subconscious levels of mind we can focus on an
unconscious idea and use it to pursue a trend or theme about something that interests
us at that moment. Hence we can make an emotion last whilst we follow that trend.
We put a value on emotional experience. By either liking or disliking things,
relationships, situations, etc. we put a value on them. At any particular moment we
may either like or dislike something ; but this liking and disliking can take many
forms.
In general then, if we are free wheeling in our thoughts, we can let our emotions be
positive or negative according to whether the feeling is positive or negative. Otherwise,
by placing value on our experience, we can generate positive or negative emotions
as we choose. However, the generation of a positive emotion is often difficult if the
feeling that is current is the negative one, and vice versa.
4.7 LET US SUM UP

Emotions, feelings and affection were handled in this unit. We gave definitions of
emotions,. Feelings and affection and their typical characteristics. We discussed the
relationship between emotions and feelings, emotions and thoughts, emotions and
affection and delineated the important features in each of these relationships.
It was pointed out in this unit that feeling has upwards of twenty different meanings,
and for our purposes, feeling can either refer to something experience as a result of
outside stimuli reacting with one of your five senses or someone’s sensibilities,
attitude, or emotional perception.
Emotion is technically a state of consciousness in which various internal sensations
are experienced. Emotion can be produced by a thought, memory, or external motivator
and can often change our physical state.
Because of this, you could say that the biggest difference between feelings and
emotions is that feelings have to be triggered by an external motivating factor whereas
emotions can be completely internalised.
Feelings are thought to be experienced for short periods of time, as for instance
someone jumps at you from around a corner and you will feel startled, but this feeling
last only for sometime. Emotions are long term states. If you are in love, that
emotion will usually last years.
Thus emotions and feelings are both sensations experienced by humans.
77
Introduction Feelings are triggered by external stimuli whereas emotions come from your mind
and soul.
Feelings can include physical sensations as well as mental states, but emotions always
come from the mind.
Feelings are often temporary and subside once the stimulus s no longer present,
whereas emotions will stay with you for years because they are seated in your mind.
In review, both feelings and emotions are composed of unconscious thoughts, but
feelings are easier to identify than emotions. Feelings are faster than emotions in
terms of response and it takes someone less time to recognise feelings because they
are faster. Feelings are closer to sensory stimulation, if you touch something, you feel
it and that is a fast reaction. You care about the feeling so you can separate it out
in your head from the other feelings. “You care” in that sentence could be translated
into, the feeling is intense, so you feel it and can identify it easily. That is different from
consciously understanding why you are depressed or sad. You can consciously
understand why you are depressed or sad, but that might or might not affect the
intensity of that sadness.
If you care about a feeling then it becomes easier to identify it , that is it shows how
your feelings can help you to identify other feelings, so your emotions contribute to
your emotional intelligence.
If a certain emotion is larger than others then to your intellect it is going to be easier
to recognise, and easier to think about

1) Define and describe the characteristic features of emotions and feelings.
2) Differentiate between emotions and feelings
3) Define affection and bring out its characteristic features.
4) How is affection considered to reduce stress and help survival of human species?
5) Discuss how thought and emotions are inter related?
6) Discuss influence of value in regard to feelings, emotions and affection.

Evans, Dylan and Pierre Cruse (2004). Emotion, Evolution and Rationality. Oxford
University Press; Oxford
Michael Lewis, Jeannette, M. Haviland Jones (Eds) (2000). Handbook of Emotions,
Second Edition. Guilford Press, NY
K. Floyd,(2006). Communicating Affection: Interpersonal Behaviour and Social
Context, Cambridge University Press, UK
Rubin, Zick (1973). Liking and Loving: An Invitation to Social Psychology. New
York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
78
Unit 1 (1).pdf
Unit 2.pdf
Unit 3.pdf
Unit 4.pdf
UNIT 1 THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
(Need theories, goal setting theory, attribution theory, drive theory and socio-
cultural perspective on motivation)
Structure
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Objectives
1.2 Definition and Introduction to Theories of Motivation
1.3.1 Need Theories
1.3.2 Goal Setting Theories
1.3.3 Attribution Theory
1.3.4 Drive Theory
1.4 Let Us Sum Up

1.0 INTRODUCTION
This unit deals with theories of motivation. It discusses the need theories under which
theories of Maslow, Alderfer’s ERG theory, Herzberg’s Motivation theory and
McClelland ‘s Need for achievement, power and affiliation theories are discussed.
This is followed by Goal setting theories in which the characteristics of goal setting are
discussed, and the goals should be so that the individuals are motivated to reach the
goal etc. Following this is the attribution theory and Hull’s Drive theory.
1.1 OBJECTIVES
After going through this unit, you will be able to:
 Define motivation;
 Describe need theories;
 Explain the goal setting theories and the related factors;
 Elucidate attribution theory and indicate the importance of it; and
 Describe drive theory of Hull and the characteristic features of the same.
1.2 DEFINITION AND INTRODUCTION TO

THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
The word motivation is coined from the Latin word “movere” which means to move.
Motivation is defined as an internal drive that activates behaviour and gives it direction.
Motivation can be broadly defined as the forces acting on or within a person that cause
the arousal, direction and persistence of goal-directed, voluntary effort. The term
motivation theory is concerned with the processes that describe why and how human
behaviour is activated and directed. It is regarded as one of the most important areas of 5
Theories of Motivation study in the field of organisational behaviour. There are two different categories of
motivational theories such as content theories, and process theories. Motivation theory
is thus concerned with the processes that explain why and how human behaviour is
activated.
The content theory of motivation, also known as need theory mainly focuses on the
internal factors that energise and direct human behaviour. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.,
Alderfer’s ERG theory, Herzeberg’s motivator-hygiene theory (Herzeberg’s dual factors
theory), and Mc Clelland’s learned needs or three-needs theory are some of the major
content theories.
Of the different types of content theories, the most famous content theory is Abraham
Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. Maslow introduced five levels of basic needs
through his theory. Basic needs are categorised as physiological needs, safety and security
needs, needs of love, needs for self esteem and need for self actualisation.
Just like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, ERG theory explains existence, relatedness and
growth needs. Through dual factors theory, Herzeberg describes certain factors in the
workplace which result in job satisfaction. McClelland’s learned needs or three-need
theory uses projective techniques called Thematic Aptitude Test (TAT) so as to evaluate
people based on three needs: power, achievement and affiliation. People with high
need of power take action in a way that influences the other’s behaviour.
Another type of motivation theory is process theory. Process theories of motivation
provide an opportunity to understand the thought processes that influence behaviour.
The major process theories of motivation include Adam’s Equity theory, Vroom’s
expectation theory, goal setting theory and reinforcement theory. Expectancy,
instrumentality and valence are the key concepts explained in the expectancy theory.
Goal setting theory suggests that the individuals are motivated to reach set goals. It also
requires that the set goals should be specific. Reinforcement theory is concerned with
controlling behaviour by manipulating its consequences.

1.3.1 Need Theories
Content (need) theories of motivation focus on factors internal to the individual that
energise and direct behaviour. In general, such theories regard motivation as the product
of internal drives that compel an individual to act or move (hence, “motivate”) toward
the satisfaction of individual needs. The content theories of motivation are based in
large part on early theories of motivation that traced the paths of action backward to
their perceived origin in internal drives. Major content theories of motivation are Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs, Alderfer’s ERG theory, Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory, and
McClelland’s learned needs or three-need theory.
Needs are deficiencies that energise or trigger behaviours to satisfy those needs. At
some point in your life, you might have a strong need for food and shelter. At other
tomes, your social needs may be unfulfilled. Unfulfilled needs create a tension that
makes you want to find ways to reduce or satisfy those needs. The stronger your
needs, the more motivated you are to satisfy them. Conversely, a satisfied need does
not motivate. In this section, we will look at the four content theories of motivation that
dominate organisational thinking today.
6
A) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory Theories of Motivation
Abraham Maslow developed the theory of hierarchy of needs, which suggests that
individual needs exist in a hierarchy consisting of physiological needs, security needs,
belongingness needs, esteem needs, and self-actualisation needs. Physiological needs
are the most basic needs for food, water, and other factors necessary for survival.
Security needs include needs for safety in one’s physical environment, stability, and
freedom from emotional distress. Belongingness needs relate to desires for friendship,
love, and acceptance within a given community of individuals. Esteem needs are those
associated with obtaining the respect of one’s self and others. Finally, self-actualisation
needs are those corresponding to the achievement one’s own potential, the exercising
and testing of one’s creative capacities, and, in general, to becoming the best person
one can possibly be. Unsatisfied needs motivate behaviour; thus, lower-level needs
such as the physiological and security needs must be met before upper-level needs
such as belongingness, esteem, and self-actualisation can be motivational.
This theory condenses the numerous needs that scholars have identified into a hierarchy
of five basic categories. At the bottom are physiological needs, which include the need
to satisfy biological requirements for food, air, water, and shelter. Next come safety
needs – the need for a secure and stable environment and the absence of pain, threat,
or illness. Belongingness includes the need for love, affection, and interaction with
other people. Esteem includes self-esteem through personal achievement as well as
social esteem through recognition and respect from others. At the top of the hierarchy
is self-actualisation, which represents the need for self-fulfillment – a sense that the
person’s potential has been realised.
Maslow recognised that an employee’s behaviour is motivated simultaneously by several
need levels, but behaviour is motivated mostly by the lowest unsatisfied need at the
time. As the person satisfies a lower-level need, the next higher need in the hierarchy
becomes the primary motivator. This concept is known as the satisfaction-progression
process. Even if a person is unable to satisfy a higher need, he or she will be motivated
by it until it is eventually satisfied. Physiological needs are initially the most important,
and people are motivated to satisfy them first. As they become gratified, safety needs
emerge as the strongest motivator. As safety needs are satisfied, belongingness needs
become most important, and so forth. The exception to the satisfaction-progression
process is self-actualisation; as people experience self-actualisation, they desire more
rather than less of this need.
Although Maslow’s needs hierarchy is one of the best-known organisational behaviour
theories, the model is much too rigid to explain the dynamic and unstable characteristics
of employee needs. Researchers have found that individual needs do not cluster neatly
around the five categories described in the model. Moreover, gratification of one need
level does not necessarily led to increased motivation to satisfy the next higher need
level. Although Maslow’s model may not predict employee needs as well as scholars
initially expected, it provides an important introduction to employee needs and has laid
the foundation for Alderfer’s ERG theory, which has better research support.
Applications of the hierarchy of needs to management and the workplace are obvious.
According to the implications of the hierarchy, individuals must have their lower level
needs met by, for example, safe working conditions, adequate pay to take care of
one’s self and one’s family, and job security before they will be motivated by increased
job responsibilities, status, and challenging work assignments. Despite the ease of
application of this theory to a work setting, this theory has received little research support
and therefore is not very useful in practice. 7
Theories of Motivation Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is most often displayed as a pyramid. The lowest levels of
the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are
located at the top of the pyramid. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical
requirements including the need for food, water, sleep and warmth. Once these lower-
level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for
safety and security.
As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and
social. Soon, the need for love, friendship and intimacy become important. Further up
the pyramid, the need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority.
Like Carl Rogers, Maslow emphasised the importance of self-actualisation, which is a
process of growing and developing as a person to achieve individual potential.
Types of Needs
Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a major role in
motivating behaviour. Physiological, security, social, and esteem needs are deficiency
needs (also known as D-needs), meaning that these needs arise due to deprivation.
Satisfying these lower-level needs is important in order to avoid unpleasant feelings or
consequences.
Maslow termed the highest-level of the pyramid as growth needs (also known as being
needs or B-needs). Growth needs do not stem from a lack of something, but rather
from a desire to grow as a person.
Five Levels of the Hierarchy of Needs
There are five different levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs:
i) Physiological Needs: These include the most basic needs that are vital to survival,
such as the need for water, air, food and sleep. Maslow believed that these needs
are the most basic and instinctive needs in the hierarchy because all needs become
secondary until these physiological needs are met.
ii) Security Needs: These include needs for safety and security. Security needs are
important for survival, but they are not as demanding as the physiological needs.
Examples of security needs include a desire for steady employment, health insurance,
safe neighbourhoods and shelter from the environment.
iii) Social Needs: These include needs for belonging, love and affection. Maslow
considered these needs to be less basic than physiological and security needs.
Relationships such as friendships, romantic attachments and families help fulfill this
need for companionship and acceptance, as does involvement in social, community
or religious groups.
iv) Esteem Needs: After the first three needs have been satisfied, esteem needs
becomes increasingly important. These include the need for things that reflect on
self-esteem, personal worth, social recognition and accomplishment.
v) Self-actualising Needs: This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Self-actualising people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less
concerned with the opinions of others and interested fulfilling their potential.
B) Alderfer’s ERG needs theory
In 1969, Clayton Alderfer’s revision of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, called
the ERG Theory. Alderfer’s contribution to organisational behaviour was dubbed the
8
ERG theory (Existence, Relatedness, and Growth), and was created to align Maslow’s Theories of Motivation
motivation theory more closely with empirical research.
Clayton Alderfer’s ERG Theory
Existence Needs Relatedness Needs Growth Needs
Satisfaction Progression
Frustration Regression
ERG Theory is similar to the famous Maslow‘s Hierarch of Needs. Existence, or
physiological, needs are at the base. These include the needs for things such as food,
drink, shelter, and safety. Next come relatedness needs, the need to feel connected to
other individuals or a group. These needs are fulfilled by establishing and maintaining
relationships.
Similarities include reducing Maslow to three needs since some overlap. Thus ERG is
the three.
The differences include allowing different levels of needs to be pursued simultaneously.
Also, it allows for the order to be different for different people. The theory acknowledges
that if higher levels remain unfulfilled, there may be a regression to lower level needs in
what is known as frustration-regression principle.
At the top of the hierarchy are Growth needs, the needs for personal achievement and
self-actualisation. If a person is continually frustrated in trying to satisfy growth needs,
relatedness needs will remerge. This phenomenon is known as the frustration-regression
process.
The ERG categories of human needs are:
Existence Needs: physiological and safety needs (such as hunger, thirst and sex).
Relatedness Needs: social and external esteem (involvement with family, friends, co-
workers and employers).
Growth Needs: internal esteem and self actualisation (the desire to be creative,
productive and to complete meaningful tasks).
 The ERG theory allows for different levels of needs to be pursued simultaneously.
 The ERG theory allows the order of the needs be different for different people.
 The ERG theory acknowledges that if a higher level need remains unfulfilled, the
person may regress to lower level needs that appear easier to satisfy. This is
known as the frustration-regression principle.
Thus, while the ERG theory presents a model of progressive needs, the hierarchical
aspect is not rigid. This flexibility allows the ERG theory to account for a wider range of
observed behaviours. For example, it can explain the “starving artist” who may place
growth needs above existence ones.
Implications of ERG Theory for Management
If the ERG theory holds, then, managers must recognise that an employee has multiple
needs to satisfy simultaneously. Furthermore, if growth opportunities are not provided
9
Theories of Motivation to employees, they may regress to relatedness needs. If the manager is able to recognise
this situation, then steps can be taken to concentrate on relatedness needs until the
subordinate is able to pursue growth again.
C) Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory
Herzberg felt that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction do not exist on the same continuum,
but on dual scales. In other words, certain things, which Herzberg called hygiene factors,
could cause a person to become unhappy with their job. These things, including pay,
job security, and physical work environment, could never bring about job satisfaction.
Motivating factors, on the other hand, can increase job satisfaction. Giving employees
things such as a sense of recognition, responsibility, or achievement can bring satisfaction
about.
Frederick Herzberg explored the question “What do people want from their jobs”. He
did this through asking various people about situations and events at work, when they
felt exceptionally good or bad about their jobs.
Herzberg’s collection of information revealed that intrinsic factors are related to job
satisfaction, whilst extrinsic factors created job dissatisfaction. In other words when
people felt satisfied and happy at work the conditions present were directly affecting
their inner feelings and self esteem. Yet dissatisfaction was created by the job environment
people worked in and the interactions within that environment. This distinction is clearly
illustrated in the table below.
Motivation creating job Hygiene factors creating
satisfaction job dissatisfaction
Achievement Supervision
Recognition Company policy
Work itself Relationship with supervisor
Responsibility Working conditions
Advancement Salary
Growth Relationship with peers
Relationship with subordinates
Status
Security
As job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are controlled by different factors Herzberg
concluded that job satisfaction was not the opposite of job dissatisfaction. In contrast
to the accepted theories at the time, Herzberg believed that job satisfaction was a
distinct and separate entity from job dissatisfaction.
In other words the complete removal of job dissatisfaction will not cause an employee
to feel job satisfaction. Similarly job satisfaction does not necessarily eradicate all
elements of job dissatisfaction. Herzberg therefore decided that the opposite of job
dissatisfaction was simply a work environment containing “no dissatisfaction” and the
opposite of job satisfaction was an employee feeling “no satisfaction”.
As extrinsic factors do not motivate employees Herzberg referred to these as Hygiene
factors and intrinsic factors were called motivators for obvious reasons. From the 1960s
10
to the 1980’s Herzberg’s theory of motivators and hygiene factors was widely popular.
After that other studies labelled it as simplistic but its principles can still be found within Theories of Motivation
other motivation theories.
D) Mc Clelland’s Theory of Need
David McClelland proposed that an individual’s specific needs are acquired over time
and are shaped by one’s life experiences. Most of these needs can be classed as
achievement, affiliation, or power. A person’s motivation and effectiveness in certain
job functions are influenced by these three needs. McClelland’s theory sometimes is
referred to as the three need theory or as the learned needs theory.
McClelland used projective technique called the Thematic Aptitude Test (TAT) to
measure people in three dimensions: the need for power, achievement, and affiliation.
Individuals with a high need for power take actions that affect other peoples‘ behaviour
and arouse strong emotions in them. The need for power can be revealed in socially
acceptable ways (demonstrating a socialised power orientation) or in selfish,
inconsiderate ways (a personalised power orientation.)
Those with strong need for achievement enjoy competition against some standard and
unique accomplishment. High achievers like tasks that are neither simple (which anyone
could do) or extremely difficult (where the chance of success has more to do with luck
than ability), but that challenge them to do their best.
People with a strong need for affiliation are particularly concerned with being liked and
accepted. These individuals tend to establish, maintain, and restore closer personal
relationships with others.
Need for Achievement
People with a high need for achievement (nAch) seek to excel and thus tend to avoid
both low-risk and high-risk situations. Achievers avoid low-risk situations because the
easily attained success is not a genuine achievement. In high-risk projects, achievers
see the outcome as one of chance rather than one’s own effort. High nAch individuals
prefer work that has a moderate probability of success, ideally a 50% chance. Achievers
need regular feedback in order to monitor the progress of their acheivements. They
prefer either to work alone or with other high achievers.
Need for Affiliation
Those with a high need for affiliation (nAff) need harmonious relationships with other
people and need to feel accepted by other people. They tend to conform to the norms
of their work group. High nAff individuals prefer work that provides significant personal
interaction. They perform well in customer service and client interaction situations.
Need for Power
A person’s need for power (nPow) can be one of two types - personal and institutional.
Those who need personal power want to direct others, and this need often is perceived
as undesirable. Persons who need institutional power (also known as social power)
want to organise the efforts of others to further the goals of the organisation. Managers
with a high need for institutional power tend to be more effective than those with a high
need for personal power.
Assessment of Needs: Thematic Apperception Test
McClelland used the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) as a tool to measure the
individual needs of different people. The TAT is a test of imagination that presents the
11
subject with a series of ambiguous pictures, and the subject is asked to develop a
Theories of Motivation spontaneous story for each picture. The assumption is that the subject will project his
or her own needs into the story.
Psychologists have developed fairly reliable scoring techniques for the Thematic
Apperception Test. The test determines the individual’s score for each of the needs of
achievement, affiliation, and power. This score can be used to suggest the types of jobs
for which the person might be well suited.
Implications for Management
People with different needs are motivated differently.
High need for achievement – High achievers should be given challenging projects
with reachable goals. They should be provided frequent feedback. While money is not
an important motivator, it is an effective form of feedback.
High need for affiliation – Employees with a high affiliation need perform best in a
cooperative environment.
High need for power – Management should provide power seekers the opportunity
to manage others.
1) Fill in the blanks:
a) _______________ needs include the need to satisfy biological requirement.
b) The need for a secure and stable environment is called _____________
needs.
c) The need for self fulfillment was called ___________________________.
d) The ERG theory allows the order of the ______________ be different for
different people.
e) Giving employees things such as sense of recognition, responsibility or
achievement can bring ___________________ about.
2) Answer the following statements with True (T) or False (F):
a) The ERG theory allows for different levels of needs to be pursued
simultaneously.
b) Herzeberg felt that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction exist on the same
continuum.
c) McClelland used projective test, TAT.
d) Social needs include the need for safety.
e) People with a strong need for affiliation are particularly concerned with
being liked and accepted.
1.3.2 Goal Setting Theories

Goal setting theory of motivation is a theory which states that there is an inseparable
link between goal setting and task performance. It states that specific, measurable and
attainable goals motivate an employee to achieve the goal, while lousy vague targets
suck off enthusiasm.
12
Principles of Goal Setting Theories of Motivation
To prepare a delicious meal, you need to put in the right ingredients. In the same way,
setting the right goals, there needs to be the right combination of certain factors. Let’s
have a look at these important factors of goal setting theory in management.
Clarity
Vague, unambiguous goal spun in thin air will only build a house on the sand. Such
random goals leaves lots of room for misconceptions and will never give desired results.
When the manager says, ‘Do how much you can’, the employee gets a vague idea of
what is expected of him and does not strive to perform better. The result is at the time
of evaluation, there is a lot of confusion. The manager is not happy with the employees
low performance, while the employee cannot understand why the manager is pouting.
Crisp, clear, measurable, specific goals have to be set and communicated to the employee
in the simplest way possible. No room for assumptions in goal setting.
Challenging goals
Besides being clear and specific, the goal set should be challenging. Easy to achieve
goals fail to keep the employee excited, however, since people are often motivated by
the feeling of achievement, setting challenging goals helps motivate the employee to do
his best. Another factor that has to be noted here is the fact of recognition. When an
employee knows his efforts will not go unnoticed, he will want to stretch himself. Financial
or any other kind of remunerations will help motivate the employee to reach his goal. As
the intensity of rewards increase with the difficulty of the task, employees are willing to
take up more challenging tasks to achieve that high compensation.
Achievable goals
We just saw how important it is for an employee to know what his manager expects out
of him to perform better. However, if the goal by his manager is something really steep,
it will do more damage instead of good. Blowing a balloon to its fullest capacity brings
about beauty, however, blowing a little more bursts the balloon. There is only a hairline
difference between the fullest capacity and the amount that can burst it. Same is the
case with an employee. Easy goals don’t seem to challenge an employee, however, in
the eagerness to set challenging goals, if the goal is tad on the unattainable side, the
employee can get demotivated, instead of motivated. The idea is to challenge the
employee to give his best performance without frustrating him.
Commitment to goals
If goals are to see fruition, they need to be comprehended and agreed upon by both the
management and the employees. The theory of participative management rests on the
basis of allowing employees to have a role in setting goals and making decisions. If
employees feel they were part of creating the goal, they are more likely to try their level
best to achieve the goal. Simply barging into the meeting room and dictating the set of
goals the employee has to attain, without considering whether he can or cannot attain it,
will not lead to frustration and suffocation at work.
1.3.3 Attribution Theory

Attribution theory is probably the most influential contemporary theory with implications
for academic motivation. It incorporates behaviour modification in the sense that it
emphasises the idea that learners are strongly motivated by the pleasant outcome of
being able to feel good about themselves. It incorporates cognitive theory and self-
13
Theories of Motivation efficacy theory in the sense that it emphasises that learners’ current self-perceptions will
strongly influence the ways in which they will interpret the success or failure of their
current efforts and hence their future tendency to perform these same behaviours.
According to attribution theory, the explanations that people tend to make to explain
success or failure can be analysed in terms of three sets of characteristics:
First, the cause of the success or failure may be internal or external. That is, we may
succeed or fail because of factors that we believe have their origin within us or because
of factors that originate in our environment.
Second, the cause of the success or failure may be either stable or unstable. If the we
believe cause is stable, and then the outcome is likely to be the same if we perform the
same behaviour on another occasion. If it is unstable, the outcome is likely to be different
on another occasion.
Third, the cause of the success or failure may be either controllable or uncontrollable.
A controllable factor is one which we believe we ourselves can alter if we wish to do
so. An uncontrollable factor is one that we do not believe we can easily alter.
An important assumption of attribution theory is that people will interpret their
environment in such a way as to maintain a positive self-image. That is, they will
attribute their successes or failures to factors that will enable them to feel as good as
possible about themselves. In general, this means that when learners succeed at an
academic task, they are likely to want to attribute this success to their own efforts or
abilities; but when they fail, they will want to attribute their failure to factors over which
they have no control, such as bad teaching or bad luck.
The basic principle of attribution theory as it applies to motivation is that a person’s
own perceptions or attributions for success or failure determine the amount of effort the
person will expend on that activity in the future.
There are four factors related to attribution theory that influence motivation in education:
ability, task difficulty, effort, and luck. In terms of the characteristics discussed previously,
these four factors can be analysed in the following way:
Ability is a relatively internal and stable factor over which the learner does not exercise
much direct control.
Task difficulty is an external and stable factor that is largely beyond the learner’s
control.
Effort is an internal and unstable factor over which the learner can exercise a great
deal of control.
Luck is an external and unstable factor over which the learner exercises very little
control.
Students will be most persistent at academic tasks under the following circumstances:
1) If they attribute their academic successes to either:
i) internal, unstable, factors over which they have control (e.g., effort) or
ii) internal, stable, factors over which they have little control but which may
sometimes be disrupted by other factors (e.g., ability disrupted by occasional
bad luck);
14
If they attribute their failures to internal, unstable factors over which they have control Theories of Motivation
(e.g., effort).
The following guidelines can be derived from the preceding statement:
If we want students to persist at academic tasks, we should help them establish a
sincere belief that they are competent and that occasional imperfections or failures are
the result of some other factor (such as bad luck or a lack of sufficient effort) that need
not be present on future occasions.
It is not beneficial for students to attribute their successes entirely to ability. If they
think they already have all the ability they need, they may feel that additional effort is
superfluous. The ideal attribution for success is, “I succeeded because I am a competent
person and worked hard.”
When students fail, they are most likely to persist and eventually succeed if they attribute
their failure to a lack of appropriate effort.
It is extremely hazardous to motivational health for students to fail repeatedly after
making a serious effort at academic tasks. When this happens, they will either (a) stop
believing they are competent, or (b) stop attributing their failure to lack of effort.
It is important to define effort correctly and for the learners to internalise an accurate
concept of effort. In practical terms effort is most usefully defined as devoting effective
academic learning time to the task. Just trying harder or spending more time doing
ineffective activities does not constitute effort. It is extremely important to make this
distinction. This will reduce motivation.
Excessively competitive grading and evaluation systems are likely to impair the learning
of many students. Competition will encourage students to persist only to the extent that
they believe additional effort will enable them to succeed within the competitive
atmosphere.
It is useful to evaluate students at least partly (but not exclusively) on the basis of their
effort. This does not mean that the weakest students in a class should receive the highest
grades simply because they may spend more time trying to master the subject matter.
In general, it is best for students to believe that it is their own behaviour rather than
external circumstances that leads to success or failure. Researchers refer to this as
having an internal locus of control.
When students reject the value of effort, it is important to change their perception. This
can be done by clarifying the meaning of effort and by seeing to it that effort does
actually pay off.
Attribution theory is an evolving field, and it is likely that further research will lead to
additional practical insights regarding motivation. It is important to note that this discussion
of attribution theory has barely scratched the surface. The following are some additional
concepts related to attribution theory:
Learning goals are set by individuals who seek to increase their competence. People
who emphasise learning goals are likely to seek challenges, if they believe the challenges
will lead to greater competence; and they tend to respond to failure by increasing their
effort. It is good to encourage students to set and pursue learning goals rather than
performance goals.
Performance goals, on the other hand, are set by individuals who seek to gain favourable
15
Theories of Motivation judgments or to avoid unfavourable judgments in the eyes of others. It is often undesirable
to emphasise performance goals; but schools, parents, and society often overemphasise
them to the detriment of learners.
Learned helplessness refers to the expectation, based on previous experience that
one’s actions cannot possibly lead to success. Performance goals are much more likely
than learning goals to lead to ability rather than effort attributions and to result in feelings
of learned helplessness.
Self-handicapping occurs when learners create impediments that make good
performance less likely. Self-handicapping is likely to become prominent during
adolescence. Since it occurs most often among persons with an overriding concern
with their competence image, this problem can best be minimised by focusing on effort
attributions and by helping learners develop secure feelings of self-efficacy.
Expectancy-valence models state that a person’s motivation to achieve a goal depends
on a combination of the value of that goal (its valence) and the person’s estimation of
the likelihood of success. The combination of expectancy and valence interacts with
attribution theory in complex ways.
Self-worth theory Covington combines ideas related to self-efficacy, attribution theory,
and learned helplessness. It focuses on the notion that people are largely motivated to
do what it takes to enhance their reputation in various areas.
1.3.4 Drive Theory

Hull developed a version of behaviourism in which the stimulus (S) affects the organism
(O) and the resulting response (R) depends upon characteristics of both O and S. In
other words, Hull was interested in studying intervening variables that affected behaviour
such as initial drive, incentives, inhibitors, and prior training (habit strength). Like other
forms of behaviour theory, reinforcement is the primary factor that determines learning.
However, in Hull’s theory, drive reduction or need satisfaction plays a much more
important role in behaviour than in other frameworks (i.e., Thorndike, Skinner).
Hull’s theoretical framework consisted of many postulates stated in mathematical form;
They include: (1) organisms possess a hierarchy of needs which are aroused under
conditions of stimulation and drive, (2) habit strength increases with activities that are
associated with primary or secondary reinforcement, (3) habit strength aroused by a
stimulus other than the one originally conditioned depends upon the closeness of the
second stimulus in terms of discrimination thresholds, (4) stimuli associated with the
cessation of a response become conditioned inhibitors, (5) the more the effective reaction
potential exceeds the reaction theshold, the shorter the latency of response. As these
postulates indicate, Hull proposed many types of variables that accounted for
generalisation, motivation, and variability (oscillation) in learning.
One of the most important concepts in Hull’s theory was the habit strength hierarchy:
for a given stimulus, an organism can respond in a number of ways. The likelihood of a
specific response has a probability which can be changed by reward and is affected by
various other variables (e.g. inhibition). In some respects, habit strength hierarchies
resemble components of cognitive theories such as schema and production systems.
Principles
1) Drive is essential in order for responses to occur (i.e., the student must want to
learn).
16
2) Stimuli and responses must be detected by the organism in order for conditioning Theories of Motivation
to occur (i.e., the student must be attentive).
3) Response must be made in order for conditioning to occur (i.e., the student must
be active).
4) Conditioning only occurs if the reinforcement satisfied a need (i.e., the learning
must satisfy the learner’s wants).
1) Define the following terms:
a) Goal setting
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
b) Ability
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
c) Effort
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
d) Luck
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
e) Self handicapping
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
1.4 LET US SUM UP

COMPARISON OF CONTENT THEORIES OF MOTIVATION
Maslow Social-esteem
Self-Actualisation – Need for respect, recognition,
– Highest need level. attention, and appreciation of others
– Involves an individual’s desire to Social
realise full potential. – Need for love, affection, sense of
– Can be satisfied without this level. belonging in one’s relationship
– Dealings with friends, family, and
Esteem colleagues falls in here.
Self-esteem Safety and Security
– Need for personal sense of
accomplishment, mastery. Relationships
– need for security in relationships
17
Theories of Motivation Physical Hygiene Factors
– need for security, protection from – Improving factors prevents
future threats, and stability. dissatisfaction.
– Related to job environment
Physiological more than nature of work
– Basic needs: food, water, etc. itself.
– Factors:
ERG 1) policies and procedures
Growth 2) supervision
– Desire for continued 3) relations with supervisor
personal growth and 4) work conditions
development 5) salary
Relatedness 6) relations with peers
– Desire to satisfy 7) personal life
interpersonal relationships 8) relations with subordinates
Existence 9) status
– Desire for physiological and 10) security
material well-being
McClelland
Herzberg Need for Achievement
Motivation Factors – a drive to pursue and attain goals
– Improving factors leads to – accomplishment is important for its
satisfaction, effort, and own sake
performance. Need for Competence
– Related to job content; what – a desire to do quality work
employees actually do. – want to develop skills
– Factors: Need for Power
1) achievement – desire to influence others
2) recognition – desire recognition of others
3) work itself Need for Affiliation
4) responsibility – a drive to relate to people effectively
5) advancement – desire for close relationships
6) growth
Attribution theory is probably the most influential contemporary theory with implications
for academic motivation. It incorporates behaviour modification in the sense that it
emphasises the idea that learners are strongly motivated by the pleasant outcome of
being able to feel good about themselves. It incorporates cognitive theory and self-
efficacy theory in the sense that it emphasises that learners’ current self-perceptions will
strongly influence the ways in which they will interpret the success or failure of their
current efforts and hence their future tendency to perform these same behaviours.
Hull’s theoretical framework consisted of many postulates stated in mathematical form;
They include:
1) organisms possess a hierarchy of needs which are aroused under conditions of
stimulation and drive,
2) habit strength increases with activities that are associated with primary or secondary
reinforcement,
3) habit strength aroused by a stimulus other than the one originally conditioned
depends upon the closeness of the second stimulus in terms of discrimination
18
thresholds,
4) stimuli associated with the cessation of a response become conditioned inhibitors, Theories of Motivation
5) the more the effective reaction potential exceeds the reaction theshold, the shorter
the latency of response. As these postulates indicate, Hull proposed many types
of variables that accounted for generalisation, motivation, and variability (oscillation)
in learning.
Goal setting theory of motivation is a theory which states that there is an inseparable
link between goal setting and task performance. It states that specific, measurable and
attainable goals motivate an employee to achieve the goal, while lousy vague targets
suck off enthusiasm.

1) Discuss content or need theory?
2) Explain and highlight the differences between Maslows and Alderfer’s theories.
3) Discuss goal setting theory.
4) Explain the principles of Attribution theory.
5) Discuss Herzeberg’s and McClellands theory.

Morgan, C.T. and King, R.A. (2010).(11th edition) Introduction to Psychology.
McGraw Hill, New Delhi
Baron, R.A. (2010). Introduction to Psychology, Wadsworth publishing Co., NJ
O’Neil, Harold F. (ed) (1994). Motivation Theory and Research, Lawrence Elbaum
Associates Publishers, Hillsdale, NJ
Morgan, C.T. and King, R.A. (2010).(11th edition) Introduction to Psychology,
Baron, R.A. (2010). Introduction to Psychology, Wadsworth publishing Co., NJ
19
UNIT 2 THE COMPONENT FACTORS OF
MOTIVATION
Structure
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Objectives
2.2 Concept and Description of Motivation
2.3 Intrinsic Motivation
2.3.1 Challenge
2.3.2 Curiosity
2.3.3 Control
2.3.4 Fantasy
2.4 Interpersonal Motivation

2.5 Factors in Motivation
2.6 Factors Affecting Motivation
2.7 Let Us Sum Up
2.0 INTRODUCTION
In this unit we are dealing with the component factors of motivation. We start with
concept and description of motivation in which we define motivation and state its origin
and describe what motivation is all about. Then we move on to intrinsic motivation and
differentiate it from extrinsic motivation. We then indicate how intrinsic motivation is
influenced and affected by challenging situations, curiosity, control and fantasy. This
was followed by Interpersonal motivation which has the contents that include
competition, cooperation and recognition. The next section will be on factors in
motivation which include group size, group goals, competence, leadership, meetings,
publicity and social interactions. In the section that follow we deal with factors affecting
motivation which include reward system, corporate culture, job titles and relationship
with leaders.
2.1 OBJECTIVES
 Define and conceptualise motivation;
 Explain intrinsic motivation;
 Elucidate the factors of intrinsic motivation;
 Describe the interpersonal motivation;
 Elucidate the factors in motivation; and
20  Explain the factors that affect motivation.

The Component Factors
2.2 CONCEPT AND DESCRIPTION OF of Motivation
MOTIVATION
The derivation of the word motivation tells us that motivation refers to getting
someone moving. When we motivate ourselves or someone else, we develop incentives.
We set up conditions that start or stop the concerned. In education motivation deals
with the problem of setting up conditions so that learners will perform to the best of
their abilities in academic settings. We often motivate learners by helping them develop
an expectancy that a benefit will occur as a result of their participation in an instructional
experience. In short, motivation is concerned with the factors that stimulate or inhibit
the desire to engage in a behaviour.
A common sense approach incorporating the group motivational factors is probably
the most effective method to stimulate the group member’s participation in an organisation.
There are two types of motivation that is intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Malone and Lepper (1987) have defined intrinsic motivation more simply in terms
of what people will do without external inducement. Intrinsically motivating activities
are those in which people will engage for no reward other than the interest and enjoyment
that accompanies them. Malone and Lepper have integrated a large amount of research
on motivational theory into a synthesis of ways to design environments that are
intrinsically motivating.
There is a subdivision of factors that enhance motivation into individual factors
and interpersonal factors. Individual factors are individual in the sense that they operate
even when a student is working alone. Interpersonal factors, on the other hand, play a
role only when someone else interacts with the learner.
Curiosity is stimulated when something in the physical environment attracts our attention
or when there is an optimal level of discrepancy between present knowledge or skills
and what these could be if the learner engaged in some activity. Novelty and interest are
good synonyms for the motivational use of curiosity.
The feeling of loss of control is one of the most powerful anti-motivating factors in
education. When students feel their teachers are using controlling techniques (rather
than those that promote autonomous choice), they are likely to show reduced intrinsic
motivation, and this has been shown to result in lower academic performance as well as
substantial deterioration in other important characteristics.
In any group or organisation there will be a tremendous diversity of interest and motivation
for belonging. As a leader, it is important that you understand your own motives as well
as those of your group members. In addition to the personal factors involved, leaders
must also be cognisant of certain factors about the group itself that affect their ability to
motivate the group as a whole.
Many business managers today are not aware of the effects that motivation can (and
does) have on their business, and it is therefore important they learn and understand the
factors that determine positive motivation in the workplace. The size of your business is
irrelevant: whether you are trying to get the best out of fifty of your staff or just one,
everyone needs some form of motivation. Motivation is something that is approached
differently by different businesses and the responsibility of its integration lies with all
immediate supervisors of staff. However, it is the business owner who must initiate
motivation as a strategy to attain corporate goals.
Motivation is the force that makes us do things: this is a result of our individual needs 21
Theories of Motivation being satisfied (or met) so that we have inspiration to complete the task. These needs
vary from person to person as everybody has their individual needs to motivate
themselves. Depending on how motivated we are, it may further determine the effort
we put into our work and therefore increase the standard of the output.
When we suggest factors (or needs) that determine the motivation of employees in the
workplace, almost everyone would immediately think of a high salary. This answer is
correct for the reason that some employees will be motivated by money, but mostly
wrong for the reason that it does not satisfy others (to a lasting degree). This supports
the statement that human motivation is a personal characteristic, and not a one fits all
option.
The derivation of the word tells us that motivation refers to getting someone moving.
When we motivate ourselves or someone else, we develop incentives – we set up
conditions that start or stop behaviour. In education motivation deals with the problem
of setting up conditions so that learners will perform to the best of their abilities in
academic settings. We often motivate learners by helping them develop an expectancy
that a benefit will occur as a result of their participation in an instructional experience. In
short, motivation is concerned with the factors that stimulate or inhibit the desire to
engage in a behaviour.
When we look for ways to motivate students, we often look at people who have
motivated us ourselves or who are famous for motivating other people. This is often a
mistake: the people who have gained fame as motivators have often worked with special
audiences who are not at all typical of the students who show up in our classrooms.
While what these motivators do is effective with their selective audiences, it is possible
that we ourselves deal with people who require entirely different motivational techniques.
It is not even remotely reasonable to assume that the tactics that will make a group of
football players eager to “win one for the Gipper” or a brigade of soldiers willing to
march into the valley of death will have a similar impact on uninterested non-readers in
the third grade.
Motivation is an extremely important but sometimes mundane topic. Motivation influences
learners in complex ways. For example, in a single situation there may be numerous
factors motivating learners to engage in a behaviour and an even greater number of
factors motivating them to avoid that behaviour. A thorough understanding of the principles
of motivation will enable you to get students moving – to want to participate and do
their share in the instructional process.
It is an axiom of most motivational theories that motivation is strongest when the urge to
engage in a behaviour arises from within the learner rather than from outside pressures.
Bruner (1966) has stated the relationship between motivation and learning in the following
way:
According to Bruner, the will to learn is an intrinsic motive, one that finds both its source
and its reward in its own exercise. The will to learn becomes a “problem” only under
specialised circumstances like those of a school, where a curriculum is set, students are
confined, and a path fixed. The problems exist not so much in learning itself, but in the
fact that what the school imposes often fails to enlist the natural energies that sustain
spontaneous learning.
2.3 INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

22 Some theorists maintain that there is only a single kind of intrinsic motivation, which can
be described as a motivation to engage in activities that enhance or maintain a person’s The Component Factors
of Motivation
self-concept. Most theorists define the term more broadly.
For example, most people use a knife and a fork in a certain way or follow conventions
in a restaurant not because they find knife and fork use to be intrinsically motivating, but
because the correct use of these utensils leads to such intrinsic benefits as a good meal
or the respect of people we care about. This is not a serious problem, unless the person
feels coerced or in some other way alienated by having to use the utensils.
Therefore, it is essential that extrinsic motivators be backed up by intrinsic motivators
or that the extrinsic motivation becomes internalised through processes described later
in this chapter. If this does not happen, the result is likely to be a reduction in the very
behaviour we want to promote.
One of the most frequent failures in education is that students rarely say that they find
studying to be intrinsically rewarding. This is a critical problem. One of the most
straightforward conclusions of research from the past two decades is that extrinsic
motivation alone is likely to have precisely the opposite impact that we want it to have
on student achievement.
Malone and Lepper (1987) have defined intrinsic motivation more simply in terms
of what people will do without external inducement. Intrinsically motivating activities
are those in which people will engage for no reward other than the interest and enjoyment
that accompanies them. Malone and Lepper have integrated a large amount of research
on motivational theory into a synthesis of ways to design environments that are
intrinsically motivating.
There is a subdivision of factors that enhance motivation into individual factors
and interpersonal factors. Individual factors are individual in the sense that they operate
even when a student is working alone. Interpersonal factors, on the other hand, play a
role only when someone else interacts with the learner.
2.3.1 Challenge
One of the most powerful individual factors influencing intrinsic motivation is challenge.
{This is an individual factor because a person can be challenged without involving
other people. Of course a challenge could involve other people, as when a person
makes it a challenge to win a competition.} People pursue tasks that are challenging.
Learners are challenged when they direct their activities toward personally meaningful
goals in such a way that attainment of the goals is uncertain – when neither success nor
failure is guaranteed. The belief that they are making acceptable progress toward a
goal, along with the expected satisfaction of goal attainment, enhances self-efficacy and
sustains motivation.
As students work toward these goals, they are motivated to the extent that they receive
feedback and feel that their eventual success will enhance their self-esteem.
The following four factors influence the contribution of challenge to motivation.
Goals can be either supplied by the teacher or developed by the learners themselves.
Goals can be short-term or long-term. While short-term goals may be more immediately
compelling, long-range goals are often more important.
An ideal motivational system involves short-term goals that lead to long-term goals.
The most important characteristic of goals is that they must be personally meaningful. 23
Theories of Motivation Personal relevance can be increased by (1) making clear the links between an activity
and competencies or outcomes valued by the learner, (2) relating material to a fantasy
or imaginary context that the learner finds emotionally appealing, or (3) eliciting
interpersonal motivations such as cooperation, competition, or recognition that appeal
to the learner. Note that what this paragraph really says is that we can make goals more
meaningful by relating them to other motivational factors, including fantasy, control,
competition, and recognition.
Even when goals are supplied by the teacher, it is important that the learners “buy into”
or internalise these goals. Although it seems obvious that it is best that students develop
their own goals (and this would also contribute to control, which is another factor that
contributes to intrinsic motivation), a serious problem is that students themselves may
set goals that are too easy or too difficult to attain or difficult to define. A major step in
promoting self-motivation is to help learners develop strategies for setting goals.
Examples of ways to make a challenge more effective by focusing on goals:
“Here is what we plan to accomplish today (or this semester)….”
“This is important to study because it will help you…”
“Our ultimate goal is to…. In today’s session we are going to….”
“It is important to understand this because….”
Level of certainty is an important factor in determining the degree to which a challenge
will actually motivate a learner. An intermediate degree of certainty is usually best –
when neither success nor failure is guaranteed.
Examples of ways to make a challenge more effective by focusing on level of certainty:
“I know it’s difficult, but I am certain that if we work at it together, you can learn to do
this.” {Said to a person who is certain he/she will fail.
“You know, this isn’t really quite as easy as you think it is.” {Said to a person who is
overconfident of success?}
Give the learner tasks that easy at first and gradually build to more difficult tasks. {If the
person is certain he/she will fail.}
Give the learner a really difficult task at first and then back off and be helpful once he/
she has acknowledged that maybe some effort will be required. {If the person is
overconfident of success.}
The level of certainty can also be manipulated by introducing game like elements such
as randomness or various scorekeeping systems into the learning environment.
Performance feedback reminds learners of their status with regard to the challenge
posed by the goals. It is most effective when it is clear, frequent, constructive, and
encouraging.
Examples of ways to make a challenge more effective by focusing on performance
feedback:
“Your test score isn’t perfect, but it’s ten points higher than the last one.”
Self-esteem is related to motivation because learners consider themselves to be good
or competent to the extent that they succeed at challenges that they consider to be
24 important.
Examples of ways to make a challenge more effective by focusing on self-esteem: The Component Factors
of Motivation
“By meeting this goal, you’ll be able to….”
“By meeting this goal, you’ll overcome your problem of….”
The completely incompetent teacher violates all the guidelines by challenging his/her
students in this way: “Ninety percent of you will fail this course, because your too stupid
to understand it.” This teacher refrains from demonstrating to the students reasons why
the information is worth knowing and does not give them opportunities to verify their
degree of progress toward mastering the course objectives.
Note that the various components of the challenge aspect of motivation may sometimes
conflict with one another. For example, when performance feedback is extremely clear
but negative, it may threaten the learner’s self-esteem more than would vague feedback
or no feedback. Also note that the way a teacher should manipulate challenge will vary
considerably from one situation to another.
It is not necessary that a learner be motivated by challenge or by any other specific
factor of intrinsic motivation or that teachers deliberately apply all of the guidelines
accompanying each factor. In some cases a learner is already motivated or a guideline
has already been applied. For example, the optimal degree of interest and level of
certainty with regard to a topic may already exist (for example, a learner may wish to
learn to express her thoughts more clearly and may think she can do this if she works
hard). In these instances it is not useful for the instructor to add additional uncertainty
(for example, by making a game of writing). The task is already perceived as adequately
challenging, and the teacher’s task is to help the learner meet this challenge.
In other instances, the degree of uncertainty that would best pose a challenge may be
missing (for example, a learner may think he is already competent enough at using
decimals without expending any real effort). In such cases it is important for the teacher
to introduce uncertainty (for example, by presenting the lesson as a game) in order to
pose a challenge and stimulate activity.
By focusing on and clarifying these factors as necessary, teachers can make learning
activities sufficiently challenging to stimulating learning.
2.3.2 Curiosity
A second factor influencing individual motivation is curiosity. {This is an individual factor
because a person’s curiosity can be aroused without involving other people.} Curiosity
is stimulated when something in the physical environment attracts our attention or when
there is an optimal level of discrepancy between present knowledge or skills and what
these could be if the learner engaged in some activity. Novelty and interest are good
synonyms for the motivational use of curiosity.
There are two types of curiosity that can stimulate intrinsic motivation: (i) Sernsory
curiosity and (ii) Cognitive curiosity and (iii) Optimum level of discrepancy. Let us see
what these are.
Sensory curiosity
Occurs when physical factors such as changes in tone of voice, light, or sound attract
the attention of learners. Examples of ways to stimulate sensory curiosity
Computer programs zoom in on information, emit sounds, or use animation to attract
attention. 25
Theories of Motivation A teacher speaks in a low tense voice to catch the attention of her students.
Cognitive curiosity
This on the other hand, is evoked when learners believe that it may be useful to modify
existing cognitive structures. Examples of ways to stimulate cognitive curiosity:
Young cricketer enthusiasts may be motivated to learn more about fast bowling if they
become convinced that skills in fast bowling would help them better to compute bowling
averages.
A history textbook is written in such a way as to make students wonder what it would
be like to be a freedom fighter before the Independence of India. {Then the book
would satisfy this curiosity.}
A teacher presents information in such a way that students consider it to be just plain
interesting.
If a physics teacher who would do an eye catching magic trick at the beginning of a unit
of instruction that would explain how physical laws explain the apparent magic, this
teacher would be appealing to both sensory and cognitive curiosity.
Optimal discrepancy
The concept of optimal discrepancy suggests that curiosity is strongest when new
information does not match what we currently know but is not so different as to appear
to be completely strange, irrelevant, or impossible to attain. Learners are motivated
most strongly by curiosity when learning tasks present them with knowledge or problems
at an optimal level of discrepancy.
2.3.3 Control
A third factor influencing individual motivation is control, which refers to the basic human
tendency to seek to control one’s environment.
There are three elements that influence the contribution of control to intrinsic motivation.
These are (i) cause effect relationship (ii) Powerful effects (iii) Free choice. These
aspects are discussed in detail below.
i) Cause-and-effect relationships: Learners perceive themselves to be in control
when they see clear cause-and-effect relationship between their own actions and
obtaining desired benefits. This means that a good way to enable learners to feel in
control (even if they are studying something “because they have to,”) is to let them
see the cause-and-effect relationship between something they really care about
(and would freely choose) and the topic they are studying in class.
Examples of ways to focus on cause-and-effect relationships to stimulate feelings
of control:
“You’d like to be able to…. But you can’t. If you learn what I’m going to teach
you, you’ll be able to do it.”
“When I was your age I couldn’t…. Then I learned what I am going to teach you
right now, and then I could….”
“Remember that man in the movie you saw on TV last night who had a completely
lousy life? As you could see, that was because he couldn’t…. I’m going to teach
you how to….”
26
ii) Powerful effects: Learners perceive themselves to be in control when they perceive The Component Factors
of Motivation
the outcome of what they are studying to be truly worthwhile rather than something
trivial. An educational objective could meet the preceding guideline (showing a
cause-and-effect relationship), but still not be worth caring about. But if a person
can say, “Because I learn this, I’ll be able to do something I really care about!”
that person feels in control.
Examples of ways to focus on powerful effects to stimulate feelings of control:
“You may think that you can use computers to do all your math for you, but if you
learn what I’m going to teach you, you can easily estimate whether the computer’s
results are accurate. That can save you a lot of trouble and money. For example….”
“Being misunderstood can cause serious problems. If you learn what I am going to
teach you, you can avoid those kind of misunderstandings.” {Said to a person
who is upset because his girlfriend misunderstood something he tried to communicate
to her.
iii) Free choice: If students perceive themselves as doing something because they
want to instead of because they are being forced to do it against their will, they will
fell in control of their learning.
Examples of ways to focus on free choice to stimulate feelings of control:
“The curriculum calls for us to study Romeo and Juliet. Here are three ways that
we’ve done this in the past. What do you think would be the best way for us to
proceed?”
“You can write your term paper on any topic you want within these guidelines….”
Every day include at least one block of time during which students can decide individually
what to do.
substantial deterioration in other important characteristics. This is a major factor behind
the need for using natural rather than artificial reinforcement whenever possible.
In the ideal learning situation, learners will be most strongly motivated when they freely
choose what they want to learn. Because of legitimate concerns about covering specified
objectives and coordinating the activities of groups of students, teachers often resist
giving complete control to learners. Nevertheless, the fact remains that learners are
often most strongly motivated to learn when they themselves decide what to learn and
how to learn it. At the very least, teachers can be aware of what students would like to
learn and match units of instruction to these learner choices whenever possible. The
teacher could explain why subject matter is worth learning and then let the students
choose how the subject matter will be studied.
To implement these strategies, teachers may often find it useful to spend some time
discussing with students the reasons for studying a topic. This may superficially seem
like a waste of academic learning time. However, by allocating some time to increasing
student motivation, it is possible to increase the amount of time the students will actually
spend productively engaged in studying the topic. In addition, even when it is necessary
for the teacher to pursue a prescribed objective, it may be possible to allow the students
27
to choose the manner in which they will study it.
Theories of Motivation 2.3.4 Fantasy
A fourth factor influencing individual motivation is fantasy, which plays a role when
learners use mental images of situations that are not actually present to stimulate their
behaviour. {Fantasy is an individual factor because a person can use imagination to
motivate learning without involving other people. Of course a fantasy could involve
other people, as when a person imagines using skills learned in a particular class to win
a competition.}
By engaging in activities related to learning, learners may use their imaginations to meet
challenges, satisfy curiosity, exercise control, or experience interpersonal motivations
without directly participating in the imagined activities themselves.
There are three factors that influence the degree to which fantasy influences intrinsic
motivation and these are (i) emotional elements (ii) Cognitive elements and (iii)
Endogenous fantasies.
Emotional elements
This can make learners more willing to engage in an activity by making it fun or exciting
to participate. This usually involves building a game around the learning activity.
Examples of ways to use emotional elements of fantasy to stimulate intrinsic motivation:
English students may imagine themselves as cricket players while they study vocabulary
words in a computer game with a sports motif that rewards rights answers with single
run, fours and sixers etc.
History students could play a Jeopardy-style game based on the information they are
required to study.
Young math students could play Number Munchers, a computer game in which a little
creature races around a board and gobbles up correct answers.
Cognitive elements
This can make learners more willing to engage in an activity by enabling learners to
imagine themselves actually using the specified skills in real life.
Examples of ways to use cognitive fantasies to stimulate intrinsic motivation:
A young man reading Romeo and Juliet could imagine himself using a similar approach
to gain the affections of the love of his life.
Mathematics students may imagine themselves using math skills in their future careers
as adults.
Young math students could play Market Place, a computer simulation in which children
run simulated lemonade stands. {This game also includes emotional elements of fantasy
(because it makes learning a game), but the emphasis is on using skills in an imaginary
“real-life” setting.}
Endogenous fantasies
These are more likely than exogenous fantasies to draw learners into a learning
activity. Exogenous fantasies are those in which there is little or no intrinsic connection
between the learning and the fantasy. Endogenous fantasies are those in which there is
an intrinsic connection.
28
Examples of ways to use endogenous fantasies to stimulate intrinsic motivation: The Component Factors
of Motivation
“The curriculum calls for us to study Romeo and Juliet. Here are three ways that
we’ve done this in the past. What do you think would be the best way for us to proceed?”
{But remember: The students who will be most motivated to study Romeo and Juliet will
be those who beg the teacher to be allowed to study that play.}
Social studies students may imagine themselves succeeding as pioneers while traveling
from one city to a nother in a computer simulation.
The Number Munchers game (cited above under emotional aspects) is an example of
an exogenous fantasy. There is little obvious connection between the munching and the
math.
The Vocabulary cricket game (cited above under emotional aspects) is an example of
an exogenous fantasy. There is little obvious connection between the knowing the
vocabulary words and playing baseball.
Fill in the blanks:
a) The word motivation refers to getting someone ___________________.
b) ________________________ reminds learners of their status with regard to
the challenge posed by the goals.
c) _____________________ and interest are good synonymous for the motivational
use of curiosity.
d) _________________ fantasies are those in which there is little or no intrinsic
connection between the learning and the fantasy.
e) __________________ fantasies are those in which there is an intrinsic connection.
2.4 INTERPERSONAL MOTIVATION

In addition to individual factors in motivation, there are other factors that arise from
interactions with other people.
Competition is one of these interpersonal factors.
Competition motivates behaviour because people can enhance their own self-esteem
when they are able to make comparisons of their own performance to that of others.
While all learners appear to be motivated to some extent by competition, the importance
of competition is greater for some learners than for others. These differences are often
related to the person’s previous experience or to the importance that cultures or
subcultures place on competition versus cooperation.
Examples of ways to use competition to stimulate intrinsic motivation:
“Yours was one of the best papers in this class.”
A student graduates with a high enough class rank to get into the college of his choice.
A student wins the Jeopardy-style game based on the information her class was required
to study.
29
Theories of Motivation The competition doesn’t have to be a formal competition. All that is required is that the
person compare his/her performance to that of others.
Not all competitions are examples of intrinsic motivation. If students are required to
compete over things that they don’t care about, this would be an example of a
very extrinsic form of motivation.
A second interpersonal factor in motivation is cooperation, in which learners derive
satisfaction from working toward group goals. As was the case with competition, the
motivating force of cooperation is stronger for some persons than others, and these
differences are often related to the person’s previous experience or to the importance
that cultures or subcultures place on cooperation.
Examples of ways to use cooperation to stimulate intrinsic motivation:
“Because each of us contributed, our group project received a high grade.”
“If we all do our part, we’ll make lots of money.”
A team of student wins a College-Bowl-style game. The teacher assigned all the members
of the class to groups of five students. In order for the team to succeed, each individual
had to do well. Therefore, all the team members helped the others on the team. {This is
an example of a combination of competition and cooperation. It may also involve
a challenge.}
The cooperation doesn’t have to be based on formal cooperative learning. All that is
required is that the person derive satisfaction from contributing to the success of others.
A third interpersonal factor in motivation is recognition. Most people enjoy having
their efforts and accomplishments recognised and appreciated by others. In order to
obtain recognition, the activity of the learner must be visible to others. There are three
ways to achieve visibility:
1) the process of performing an activity may be visible,
2) the product of the activity may be visible, or
3) some other result of the activity may be visible (for example, an article may appear
in the newspaper listing the names of people who participated in a science fair).
Examples of ways to use recognition to stimulate intrinsic motivation:
“Son, that’s a really good paper.” {The same comment could be directed to Mary,
Bubba, or anyone else.}
“The following students did outstanding work….”
“Because of your contribution, our group project received a high grade.” {This is a
combination of recognition and cooperation.}
“Here’s an award for finishing first in your class.” {This is a combination
of recognition and competition.}
The differences between recognition and competition are that
1) recognition does not require a comparison to someone else’s performance and
2) competition does not require the approval of an outsider.
30
The Component Factors
2.5 FACTORS IN MOTIVATION of Motivation
motivate the group as a whole. There are seven basic factors that affect our ability to
motivate the group, organisation or committee:
Group Size: A group should neither be too large (impersonal) nor too small
(overworked).
Group Goals: Even if the purpose of the group is predetermined, it is important that
group members be a part of the organisational goal setting process and help establish
the group’s direction.
Competencies of Members: Leaders must attempt to match individual skills or
interests with group tasks. Members should also be provided with the proper resources
and information to do those tasks.
Leadership: Participatory and empowering leadership motivates best. A leader should
know his/her leadership style and let his/her group members know it also. Leaders
must also be cognisant of the stages of group/team development (i.e., forming, storming,
norming, performing, and adjourning). Public and private praise, rewards, and/or
recognition must be given to group members at appropriate times.
Meeting Time and Length: The meeting time and length should be conducive to the
group members attendance. Meetings should be productive, and when necessary, ice
breakers should be used to promote team building within the group. If there is nothing
to cover — then don’t meet.
Publicity: The group’s activities and its respective membership should be visible to
everyone on campus. Improper publicity, or lack thereof, will diminish the significance
or importance of the group’s contributions to the campus.
Social Interaction/Fun: Groups should be as informal as possible with plenty of
opportunities for relaxed interaction among group members. It is important for individual
members to develop a sense of belonging and acceptance with the other group members
and group goals.
2.6 FACTORS AFFECTING MOTIVATION

Before a leader can effectively stimulate motivation within his/her group and/or individual
members, s/he must be aware of the factors that affect motivation. Students get involved
in organisations in order to fulfill certain feelings, values, interests, or needs; such as
recognition, approval, security issues, acceptance, seeking new experiences, meeting
new people, or building their self-esteem, etc. If we do not allow our group members to
address their needs then they will not stay motivated enough to maintain the high levels
of performance needed within the group.
Although a common method of motivating employees is by providing financial rewards,
there are other factors besides money that affect an employee’s motivation. Depending
on the individual, there are different needs that must be fulfilled in order for employees
to put more effort into their work.
31
Theories of Motivation Reward System
Not only should a reward system be in place, but employees should believe that the
rewards are attainable, understand how to qualify for the rewards and be confident that
the rewards are fairly distributed. For instance, if the reward system is based on
performance evaluations, then employees must be confident in the way evaluations are
conducted and managed.
Corporate Culture
The corporate culture has a direct impact on the employee’s motivation in the office. If
the corporate culture is based on collabouration, teamwork and encouragement, then
employees will be more likely to be motivated. For instance, employees should cheer
each other on or offer support when there is a challenge, or offer congratulations when
one accomplishes a goal. While employees look to their leaders for direction and support,
they often also rely on their coworkers or teammates.
Job Titles
An employee’s job title can affect their performance if they believe that the role is not
considered valuable or contributes to the company’s success. By letting employees
know how their role is important to the organisation and provide them with a pathway
to move to a more prestigious role, it can increase their motivation to do better.
Relationship with Leaders
The actions of the company’s leaders can significantly impact the motivation of employees,
especially those that are negative, unfair or do not provide clear instructions or
explanations. When employees lose faith in the management, they lose the desire to
work harder or feel that their accomplishments will not be recognised. The company’s
leaders should have open communication with employees so that employees understand
why they are being asked to do things a certain way or why changes are being made,
plus they should be positive and treat all employees fairly.
A common sense approach incorporating the group motivational factors is probably
the most effective method to stimulate your group member’s participation in your
organisation.
1) Answer the following statement with True (T) or False (F):
a) Competition is one of these interpersonal factors.
b) Leaders must attempt to match individual skills or interests with group tasks.
c) Participatory and empowering leadership tends to give complex within the
group members.
d) Competition should always be a formal competition.
e) Recognition does not require a comparison to someone else’s performance.
2.7 LET US SUM UP

of motivation will enable you to get students moving - to want to participate and do
32 their share in the instructional process.
People pursue tasks that are challenging. Learners are challenged when they direct The Component Factors
of Motivation
their activities toward personally meaningful goals in such a way that attainment of the
goals is uncertain – when neither success nor failure is guaranteed. The belief that they
are making acceptable progress toward a goal, along with the expected satisfaction of
goal attainment, enhances self-efficacy and sustains motivation. The most important
characteristic of goals is that they must be personally meaningful. Personal relevance
can be increased by (1) making clear the links between an activity and competencies or
outcomes valued by the learner, (2) relating material to a fantasy or imaginary context
that the learner finds emotionally appealing, or (3) eliciting interpersonal motivations
such as cooperation, competition, or recognition that appeal to the learner.
The degree of uncertainty that would best pose a challenge may be missing (for example,
a learner may think he is already competent enough at using decimals without expending
any real effort). In such cases it is important for the teacher to introduce uncertainty (for
example, by presenting the lesson as a game) in order to pose a challenge and stimulate
activity.
motivate the group as a whole.
Before a leader can effectively stimulate motivation within his/her group and/or individual
members, s/he must be aware of the factors that affect motivation. Students get involved
in organisations in order to fulfill certain feelings, values, interests, or needs; such as
recognition, approval, security issues, acceptance, seeking new experiences, meeting
new people, or building their self-esteem, etc. If we do not allow our group members to
address their needs then they will not stay motivated enough to maintain the high levels
of performance needed within the group.

1) Discuss the factors of intrinsic motivation with examples.
2) Explain the factors of interpersonal motivation with the help of day to day examples.
3) Discuss the factors that affect motivation in employees.

Morgan, C.T. and King, R.A. (2010). (11th edition) Introduction to Psychology.
Baron, R.A. (2010). Introduction to Psychology. Wadsworth publishing Co., NJ
O’Neil, Harold F. (ed) (1994). Motivation Theory and Researce. Lawrence Elbaum
Associates Publishers, Hillsdale, NJ
33
UNIT 3 TYPES OF MOTIVATION
Structure
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Objectives
3.2 Definition and Description of Motivation
3.2.1 Primary or Basic Motivation
3.2.2 Secondary Motivation
3.2.5 Methods to Increase Intrinsic Motivation
3.2.6 The Difference between Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation
3.3 Other Types of Motivation
3.3.2 Successful Motivated Behaviour
3.3.3 Self Enhancement Motivation
3.3.4 Affiliation Motivation
3.3.5 Socialisation
3.3.6 Competence Motivation
3.3.7 Power Motivation
3.3.8 Attitude Motivation
3.3.9 Change Motivation
3.3.10Incentive Motivation
3.3.11Fear Motivation
3.3.12Aggression Motivation
3.4 Motivating Different People in Different Ways

3.4.1 Difference between Motivation, Satisfaction, Inspiration and Manipulation
3.5 Let Us Sum Up
3.0 INTRODUCTION
In this unit we will be dealing with types of motivation. Under this heading we will start
with definition and description of motivation. Under this we will be discussing primary
or basic motivation, secondary motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and the
various methods to increase the intrinsic motivation etc. This will be followed by the
topic on other types of motivation which includes achievement motivation, self
enhancement motivation, competence motivation, affiliation motivation, power motivation,
fear motivation, aggression motivation etc. Then we will discuss how to motivate
different people in different ways and present the differences between motivation,
satisfaction, inspiration and manipulation.
3.1 OBJECTIVES
 Define motivation and describe the characteristic features of motivation;
34  Explain what is primary and secondary motivation;

 Describe intrinsic and extrinsic motivation with examples; Types of Motivation
 Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation;

 Elucidate the types of motivation;
 Explain the different types of motivation and their features; and
 Analyse the methods to motivate people differently.
3.2 DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTION OF

MOTIVATION
Motivation is a general term applied to the entire class of drives, desires, needs, wishes
and similar forces. To say that managers motivate their subordinates is to say that they
do those things which they hope will satisfy these drives and desires and induce the
subordinates to act in a desired manner.
Many people know motivation as the driving force behind an action. This is probably
the simplest explanation about motivation. Motivation can be considered the state of
having encouragement to do something.
Primary Motivation pertains to motives involved with our need for self-preservation.
This includes needs such as hunger and thirst, warmth, sex, avoidance of pain and other
primary motives which influence a person’s behaviour at a very basic level.
Many of the behaviour derived from secondary motivation are conscious ones. That is,
a person consciously desires a particular goal or result, and behaves in a way that
brings them closer to that particular goal. What drives them to do something or to act in
a particular way is the longing for something which they currently do not have or possess.
Motivation involves the basic psychological reasons for a person’s actions and behaviour.
These are the forces or factors that cause a person to act in a certain way or to behave
in the manner that they do.
There are various types of motivations that can influence a person. These include
achievement, affiliation, self-enhancement, socialisation, competence, power, change,
attitude, incentive, fear and aggression motivation.
The inner and external rewards too, are good reinforcing mechanisms. For many people,
this is really the means towards success. By choosing goals that you desire both in its
intrinsic and extrinsic rewards you can harmonize your own actions and devote your
energies to your goals.
Motivation refers to the drive and efforts to satisfy a want or goal, whereas satisfaction
refers to the contentment experienced when a want is satisfied. In contrast, inspiration
is bringing about a change in the thinking pattern. On the other hand Manipulation is
getting the things done from others in a predetermined manner.
To motivate others is the most important of management tasks. It comprises the abilities
to communicate, to set an example, to challenge, to encourage, to obtain feedback, to
involve, to delegate, to develop and train, to inform, to brief and to provide a just
reward. 35
Theories of Motivation Many people know motivation as the driving force behind an action. This is probably
the simplest explanation about motivation. Motivation can be considered the state of
having encouragement to do something.
Why do people do what they do? Why do we go on everyday, living our lives and
trying to find justification for our existence? Some people think that they can find purpose
in the things that motivate them. Others just see the motivation and react automatically.
There is no one thing that motivates people to perform certain actions. People are
different, so it follows that their motivations have to be different.
However, many theories show reward motivation. For example: “I will give you a
chocolate if you clean your room.”
A common place where we see the need to apply motivation is in the work place. In the
work place, we can see motivation play a key role, for example in leadership success.
A person unable to grasp motivation or apply it in the work situation, will not become
a leader or stay as a leader for much time.
Salary, benefits, working conditions, supervision, policy, safety, security, affiliation, and
relationships are all externally motivated needs. Achievement, advancement, recognition,
growth, responsibility, and job nature are internal motivators. They occur when the
person motivates themselves after external motivation needs are met.
Another place motivation plays a key role is in education. A teacher who implements
motivational techniques will see an increased participation, effort, and higher grades.
Part of the teacher’s job is to provide an environment that is motivationally charged.
This environment accounts for students who lack their own internal motivation. One of
the first places people begin to set goals for themselves is in school. School is where we
are most likely to learn the correlation between goals, and the definition of motivation.
That relationship between these factors leads to success.
3.2.1 Primary or Basic Motivation

This mainly pertains to motives involved with our need for self preservation. This includes
needs such as hunger and thirst, warmth, sex, avoidance of pain and other primary
motives which influence a person’s behaviour at a very basic level.
3.2.2 Secondary Motivation

More known in psychology as “learned” motivation, this type of “drives” differs from
one person to another. In many ways they involve a person’s own sense of values and
priorities in life.
Many of the behaviours derived from secondary motivation are conscious ones. That
is, a person consciously desires a particular goal or result, and behaves in a way that
brings them closer to that particular goal. What drives them to do something or to act in
a particular way is the longing for something which they currently do not have or possess.
This kind of motivation generally falls into two basic types: intrinsic and extrinsic
motivation.

36 Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from outside an individual. The
motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. These Types of Motivation
rewards provide satisfaction and pleasure that the task itself may not provide.
An extrinsically motivated person will work on a task even when they have little interest
in it because of the anticipated satisfaction they will get from some reward. The rewards
can be something as minor as a smiley face to something major like fame or fortune.
For example, an extrinsically motivated person who dislikes math may work hard on a
math equation because he wants the reward for completing it. In the case of a student,
the reward would be a good grade on an assignment or in the class.
Extrinsic motivation does not mean, however, that a person will not get any pleasure
from working on or completing a task. It just means that the pleasure they anticipate
from some external reward will continue to be a motivator even when the task to be
done holds little or no interest. An extrinsically motivated student, for example, may
dislike an assignment, may find it boring, or may have no interest in the subject, but the
possibility of a good grade will be enough to keep the student motivated in order for
him or her to put forth the effort to do well on a task.
Extrinsic motivation is likely to involve the concept of rewarded behaviour. Thus, by
engaging in a particular type of activity or behaving in a particular manner, you are
“rewarded” by a desired end result.
For instance, you are motivated to save money for a vacation. Hence, you resist the
urge to make impulsive purchases and in general become more discriminating in how
you spend your money. After a time you find that you have a steadily growing amount of
savings which you set aside. When you find that you have saved enough for that trip,
you utilise your savings for the intended purpose and go on vacation. The external
motivation is the vacation, which is also the reward for your act of saving for it.

Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from inside an individual rather than
from any external or outside rewards, such as money or grades.
The motivation comes from the pleasure one gets from the task itself or from the sense
of satisfaction in completing or even working on a task.
An intrinsically motivated person will work on a math equation, for example, because it
is enjoyable. Or an intrinsically motivated person will work on a solution to a problem
because the challenge of finding a solution is provides a sense of pleasure. In neither
case does the person work on the task because there is some reward involved, such as
a prize, a payment, or in the case of students, a grade.
Intrinsic motivation does not mean, however, that a person will not seek rewards. It just
means that such external rewards are not enough to keep a person motivated. An
intrinsically motivated student, for example, may want to get a good grade on an
assignment, but if the assignment does not interest that student, the possibility of a good
grade is not enough to maintain that student’s motivation to put any effort into the
project.
Intrinsic motivation is the opposite of extrinsic motivation. That latter type of motivation
comes from outside of you. But intrinsic motivation comes from within the individual.
So to understand the examples of intrinsic motivation, it helps to think of it as inspiration.
But we could say that extrinsic motivation is almost equal to “instigation” instead.
You see, when you are extrinsically motivated, you are doing something that you may 37
Theories of Motivation very well not want to do, or not be all that interested in. What you’re doing is like a
chore. But examples of intrinsic motivation will always be labours of love.
Perhaps you are studying something in college that you really find boring or just do not
care about, but you do want to get good grades. Or, perhaps you take a job in sales
because there is potential for some very high commissions, but you actually hate sales.
These are instances of extrinsic motivation.
Sometimes, most of us must admit, we also do not do things that we would like to do,
because doing so would mean we broke the law and we could be penalised for that.
For instance, not driving our car as fast as we may like is a good example of this. This
avoidance would be extrinsic motivation as well.
So, examples of intrinsic motivation would be quite different from these. Some of these
are given below:
i) Studying something on your own because you desire to know that subject matter.
You may not be doing this for any class or for any grade.
ii) Starting your own online business because you love the particular products that
are in your target market. Even though you are hoping to make money this way,
you are motivated by your desire to build a business that you can be proud of and
immerse yourself in.
iii) Competing “against yourself” in a sport just because you want to get better at it.
You may not be doing it to win any trophies, or trying to become a professional
athlete.
iv) Writing poetry to express your innermost thoughts and feelings, even though you
may not be attempting to sell a book or publish for money.
v) Doing something just because you think it is the right thing to do, and not because
you hope to get a reward or avoid punishment.
Now as the above examples of intrinsic motivation show, you might be doing something
in the hope of winning awards, earning money, or getting a good grade in a class.
However, unlike with extrinsic motivation, earning money etc is not the primary
motivation.
Intrinsic motivation always involves a person to do something that the person desires
to do for his own self. The person would do it even if he or she were not going to be
paid, get an award, or get a grade for it.
Understanding intrinsic motivation can help the person escape a life or career of drudgery
and misery, as the person seeks out ways of earning money that he or she also enjoys
doing. A person may not take that sales job that he hates but for the fact that he needs
money and he can earn the money by taking up that sales job.
If a person is a teacher, he or she can find ways of keeping the subject very vibrant,
active and and interesting for the students, thereby getting them more immersed in
learning instead of just memorising things to pass a test and then forgetting them later. As
is well know it has been seen that motivational speakers use plenty of inspirational
quotes about life to help bring out this intrinsic motivation from within the persons to
whom they are lecturing.
Intrinsic motivation is basically “what people will do without external inducement”. In
simple terms, it is motivation devoid of any external or outside rewards, such as money
38
or grades. If a person has intrinsic motivation, he would do a task simply for the Types of Motivation
pleasure or satisfaction in doing and completing that task. However, it does not mean
that an individual will not seek rewards if he has intrinsic motivation. An intrinsically
motivated person acknowledges the perk of rewards, but these rewards are not enough
to keep that person motivated. In other words, with or without the reward, the person
will continue to do the task, for as long as he has interest or believes in it.
If you can make someone align his values to yours, thus giving him an internal desire for
the idea or value, you can set a very powerful motivation in the area. That is the power
of intrinsic motivation. Plus, unlike extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation lasts longer
because desires take time to be extinguished.
3.2.5 Methods to Increase Intrinsic Motivation

There are few things when considered can help us increase intrinsic motivation:
Set challenges: A challenge is one type of stimulating intrinsic motivation. A challenge
not only defines a person’s interest, it also turns a flame of desire to a burning passion.
Competence is a psychological need satisfied by setting challenges. In the 1970’s, Akio
Morita challenged his chief engineers to make a hi-fi device no larger than a block of
wood. This pumped up the imagination of the engineers, and with all their efforts put in
they were able to devise the walkman which is highly popular even today.
Boredom: This is one of the main factors for intrinsic motivation. Once an idea or task
becomes monotonous and familiar, pleasure in doing the task will surely go down to an
all time low. The task should such that it should be challenging and make the person
want to do it entirely for doing sake and getting the task accomplished. .
Interest: This is another factor that produces of intrinsic motivation. Work becomes
more pleasurable when the person is interested in it. The person might find it pleasurable
to design a website. But he will get all the more interested in creating the web site if the
website is of his favourite band which he is trying to design.
Purpose: This also increases intrinsic motivation. When there is a clearly defined purpose
then the person is motivated to do the task to realise that purpose. When persons are
achieving something essential, they tend to stay on the process longer than when they
do not feel that what they are doing has a purpose.
3.2.6 The Difference between Intrinsic and Extrinsic

Motivation
Motivation provides insight into why we may behave the way we do. Motivation is an
internal process that reflects the desire to achieve certain goals. As discussed earlier,
motivation can be divided into two basic types: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic
motivation
Intrinsic motivation reflects the desire to do something because it is enjoyable. If we
are intrinsically motivated, we would not be worried about external rewards such as
praise or awards. If we are intrinsically motivated, the enjoyment we experience would
be sufficient for us to want to perform the activity in the future.
Extrinsic motivation on the other hand reflects the desire to do something because of
external rewards such as awards, money, and praise. People who are extrinsically
motivated may not enjoy certain activities. They may only wish to engage in certain
activities because they wish to receive some external reward.
39
Theories of Motivation The Possible Benefits of Intrinsic Motivation: Teachers may be very interested in
fostering intrinsic movitation. If students are only interested in receiving grades or praise,
and do not enjoy learning, then teaching may be very difficult. Students may not wish
to think or apply their knowledge. They may only be concerned with what will be on
the tests. In contrast, students who are intrinsically motivated may enjoy challenging
work, and may think in greater depth about ideas. Teachers may be able to foster
intrinsic motivation by having students work on projects that allow them to see how the
information is relevant to their lives.
Supervisors may also be interested in ways to increase intrinsic motivation. The ideal
employee may be one who is self motivated and does not require constant supervision.
Intrinsically motivated employees may be less likely to be late. They also may be more
likely to excel at their jobs. It is possible that supervisors may increase intrinsic motivation
by allowing employees to have greater autonomy, making the workplace fun, or
encouraging creativity.
1) Answer the following statement with True (T) or False (F):
a) Extrinsic motivation occurs when internal factors compel the person to do
something.
b) Motivation plays a key role in leadership success.
c) The motivating factors for extrinsic are rewards such as money or grades.
d) Intrinsic motivation is same as extrinsic motivation.
e) Intrinsic motivation comes from within.
f) Extrinsic motivation can be called as instigation.
g) Intrinsic motivation reflects the desire to do something because of the rewards.
h) Extrinsic motivation reflects the desire to do something because it is enjoyable.
i) Purpose increases intrinsic motivation.
j) Motivation is considered as the state of encouragement to do something.
3.3 OTHER TYPES OF MOTIVATION

Motivation involves the basic psychological reasons for a person’s actions and behaviour.
These are the forces or factors that cause a person to act a certain way or to behave in
the manner that they do.
There are various types of motivations that can influence a person. These include the
following:

This is the motivation of a person to attain goals. The longing for achievement is inherent
in every man, but not all persons look to achievement as their motivation. They are
motivated by a goal. In order to attain that goal, they are willing to go as far as possible.
The complexity of the goal is determined by a person’s perception.
To us, the terms “simple” and “complex” are purely relative. What one person thinks is
40 an easy goal to accomplish may seem to be impossible to another person. However, if
your motivation is achievement, you will find that your goals will grow increasingly Types of Motivation
complex as time goes by.
It is the drive to pursue and attain goals. An individual with achievement motivation
wishes to achieve objectives and advance up on the ladder of success. Here,
accomplishment is important for its own shake and not for the rewards that
accompany it.
Hunger, sex, aggression-these are motives we share with many other forms of life.
There are some motives, however, that appear to be unique to our own species.
Achievement motivation (often termed as need for motivation) is the desire to accomplish
difficult tasks and to excel. Individuals differ greatly in the desire for achievement is
obvious. For some persons, accomplishing difficult tasks and meeting high standards of
excellence are extremely important; whereas for others, just getting by is quite enough.
Persons high in achievement differ from persons low in this motive in other respects
too. Persons high in achievement motivation tend to prefer tasks that are moderately
difficult and challenging. The reason why they tend to avoid very easy tasks is that such
tasks don’t pose enough challenge to the persons with high in achievement motivation.
These persons prefer difficult tasks because chance of failing on extremely difficult
tasks is too high, and such persons want success above everything else.
Another characteristics of persons high in achievement motivation is that they have a
stronger-than-average desire for feedback on their performance. They want to know
how well they are doing so they can adjust their goals to make these challenging – but
not impossible. Because of this desire fore feedback, persons high in achievement
motivation tend to prefer jobs in which rewards are closely related to individual
performance –merit based pay system.
3.3.2 Successful Motivated Behaviour

Good and effective actions or behaviour usually involves the harmonizing of these two
types of motivation. If one is driven by both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, then
inner conflict is reduced and a person is more likely to devote uninterrupted and
harmonious actions towards a particular task.
The inner and external rewards too, are good reinforcing mechanisms. For many people,
this is really the means towards success. By choosing goals that you desire – both in its
intrinsic and extrinsic rewards - you can harmonize your own actions and devote your
energies to your goals. In such instances, the chances of achievement increases greatly.
3.3.3 Self Enhancement Motivation

If you believe the task at hand will increase your character, advent or monetary condition
and these self-improvements are vastly desirable to you, you will encounter significant
motivation to perform even unpleasant parts of the process necessary to reach the goal.
How desirable the end improvements are to you will determine the level of motivation
you will encounter.
3.3.4 Affiliation Motivation

It is a drive to relate to people on a social basis. Persons with affiliation motivation
perform work better when they are complimented for their favourable attitudes and
co-operation.
41
Theories of Motivation 3.3.5 Socialisation
Some people consider socialisation to be their main motivation for actions. This is
especially evident in the situation of peer pressure. Some people are willing to do anything
to be treated as an equal within a group structure. The idea of being accepted among a
group of people is their motivation for doing certain things.
3.3.6 Competence Motivation

It is the drive to be good at something, allowing the individual to perform high quality
work. Competence motivated people seek job mastery, take pride in developing and
using their problem-solving skills and strive to be creative when confronted with obstacles.
They learn from their experience.
3.3.7 Power Motivation

It is the drive to influence people and change situations. Power motivated people wish
to create an impact on their organisation and are willing to take risks to do so.
3.3.8 Attitude Motivation

Attitude motivation is how people think and feel. It is their self confidence, their belief in
themselves, their attitude to life. It is how they feel about the future and how they react
to the past.
3.3.9 Change Motivation

Sometimes people do things just to bring about changes within their immediate
environment. Change motivation is often the cause of true progress. People just become
tired of how things are and thus, think of ways to improve it.
3.3.10 Incentive Motivation

This motivation involves rewards. People who believe that they will receive rewards for
doing something are motivated to do everything they can to reach a certain goal. While
achievement motivation is focused on the goal itself, incentive motivation is driven by
the fact that the goal will give people benefits. Incentive motivation is used in companies
through bonuses and other types of compensation for additional work.
By offering incentives, companies hope to raise productivity and motivate their employees
to work harder.
It is where a person or a team reaps a reward from an activity. It is “You do this and you
get that”, attitude. It is the types of awards and prizes that drive people to work a little
harder.
3.3.11 Fear Motivation

When incentives do not work, people often turn to fear and punishment as the next
tools. Fear motivation involves pointing out various consequences if someone does not
follow a set of prescribed behaviour. This is often seen in companies as working hand-
in-hand with incentive motivation. Workers are often faced with a reward and punishment
system, wherein they are given incentives if they accomplish a certain goal, but they are
given punishments when they disobey certain policies.
Fear motivation coercions a person to act against will. It is instantaneous and gets the
job done quickly. It is helpful in the short run.
42
3.3.12 Aggressive Motivation Types of Motivation
Aggressive motivation or the desires to inflict harm on others, play an all too common
role in human behaviour. While human beings don’t always express aggressive motivation
overtly (often they simply fantasize about such behaviour), they often do engage in
various forms of aggression against others-effort to harm them in some manner.
Most psychologists believe that aggression is elicited by a wide range of external events
and stimuli. In other words, it is often “pulled” from without rather than “pushed” or
driven from within by irresistible, perhaps inherited tendencies. The incidence of
aggression suggest that such behaviour is strongly influenced by social and cultural
factors, and that even it stems in part from innate tendencies, these are less important
than social conditions and other factors. This is not to imply that biological or genetic
factors play no role in human aggression, but most experts agree that aggression is
influenced more strongly by a wide range of situational factors that evoke its occurrence
and shape its form and targets than by inherited tendencies or mechanisms.
Social Factor
The chances are good that your aggressive motivation stemmed from the actions of
another person. For instance, the other person may have done something that blocked
or thwarted you from reaching your goals, in other words, this person may have frustrated
you. Frustration can be viewed as the major cause of aggression. Frustration is the
blocking of ongoing and goal directed behaviour. Frustration does not always produce
aggression. Aggression does not always stem form frustration, often, individual aggress
against others because it is part of their role or job, not because they are feeling frustrated
(for example, treatment of a police officer towards the thief).
Another social factor that often plays an important role in aggression is direct provocation
from another person. Verbal insult or physical actions interpreted as aggressive in nature
often lead the party on the receiving end to reciprocate, with the result that a powerful
spiral of aggression-counter aggression can develop. Exposure to violence in media-
television, movies, and so on, has been found to increase aggression on the part of
viewers.
1) Discuss other types of motivation.
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2) Describe achievement motivation and self enhancement motivation.
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43
Theories of Motivation
3) What is affiliation motivation and socialisation?
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4) Describe competence motivation and power motivation.
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5) What are fear and aggressive motivation? Explain.
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3.4 MOTIVATING DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN

DIFFERENT WAYS
Motivation is not only in a single direction i.e. downwards. In the present scenario,
where the workforce is more informed, more aware, more educated and more goal
oriented, the role of motivation has left the boundaries of the hierarchy of management.
Apart from superior motivating a subordinate, encouragement and support to colleague
as well as helpful suggestions on the right time, even to the superior, brings about a
rapport at various work levels. Besides, where workforce is self motivated, just the
acknowledgement of the same makes people feel important and wanted.
3.4.1 Difference between Motivation, Satisfaction,

Inspiration and Manipulation
Motivation refers to the drive and efforts to satisfy a want or goal, whereas satisfaction
refers to the contentment experienced when a want is satisfied. In contrast, inspiration
is bringing about a change in the thinking pattern. On the other hand Manipulation is
getting the things done from others in a predetermined manner.
44
Types of Motivation
Hence, manipulation or external stimulus as well as inspiration or internal stimulus acts

as carriers of either demotivation or motivation which in turn either results into
dissatisfaction or satisfaction depending upon.
1) Fill in the blanks:
a) ______________________ motivation is the drive to pursue and attain
goals.
b) The inner and ____________________ are good reinforcing mechanism
c) Persons with _____________________________perform work better
when they are complimented for their favourable attitudes and co-
operation_________________________ motivation is the drive to
be good at something, allowing the individual to perform high quality work.
d) The drive to influence people and change situation is called _____________
motivation.
e) _________________ motivation is how people think and feel.
f) ___________________________ is often the cause of true progress.
g) __________________ motivation involves reward.
h) __________________ is the blocking of ongoing and goal directed
behaviour.
i) __________________ refers to the contentment experienced when a want
is satisfied.
3.5 LET US SUM UP

Motivation can be defined as the driving force behind all the actions of an individual.
The influence of an individual’s needs and desires both have a strong impact on the
direction of their behaviour. Motivation is based on your emotions and achievement-
related goals. Motivation is the basic drive for all of our actions. Motivation refers to
the dynamics of our behaviour, which involves our needs, desires, drives, motives and
ambitions in life. Achievement motivation is based on reaching success and achieving all
of our aspirations in life.
45
Theories of Motivation A need is something that is necessary for organisms to live a healthy life. Needs are
water, or they can be subjective and psychological, such as the need for self-esteem. A
Drive is an internal state of tension that motivates an organism to engage in activities that
should (hopefully) reduce this tension. Motives are based on needs: States of tension
within a person, and as need is satisfied, tension is reduced. It propels people to perceive,
think, and act in ways that serve to satisfy a need.
Needs are created or come into existence whenever there is a physiological or
psychological imbalance. A need exists when cells in the body are experiencing a shortage
of food or water. A drive is a deficiency with a direction. Drives denote actions and
intention to act by individuals and they are exhibited to alleviate needs.
Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from outside an individual. The
motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. These
rewards provide satisfaction and pleasure that the task itself may not provide.
An extrinsically motivated person will work on a task even when they have little interest
in it because of the anticipated satisfaction they will get from some reward. The rewards
can be something as minor as a smiley face to something major like fame or fortune.
For example, an extrinsically motivated person who dislikes math may work hard on a
math equation because want the reward for completing it. In the case of a student, the
reward would be a good grade on an assignment or in the class.
Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from inside an individual rather than
from any external or outside rewards, such as money or grades.
The motivation comes from the pleasure one gets from the task itself or from the sense
of satisfaction in completing or even working on a task.
An intrinsically motivated person will work on a math equation, for example, because it
is enjoyable. Or an intrinsically motivated person will work on a solution to a problem
because the challenge of finding a solution is provides a sense of pleasure. In neither
case does the person work on the task because there is some reward involved, such as
a prize, a payment, or in the case of students, a grade.
Intrinsic motivation does not mean, however, that a person will not seek rewards. It just
means that such external rewards are not enough to keep a person motivated. An
intrinsically motivated student, for example, may want to get a good grade on an
assignment, but if the assignment does not interest that student, the possibility of a good
grade is not enough to maintain that student’s motivation to put any effort into the
project.
Motivation is not only in a single direction i.e. downwards. In the present scenario,
where the workforce is more informed, more aware, more educated and more goal
oriented, the role of motivation has left the boundaries of the hierarchy of management.
Apart from superior motivating a subordinate, encouragement and support to colleague
as well as helpful suggestions on the right time, even to the superior, brings about a
rapport at various work levels.

1) Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
46 2) How is primary motivation different from the secondary motivation.

3) Discuss the other types of motivation mentioned in unit with day to day examples. Types of Motivation
4) How do we motivate different people in different ways?

5) What are the other types of motivation? How do they motivate behaviour?

Baron, R.A. (2010). Introduction to Psychology. Wadsworth Publishing Co., NJ
Harold F. Oneil ad Michael Drillings (Eds).(1994). Motivation: Theory and Research.
Laurence Erlbaum Associates, New Jersey
Fowler, H (2008). Curiosity and Exploratory Behaviour. Open library, New York.
Morgan, C.T. and King, R.A. (2010).(11th edition) Introduction to Psychology.
47
UNIT 4 MOTIVATION: CURIOSITY AND
EXPLORATORY BEHAVIOUR
Structure
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Objectives
4.2 Motivation
4.2.1 Challenge
4.2.2 Curiosity
4.2.3 Control
4.3 Curiosity Definition and Description

4.3.1 Curiosity and Exploration
4.3.2 Historical Overview of Curiosity and Exploration
4.3.3 Kinds of Curiosity
4.3.4 Theoretical Concepts of Curiosity and Exploration
4.3.5 Drive Theories
4.3.6 Curiosity and Culture
4.4 Issues Related to Curiosity

4.4.1 The Biological Component of Curiosity and Exploratory Behaviour
4.4.2 The Learned / Cognitive Component of Curiosity and Exploratory Behaviour
4.4.3 Self Determination Theory
4.5 Let Us Sum Up

4.0 INTRODUCTION
This unit deals with motivation, curiosity and exploratory behaviour. We start with
motivation, the definition, the characteristic features of motivation the various factors
that influence or affect motivation such as challenge, goals, control etc. This is followed
by curiosity, the definition and description of curiosity and exploratory behaviour. The
various factors that contribute to these behaviours are considered. Curiosity and
exploratory behaviours and their biological and cognitive components are described.
The drive theories and self determination theory of curiosity and exploratory behaviour
are taken up and discussed in detail.
4.1 OBJECTIVES
 Define motivation and various factors and approaches of motivation;
 Describe the factors contributing to motivation;
 Define curiosity and exploratory behaviours;
 Describe the characteristic features of curiosity and exploratory behaviours;
48
 Explain the factors that contribute to these behaviours; Motivation: Curiosity and
Exploratory Behaviour
 Elucidate the drive theories;
 Explain the self determination theory of curiosity; and
 Analyse the relationship between drive theories and self determination theories of
curiosity in regard to motivation.
4.2 MOTIVATION
The derivation of the word tells us that motivation refers to getting someone moving.
When we motivate ourselves or someone else, we develop incentives - we set up
conditions that start or stop behaviour. In education motivation deals with the problem
of setting up conditions so that learners will perform to the best of their abilities in
academic settings. We often motivate learners by helping them develop an expectancy
that a benefit will occur as a result of their participation in an instructional experience. In
short, motivation is concerned with the factors that stimulate or inhibit the desire to
engage in a behaviour.
Motivation is defined as the arousal, direction and persistence of behaviour an internal
state or condition that activates behaviour and gives it direction; desire or want, that
energises and directs goal oriented behaviour. The influence of needs and desires on
the intensity and direction of behaviour is part of motivation. Drive is defined as a basic
or instinctive need. It is a vigorous effort toward a goal and it causes and guides the
movement.
Motivation is defined as the arousal, direction and persistence of behaviour, an internal
state or condition that activates behaviour and gives it direction; desire or want, that
energises and directs goal-oriented behaviour; the influence of needs and desires on the
intensity and direction of behaviour. Drive is defined as a basic or instinctive need; a
vigorous effort toward a goal; to cause and guide the movement.
of motivation will enable you to get students moving – to want to participate and do
their share in the instructional process.
There are several approaches to the motivation, such as:
4.2.1 Challenge
One of the most powerful individual factors influencing intrinsic motivation is challenge.
This is an individual factor because a person can be challenged without involving other
people. Of course a challenge could involve other people, as when a person makes it a
challenge to win a competition. People pursue tasks that are challenging. Learners are
challenged when they direct their activities toward personally meaningful goals in such a
way that attainment of the goals is uncertain – when neither success nor failure is
guaranteed. The belief that they are making acceptable progress toward a goal, along
with the expected satisfaction of goal attainment, enhances self-efficacy and sustains
motivation. As students work toward these goals, they are motivated to the extent that
they receive feedback and feel that their eventual success will enhance their self-esteem.
The following four factors influence the contribution of challenge to motivation. 49
Theories of Motivation i) Goals
Goals can be either supplied by the teacher or developed by the learners themselves.
Goals can be short-term or long-term. While short-term goals may be more immediately
compelling, long-range goals are often more important. An ideal motivational system
involves short-term goals that lead to long-term goals.
The most important characteristic of goals is that they must be personally meaningful.
Personal relevance can be increased by
1) making clear the links between an activity and competencies or outcomes valued
by the learner,
2) relating material to a fantasy or imaginary context that the learner finds emotionally
appealing, or
3) eliciting interpersonal motivations such as cooperation, competition, or recognition
that appeal to the learner. Note that what this paragraph really says is that we can
make goals more meaningful by relating them to other motivational factors, including
fantasy, control, competition, and recognition.
Even when goals are supplied by the teacher, it is important that the learners “buy into”
or internalise these goals. Although it seems obvious that it is best that students develop
their own goals (and this would also contribute to control, which is another factor that
contributes to intrinsic motivation), a serious problem is that students themselves may
set goals that are too easy or too difficult to attain or difficult to define. A major step in
promoting self-motivation is to help learners develop strategies for setting goals.
ii) Level of certainty
This is an important factor in determining the degree to which a challenge will actually
motivate a learner. An intermediate degree of certainty is usually best - when neither
success nor failure is guaranteed.
The level of certainty can also be manipulated by introducing game like elements such
as randomness or various scorekeeping systems into the learning environment.
iii) Performance feedback reminds learners of their status with regard to the challenge
posed by the goals. It is most effective when it is clear, frequent, constructive, and
encouraging.
Note that the various components of the challenge aspect of motivation may sometimes
conflict with one another. For example, when performance feedback is extremely clear
but negative, it may threaten the learner’s self-esteem more than would vague feedback
or no feedback. Also note that the way a teacher should manipulate challenge will vary
considerably from one situation to another.
It is not necessary that a learner be motivated by challenge or by any other specific
factor of intrinsic motivation or that teachers deliberately apply all of the guidelines
accompanying each factor. In some cases a learner is already motivated or a guideline
has already been applied. For example, the optimal degree of interest and level of
certainty with regard to a topic may already exist (for example, a learner may wish to
learn to express her thoughts more clearly and may think she can do this if she works
hard). In these instances it is not useful for the instructor to add additional uncertainty.
The task is already perceived as adequately challenging, and the teacher’s task is to
help the learner meet this challenge.
50
In other instances, the degree of uncertainty that would best pose a challenge may be Motivation: Curiosity and
missing. In such cases it is important for the teacher to introduce uncertainty (for
activity.
By focusing on and clarifying these factors as necessary, teachers can make learning
activities sufficiently challenging to stimulating learning.
4.2.2 Curiosity
A second factor influencing individual motivation is curiosity. This is an individual factor
because a person’s curiosity can be aroused without involving other people. Curiosity
is stimulated when something in the physical environment attracts our attention or when
there is an optimal level of discrepancy between present knowledge or skills and what
these could be if the learner engaged in some activity. Novelty and interest are good
synonyms for the motivational use of curiosity.
There are two types of curiosity that can stimulate intrinsic motivation:
i) Sensory curiosity occurs when physical factors such as changes in tone of voice,
light, or sound attract the attention of learners.
ii) Cognitive curiosity, on the other hand, is evoked when learners believe that it
may be useful to modify existing cognitive structures.
4.2.3 Control
A third factor influencing individual motivation is control, which refers to the basic human
tendency to seek to control one’s environment. This is an individual factor because a
person can feel in control without involving other people. Of course interpersonal factors
such as winning a competition or gaining recognition could contribute to the feeling of
control.
There are three elements that influence the contribution of control to intrinsic motivation.
i) Cause-and-effect relationships: Learners perceive themselves to be in control
when they see clear cause and effect relationship between their own actions and
obtaining desired benefits. This means that a good way to enable learners to feel in
control is to let them see the cause and effect relationship between something they
really care about and the topic they are studying in class.
ii) Powerful effects: Learners perceive themselves to be in control when they perceive
the outcome of what they are studying to be truly worthwhile rather than something
trivial. An educational objective could meet the preceding guideline but still not be
worth caring about.
But if a person can say, “Because I learn this, I’ll be able to do something I really
care about!” that person feels in control.
iii) Free choice: If students perceive themselves as doing something because they
want to instead of because they are being forced to do it against their will, they will
fell in control of their learning
Loss of Control
than those that promote autonomous choice), they are likely to show reduced intrinsic 51
Theories of Motivation motivation, and this has been shown to result in lower academic performance as well as
In the ideal learning situation, learners will be most strongly motivated when they freely
choose what they want to learn. Because of legitimate concerns about covering specified
objectives and coordinating the activities of groups of students, teachers often resist
giving complete control to learners. Nevertheless, the fact remains that learners are
often most strongly motivated to learn when they themselves decide what to learn and
how to learn it. At the very least, teachers can be aware of what students would like to
learn and match units of instruction to these learner choices whenever possible.
1) Define motivation.
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2) Describe the characteristic features of motivation.
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3) What are the component factors of motivation?
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4) Describe Challenge, curiosity and control in regard to motivation.
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4.3 CURIOSITY DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTION

Curiosity is defined as a need, thirst or desire for knowledge. The concept of curiosity
is central to motivation. The term can be used as both a description of a specific behaviour
as well as a hypothetical construct to explain the same behaviour. It is believed that
curiosity is a motivational prerequisite for exploratory behaviour. The term curiosity is
used both as a description of a specific behaviour as well as a hypothetical construct to
explain the same behaviour. Exploration refers to all activities concerned with gathering
52
information about the environment. This leads to the conflict and question of whether
exploratory behaviour should be defined in terms of the movements that an animal or Motivation: Curiosity and
human performs while exploring or in terms of the goal or purpose of the behaviour
observed.
or when there is an optimal level of discrepancy between present knowledge or skills
and what these could be if the learner engaged in some activity. Novelty and interest are
education. Drive theories differ on whether they view curiosity as a primary or secondary
drive. Some research has shown that unsatisfied curiosity tends to intensify over some
interval as do other drives such as hunger and thirst.
What makes people curious? Why do individuals explore the unknown? The research
in these areas is inconclusive and often contradictory. Are curiosity and exploration
motivations or drives? Can curiosity and exploration be operationally defined
independent of one another? A clear distinction between these two may not always be
possible.
4.3.1 Curiosity and Exploration

What exactly are curiosity and exploration? Loewenstein (1994) points out four central
issues of curiosity:
 definition and dimensionality,
 cause,
 voluntary exposure to curiosity, and
 situational determinants.
He adds a fifth issue of superficiality and intensity since he states that curiosity can arise,
change focus or end abruptly.
Loewenstein believed that despite its transience, curiosity can be a powerful motivational
force. Langevin (1971) conducted research in the area of curiosity and classified
measures of curiosity into two categories.
i) Curiosity is viewed as a motivational state and measured with behavioural indices.
ii) Curiosity is viewed as a personality trait that is assessed by personality measures.
It has been suggested that curiosity is not a unitary construct. At the conceptual level
there are numerous definitions of curiosity which tend to encompass a broad range of
characteristics. Fowler (1965) stated that boredom is generally a prerequisite for curiosity
(exploration).
Curiosity and exploration are difficult to define independently when looking at them
from a psychological perspective. This is so because when ever we consider exploration
and curiosity, the concepts of motivation and drive come into play and become
intertwined.
4.3.2 Historical Overview of Curiosity and Exploration

The earliest discussions of curiosity were conducted by philosophers and religious
thinkers and centered on the question of curiosity’s moral status rather than on its
psychological underpinnings. Cicero referred to curiosity as a “passion for learning” 53
Theories of Motivation Several forms of curiosity related behaviour such as search behaviour, movement toward
an unknown object and asking questions are included in the area of motivational
psychology. However, curiosity does not fit well into the conceptual framework
developed along the traditional pathways of behavioural sciences.
i) The conception of an intrinsically motivated behavioural system, which cannot be
linked to a reducible drive raises serious questions about motivational psychology
since the 1950’s.
ii) The idea of curiosity was rediscovered when labouratory researchers wondered
about the maze activities of the lab rat when none of the drive states such as thirst
or hunger were aroused.
iii) The curiosity phenomena cannot be investigated without reference to the natural
environment of an individual.
Before 1950 curiosity was seen in the light of its social function as for example, the
eagerness or greed to get to know something new for the sake of newness, and in early
psychological literature the term curiosity had a negative connotation. The scientific
term “curiosity” is more neutral.
The most basic problem that has occupied curiosity researchers and theorists is the
underlying cause of curiosity. Is curiosity a primary or secondary drive? A primary drive
is inborn or innate whereas a secondary drive is learned or acquired. The results are
inconclusive.
If secondary, from what more basic drive or motive does it derive? The defining feature
is that curiosity produces an unpleasant sensation (usually labeled arousal) that is reduced
by exploratory behaviour.
4.3.3 Kinds of Curiosity

William James (1890) pointed out to two kinds of curiosity.
i) He emphasised the biological function of curiosity as a mechanism of instinct driven
behaviour that serves in approaching new objects. Approach and exploration are
described as being characteristic forms of behaviour.
ii) The second kind of curiosity pointed out by James is “scientific curiosity” and
“metaphysical wonder” with which “the practical instinctive root has probably
nothing to do” rather “the philosophical brain responds to an inconsistency or a
gap in its knowledge”.
In the psychoanalytical literature Freud views curiosity as a derivative of the sex drive.
The partial impulse of looking motivates the child’s great interest in all things and all
events that have to do with sexuality. Whereas the looking impulse and curiosity are
primarily sexual in origin, the child’s exploratory interest and desire for knowledge can
be considered to be a by product of cognitive development. Due to social pressure,
sexual exploration is later abandoned.
Blarer proposed curiosity to be intrinsic to the individuals perceptions and world
experiences and thus Blarer’s view is the basis for the intrinsic motivation viewpoint in
curiosity theory.
4.3.4 Theoretical Concepts of Curiosity and Exploration

The postulation of an independent exploratory drive is based on the observation of the
54
exploratory activities of animals in situations where there were no external stimuli to
satisfy homeostatic drives (water or food). Nissen (1930) experimented with rats and Motivation: Curiosity and
defines exploratory behaviour in two ways: 1) as an inborn exploratory drive, 2) that
curiosity is a secondary or learned drive acquired through classical conditioning.
Originally, Berlyne (1954a, 1960) thought that the aversive and drive reducing effect of
deviations of the arousal potential from the individual’s optimum level as the underlying
mechanism of curiosity. Since then, Berlyne has come to believe that curiosity is externally
stimulated, and that the curiosity drive is aroused by external stimuli specifically stimulus
conflict.
This encompasses complexity, novelty and surprise. Berlyne believed that in the short
term, stimulus change and novelty is accompanied by physiological change. However,
over longer periods of time, investigating behaviours are not accompanied by readily
identifiable physiological changes. Berlyne also holds that exploratory behaviour serves
to maintain or attain a medium to optimal activation level for the organism. In all cases
where exploration takes place, arousal or desire is reduced.
Fiske and Maddi (1961) hold a medium arousal level model and differentiate between
the terms arousal and activation. They define arousal as “diverse manifestations of
activation, such as muscle tone, heart rate, and increased sensitivity for stimuli”. Their
definition of activation is “the state of a catalytic and energising mechanism in the central
nervous system”.
McReynolds based his theories of exploratory behaviour on animal experiments.
Motivational aspects of exploratory behaviour, as for example, a living being is active
in order to receive new perceptual information from its environment. As for adaptive
aspects we can give example such as a living being is in a situation of stimuli that it must
regulate and adapt to.
Fowler’s (1965) boredom perspective interprets curiosity as a homeostatic drive
(internally stimulated) and accrding to him, the curiosity drive is both evoked and satisfied
by the same stimuli. Fowler observed animals producing the exploration initiating
response before, rather than after, exposure to the stimulus.
According to Hunt (1963) curiosity refers to a motivation inherent in information
processing. This means that curiosity is a mixture of cognition and motivation. The
main principle, is the establishment and maintenance of an optimal amount of
incongruence, as incongruence determines the strength, direction and affective qualities
of behaviour.
4.3.5 Drive Theories

Drive theories differ on whether they view curiosity as a primary or secondary drive.
Some research has shown that unsatisfied curiosity tends to intensify over some interval
as do other drives such as hunger and thirst.
Curiosity has a motivated force that is stimulated internally (boredom) or by external
stimuli. However, Hebb (1955) believes that curiosity seeking behaviour poses a paradox
for drive based accounts of curiosity. Drive is not simply a state, the decrease of which
is rewarding. At high levels the reduction of drive is rewarding, but at low levels, an
increase may be rewarding.
What is the role of homeostatic drives to curiosity? Harlow states that exploration is an
example of human motivation that is independent from homeostatic drives. Harlow’s
non homeostatic intrinsic drive theory has been attacked by drive and learning theorists.
55
Theories of Motivation Kreitler and Kreitler (1976) have changed positions from the basic assumption of drive
theory to a more cognitive process in the development of exploratory behaviour.
A drive is a motivational force that energises goal-directed behaviour. The concept of
force is more general than the specific sequence of behaviours involved in instinct. A
drive is hypothesized to motivate not a single specific behaviour but an entire class of
behaviours, all connected to the same basic need. Thus one’s hunger drive could account
for eating many different things in varied circumstances, as well as accounting for related
non-eating behaviour, such as restlessness before mealtimes.
A need is a physiological requirement of an organism, for a resource, for example, or
for balance among bodily processes. The experience of a need was hypothesized to be
unpleasant. The drive produced by this need would act as a signal for behaviour to
gratify the need. Thus drive theory explains behaviour in terms of a motivation for drive-
reduction. An animal that needs food will experience the hunger drive, and this will
motivate eating behaviour until the drive is reduced.
Curiosity has a motivated force that is stimulated internally (boredom) or by external
stimuli. However, it is believed that curiosity seeking behaviour poses a paradox for
drive based accounts of curiosity. “Drive is not simply a state the decrease of which is
rewarding. At high levels the reduction of drive is rewarding, but at low levels, an
increase may be rewarding”.
Harlow states that exploration is an example of human motivation that is independent
from homeostatic drives. Harlow’s nonhomeostatic intrinsic drive theory has been
attacked by drive and learning theorists.
4.3.6 Curiosity and Culture

There is evidence for cross-cultural similarities in exploratory behaviour (Dragun, 1981).
However, cultures generally vary both in attitudes towards exploration and information
seeking as well as in the range of situations allowing the expression of the various
manifestations of exploration and curiosity , this is especially true for the sensation-
seeking motive. Zuckerman (1994) defines sensation seeking as “the seeking of varied,
novel, complex and intense sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take
physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experiences.”
Berlyne also conducted research on cross cultural comparisons in the area of curiosity.
His findings showed that there is a high similarity of demand characteristics of stimuli in
two cultures of widely differing historical antecedents and technological development.
Also, different cultures form various geographical regions show evidence for cross-
cultural similarities in exploratory behaviour. More research is needed to study curiosity
behaviour in its own cultural context to gain a better understanding of the functional
relationships between various environmental and social facilitators and inhibitors of
curiosity in a given society.
Children like to explore their environments without much encouragement from parents.
The organisms are motivated to interact with new or novel objects and learn in the
process.
We must remember that interest in novel things diminishes with repeated exposure.
56
Humans show a preference for complexity. Human exploratory behaviour is highly Motivation: Curiosity and
systematic with each individual becoming accustomed /habituated to a certain level of
complexity he/she is motivated to explore stimuli that are slightly more complex.
Interacting with stimuli in the environment increases competence or the ability to process
information. We all are aware that animals explore to help ensure their survival and
motivation is to know everything that might affect one’s survival.
Having new skills or competence, we discover new or different aspects of that object.
Level of arousal is basic mechanism underlying exploratory and play behaviours. Person
experiencing low arousal will seek to increase arousal, whereas persons experiencing
high arousal will seek to lower arousal. New information is governed by the ability of
the new stimulus to elicit arousal. If there is greater discrepancy, there is also greater
arousal and thus we can state that
Greater discrepancy = Greater arousal
Exploration is a person environment interaction in which the environment provides a
challenge to the individual. The individual develops wide range of competencies.
Exploration decreases or stops altogether when the individual is anxious. Emotional
animals explore less but show that when they have been tamed, their tendency to explore
increases.
Securely attached infants explore more and early attachment has been shown to reduce
anxiety and increase achievement/mastery behaviour.
1) Define curiosity and exploratory behaviours.
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2) Give a historical overview of curiosity and exploratory behaviours.
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3) What are the types of curiosity andhow do they differ from each other?
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4) Delineate the theoretical concepts related to curiosity and exploratory behaviours.
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5) How do drive theories explain curiosity and exploratory behaviours?
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6) Discuss the relationship between curiosity and culture.
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4.4 ISSUES RELATED TO CURIOSITY

4.4.1 The Biological Component of Curiosity and
Children vary in tendencies to approach novel stimuli. It has been found that children
with stable temperaments are more receptive to new situations and thus one finds more
exploratory and curiosity oriented behaviour in such children. .
Inhibited and uninhibited temperaments are inherited and thus the inclination to approach
novel objects vary from one person to another and from one child to another.
Curiosity and exploratory behaviours are related to extraversion. Extraversion on the
other hand is inherited and has been linked to tendency to select variety, novelty,
complexity of stimuli. Children and adults with extraversive traits are more explorative
and curious and innovative.
Curiosity and exploratory behaviours are affected and influenced by the state of anxiety
or state of arousal one has. The higher the anxiety the poorer is the curiosity oriented
behaviour and exploratory behaviour. Anxiety appears to almost paralyse the person
from doing any exploration. Generally high anxiety or arousal focuses on survival cues,
because there is tension and it appears as if the person has to somehow return to
homeostasis from a state of imbalance caused by anxiety. This state of imbalance
threatens the very survival of the individual and thus the anxiety has to be reduced and
thus the individuals are motivated to explore while being cautious.
4.4.2 The Learned/Cognitive Component of Curiosity and

In this, experience and competence play central role in tendency to respond to variety,
novelty, and complexity. Organisms become familiar with something by abstracting
information. We tend to develop more complex cognitive structures as the result of
processing information. Individuals will lose interest in repeatedly exposed stimulus.
Intrinsic motivation is a tendency to seek out novelty and challenge, to extend and
exercise one’s capacities, to explore and learn.
58
4.4.3 Self Determination Theory Motivation: Curiosity and
Humans have three innate needs; competence, relatedness, and autonomy. Innately
inclined to systematically respond to novelty and challenge and to develop competence.
Can self-regulate, that is set goals, find paths to goals, and activate mental capacities to
meet challenges. Feelings of competence are important motivators for exploring/
responding to challenge. Relatedness grows out of feelings of being connected or
belonging; people internalise rules for cooperative behaviour; motivation for internalising
values.
Sensation seeking
Trait defined by the need for varied, novel, and complex sensations/experiences and
the willingness to take physical and social risks for the sake of such experiences.
These are based on four factors:
1) Thrill and adventure seeking.
2) Experience seeking.
3) Disinhibition.
4) Boredom susceptibility.
Biological component of sensation seeking
This includes the following that is Mono Amin Oxidase Inhibitors and their levels, as for
example, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin are negatively correlated with MAO
levels, which are important in regulation of. pleasure/reward when they take drugs.
People who are likely to use drugs are those who are
High sensation seekers are likely to experience greater pleasure.
Sensation seeking is also related to testosterone levels in men.
The learned cognitive component of sensation seeking
Thrill seekers learn to use fear as a means of increasing arousal level in order to experience
a psychological high.
Because they have good coping skills, they do not experience much fear.
They experience self satisfaction associated with exercising highly developed coping
skill in face of uncertainty. They value variety.
People come to control their fears and anxiety through mastery training and thus
exploratory and curiosity continue within them.
People go for exploration and wet their curiosity driven by the need for new experiences.
They are more willing to break previous commitments.
They develop better cognitive skills, higher IQs, superior scholastic/reading ability, and
better social skills/intimacy.
Curiosity may lead to creativity (or delinquency); view things in new ways. Adept at
working in environments where change is a way of life. Cannot be committed to any
one activity in case something new or more interesting comes along. Inclined to self-
disclose; not inclined to commit to long-term relationships. 59
1) Discuss the biological components of curiosity and exploratory behaviour.
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2) What are the learned and cognitive components of curiosity and exploratory
behaviours?
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3) Elucidate the self determination theory of curiosity.
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4.5 LET US SUM UP

Motivation is an extremely important topic. Motivation influences learners in complex
ways. For example, in a single situation there may be numerous factors motivating
learners to engage in a behaviour and an even greater number of factors motivating
them to avoid that behaviour. A thorough understanding of the principles of motivation
will enable you to get students moving – to want to participate and do their share in the
instructional process.
People pursue tasks that are challenging. Learners are challenged when they direct
their activities toward personally meaningful goals in such a way that attainment of the
goals is uncertain – when neither success nor failure is guaranteed. The belief that they
are making acceptable progress toward a goal, along with the expected satisfaction of
goal attainment, enhances self-efficacy and sustains motivation.
The most important characteristic of goals is that they must be personally meaningful.
Personal relevance can be increased by (1) making clear the links between an activity
and competencies or outcomes valued by the learner, (2) relating material to a fantasy
or imaginary context that the learner finds emotionally appealing, or (3) eliciting
interpersonal motivations such as cooperation, competition, or recognition that appeal
to the learner.
The degree of uncertainty that would best pose a challenge may be missing (for example,
a learner may think he is already competent enough at using decimals without expending
any real effort). In such cases it is important for the teacher to introduce uncertainty (for
activity.
60 or when there is an optimal level of discrepancy between present knowledge or skills
and what these could be if the learner engaged in some activity. Novelty and interest are Motivation: Curiosity and
Curiosity is defined as a need, thirst or desire for knowledge. The concept of curiosity
is central to motivation. The term can be used as both a description of a specific behaviour
as well as a hypothetical construct to explain the same behaviour.
Cultures generally vary both in attitudes towards exploration and information seeking
as well as in the range of situations allowing the expression of the various manifestations
of exploration and curiosity, this is especially true for the sensation-seeking motive.
A drive is a motivational force that energises goal-directed behaviour. The concept of
force is more general than the specific sequence of behaviours involved in instinct. A
drive is hypothesized to motivate not a single specific behaviour but an entire class of
behaviours, all connected to the same basic need. Thus one’s hunger drive could account
for eating many different things in varied circumstances, as well as accounting for related
non-eating behaviour, such as restlessness before mealtimes.

1) Discuss the following:
a) Challenge
b) Curiosity
c) Control
d) Competence and Exploration
e) Curiosity and Culture
2) Discuss the historical and theoretical conception of curiosity and exploratory
behaviour.
3) How is drive theory related to the curiosity and exploratory behaviour of motivation.
4) What are the various nissues related to curiosity and exploratorybehaviours?
5) How does self determination theory explain curiosity and exploratory behaviours?

Baron, R.A. (2010). Introduction to Psychology. Wadsworth publishing Co., NJ
Harold F Oneil ad Michael Drillings (Eds).(1994). Motivation: Theory and Research.
Laurence Erlbaum Associates, New Jersey
Fowler, H (2008). Curiosity and Exploratory Behaviour. Open library, New York.
Morgan, C.T. and King, R.A. (2010). (11th edition) Introduction to Psychology. 61
Unit 1.pdf
Unit 2.pdf
Unit 3.pdf
Unit 4.pdf
UNIT 1 CONCEPT OF ANXIETY, AROUSAL
AND STRESS
Structure
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Objectives
1.2 Definition of Anxiety
1.2.1 Types of Anxiety
1.2.2 Physical Symptoms of Anxiety
1.2.3 Psychologicl Symptoms of Anxiety
1.2.4 Behavioural Symptoms of Anxiety
1.2.5 The Causes of Physical Symptoms
1.2.6 The Causes of Psychological Symptoms
1.3 Definition of Arousal

1.3.1 Characteristics of Arousal
1.3.2 Arousal and Performance
1.3.3 Anxiety and Arousal Theories
1.3.4 Reactions to Arousal and Anxiety
1.4 Definition of Stress

1.4.1 Physical Responses to Stress
1.4.2 Psychological Responses to Stress
1.4.3 Description and Types of Stress
1.4.4 Stressors
1.4.5 Stages of Stress
1.4.6 Sources of Stress
1.5 Arousal, Stress and Anxiety

1.5.1 Signs of Arousal and Anxiety
1.5.2 Implication for Practice
1.5.3 Measurement of Anxiety and Stress
1.5.4 Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale
1.6 Treatment and Prevention of Stress and Anxiety

1.7 Prevention of Anxiety and Stress
1.8 Let Us Sum Up
1.0 INTRODUCTION
This unit deals with the concept of anxiety, arousal and stress. It starts with the
definition of stress, followed by types of anxiety and classification of anxiety etc.
Then we discuss the physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms of anxiety
and the causes thereof. Then we take the concept of arousal and define arousal, put
forward the characteristics of arousal. Then we discuss the aoural and its effects on
performance. Then we discuss the relationship between anxiety, arousal and stress 5
Arousal, Stress and and the reaction to arousal and anxiety. This is followed by definition of the concept
Motivation
of stress, and discuss the physical responses to stress and psychological responses
to stress. Thn we describe stress and present the types of stress. A discussion on
stressor follows with stages of stress and sources of stress. The next section deals
with arousal, stress and anxiety in which we present the signs of arousal and anxiety
and its implication for practice. Then we present the measurement of stress and
anxiety and describe a scale which measures anxiety stress and depression. Finally
we present the treatment and prevention of stress and anxiety.
1.1 OBJECTIVES
On completing this unit, you will be able to:
 Define anxiety;
 Present the different types of anxiety;
 Explain the physiological and psychological symptoms of anxiety;
 Define arousal;
 Describe the characteristic features of arousal;
 Define stress;
 Explain the physical and psychological reactions to stress;
 Describe stressors and stages of stress;
 Analyse the relationship between anxiety, arousal and stress; and
 Elucidate the treatment and prevention of stress and anxiety.
1.2 DEFINITION OF ANXIETY

We are all used to feeling anxious from time to time. When we are about to take
exams, or facing a job interview, or awaiting results of some important medical tests,
we feel worried about what might happen. We are tense and anxious about how
we will be affected. But exactly what does anxiety mean?
Anxiety is a word we use to describe our feelings when we are frightened. So, if
something frightens us we get anxious. For example, if you are walking down a street
and suddenly a ferocious dog runs up to you, barking madly or snarling and baring
its teeth, you will almost certainly feel anxious because you are frightened that the
dog will attack you.
The negative emotional state with feelings of nervousness, worry and apprehension
associated with activation or arousal of the body.
Of course, in this and many other similar situations you can easily see what has made
you anxious and so normally you will tend not to worry about it after it is over. At
times the very fact that we are under pressure will spur us on to do our best and
rise to the occasion and meet with resounding success.
However, sometimes we tend to start worrying over this simple incident and start
thinking that there is something wrong with us, and that’s why the dog almost attacked
us, although there were several other people in the street. Other times, we find
ourselves getting anxious when there is nothing happening to us that should make us
feel that way. Most people who seek help because of anxiety are like this. They
experience such strong feelings of anxiety that they are unable to cope with their day
6
to day life.
Anxiety and panic come in many different forms, and vary in intensity from person Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
to person. Some, such as post traumatic stress have identifiable origins.
Anxiety and panic may be associated with genetics, changes in neurological or brain
chemistry, or disruptive life events. Physical and emotional stress can also lead to
anxiety which can eventually turn into disorders.
1.2.1 Types of Anxiety

Anxiety is a word used to denote a general state of nervousness, fear, apprehension,
and worrying. As a matter of fact every one undergoes anxiety whenever he faces
some challenge or some task that entails on ones worth and self esteem, in such
circumstances anxiety is real and productive as it pushes the person toward
accomplishment of that goal in reasonable timeframe. However, when one experiences
bouts of anxiety without any real cause or when the intensity of anxiety is out of
proportion with the magnitude of the problem real or imaginary, it takes the form of
a disorder. When anxiety is pervasive and without specific reason it is known as free
floating anxiety. These disorders affect how we feel and behave, can manifest real
physical symptoms. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling, while severe anxiety can be
extremely debilitating and can seriously affect one’s daily life.
Anxiety may be ALSO BE classified as:
1) Reality Anxiety: The most basic form, rooted in reality. Fear of a dog bite,
fear arising from an impending accident. (Ego Based Anxiety)
2) Moral Anxiety: Anxiety which arises from an unconscious fear that the libidinal
impulses of the ID will take control at an in opportune time. This type of anxiety
is driven by a fear of punishment that will result from expressing the ID’s
desires without proper sublimation.
3) Neurotic Anxiety: Anxiety which arises from an unconscious fear that the
libidinal impulses of the ID will take control at an in opportune time. This type
of anxiety is driven by a fear of punishment that will result from expressing the
ID’s desires without proper sublimation.
4) Generalised Anxiety: This is defined as a period of uncontrolled worry,
nervousness and anxiety. The anxiety may initially focus on a specific worry
(relationships, career, or finances, for example), or may present as a vague
anxiety about almost anything. In some cases it may be accompanied by irritability
also. If this anxiety increases and becomes beyond the limit, physical symptoms
may develop, including muscle pain, insomnia, trembling, and gastro intestinal
problems and such an anxiety may turn into a disorder called Generalised
Anxiety Disorder.
Other types include the following:
1) Cognitive Anxiety: The thought component – worry and apprehension
2) Somatic Anxiety: The degree of physical activation perceived
3) State Anxiety: The ever changing mood component
4) Cognitive State Anxiety: The degree to which one worries or has negative
thoughts.
5) Somatic State Anxiety: Concerned with the moment to moment changes is
perceived physiological activation. 7
Arousal, Stress and 6) Trait Anxiety: An acquired behavioural tendency of disposition that influences
Motivation
behaviour.
1.2.2 Physical Symptoms of Anxiety

 Heart racing or palpitations
 Dry mouth and difficulty swallowing (like a lump in the throat)
 Dizziness or light headedness
 Legs feeling weak, “like jelly”
 Stomach churning and feeling sick (like butterflies in the tummy)
 Increased shakiness, especially of hands and arms
 Tingling and numbing sensation
 Feeling hot, sweaty and flushed
 Muscle tension
 Rapid breathing, tight band across chest.
1.2.3 Psychological Symptoms of Anxiety

 Feeling frightened and panicky
 Thinking that you might be losing your mind
 That you might be having a heart attack
 Feeling that you are losing control
 Worrying that you may faint or vomit
 Worrying that there may be something wrong seriously wrong with your brain
 Worrying that you might make a fool of yourself in front of other people by
saying or doing something silly
 Wanting to escape and to get to a safe place (In Hindi, “Dil bhaagna chahta
hai”)
1.2.4 Behavioural Symptoms of Anxiety

These are behaviours we resort to, in order to cope with some of the above symptoms.
For example,
 Making excuses to avoid doing something (like postponing sitting exams)
 Only shopping when it is quiet or in small shops to avoid crowds
 Rushing out of places or situations when feeling anxious
 Avoid going to parties or functions
 Avoid speaking when with other people
 Avoid going out alone, or insist on taking someone with you
8  Using other props, like taking alcohol or taking a tablet
1.2.5 The Causes of the Physical Symptoms Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
Let’s take another common example. Imagine you are crossing a busy road, when
suddenly you hear a very loud car horn go off a few feet away from you and also
hear sound of screeching brakes. What almost everyone does in this situation is to
immediately jump or run, even before one has had a chance to think about what is
happening. Having got out of the way of the car, you will then be left feeling a bit
shaky, with your heart beating faster as well as some of the other symptoms in the
list of physical symptoms.
What actually has happened is that a split second after the person heard that horn
and screeching brakes, what we call the anxiety response in the person’s brain is
switched on. What the anxiety response does is that it prepares the body for immediate
action in the face of danger. In practice, this means the following:
Heart rate shoots up: This is in order to pump extra blood to the muscles of your
arms and legs much more quickly, because you will be using your arms and legs to
get out of the danger.
To keep your heart beating at this fast rate, you need extra oxygen to give the heart
energy – so
Breathe much more quickly to get the extra oxygen: Because of the extra
energy being sent to the individual’s arms and legs, the muscles are tenser, and are
ready to spring into action.
Churning feeling in your stomach: For the above reason, blood is also directed
away from the brain, hence the person feels light-headed and dizzy.
Perspire more: As the your heart is pumping blood more quickly around your body,
especially to the muscles, the person’s temperature increases to cool the body
down, the person perspires more. Hence the person feels hot and sweaty.
1.2.6 The Causes of the Psychological Symptoms

Now we turn to look at what you think and feel when your body is producing the
physical symptoms, i.e. your psychological responses to anxiety. You begin to feel
that you are losing control. This happens because when you don’t know what the
physical symptoms mean; you cannot understand what is happening to you and your
body. This is where nearly everyone will tend to think the worse, “Oh God! I am
having a heart attack” or “I am going crazy”. In turn these thoughts will make you
more anxious and this leads to a vicious circle.
1) Define anxiety and bring out its characteristic features.
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2) What are the physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms of anxiety?
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9
Arousal, Stress and
Motivation .....................................................................................................................
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3) Discuss the causes of physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety.
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1.3 DEFINITION OF AROUSAL

“If you ask someone on the street what arousal means, that person might have an
intuitive concept of arousal in terms of sexual excitement, alertness or an emotional
response such as fear,” says Pfaff, Professor and head of the Labouratory of
Neurobiology and Behaviour at Rockefeller. “But, if you ask, ’Exactly what does
arousal mean scientifically,’ it’s been very hard for scientists to pin down.”
Scientists who study arousal historically were divided into two camps: those who
consider arousal to be a single, “monolithic” physiological function, and those who
believe that arousal does not exist as a whole, but is a collection of small specific
abilities.
In humans, deficits in arousal contribute to such cognitive problems as attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and Alzheimer’s disease. Erosion of arousal also
may account for some of the mental difficulties that people face as they age.
Understanding general arousal may help scientists develop pharmacological methods
to enhance alertness during the day and sleep at night. Analysing the mechanisms of
arousal may lead to a more precise anesthesiology.
The operational definition of arousal proposed by the Rockefeller researchers states
that an aroused animal or human will be more sensitive to sensory stimuli, be physically
more active; and react more emotionally. According to Pfaff, this definition allows for
interaction among arousal states. In other words, changes in sexual arousal could
dampen or increase response to pain, or vice versa.
“The overall state of arousal at any given moment is going to be a function both of
the person’s global, or generalised, arousal state and any individual arousal states that
might be present,” says Pfaff.
Thus , we can say that arousal is a state of the organism that in every day term means
alertness, vigor, peppiness and activation. Arousal may be thought of as a conceptual
dimension ranging from extreme drowsiness at one hand to extreme excitation at the
other. Arousal level is the result of internal and external stimulation.
High levels of arousal are associated with high level of sensory input, low levels of
arousal are associated with low levels of sensory input. The historical roots of the
concept of activation and arousal lie in Canon’s concept of energy mobilisation
during emotions.
The chief point in regard to arousal is that arousal is a continuum, from a low point
10
during deep sleep to a high point during extreme effort or great excitement with no Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
distinguishable breaks for such conditions as sleep or emotions.
The factors which produce variations in the degree of arousal are various. They
include apparently drugs, hormones, variations in what is commonly known as the
degree of motivation.
It also appears that differences in the degree of arousal in different individuals may
have a genetic or an environmental basis, or both. It appears also that under similar
stimulation, individuals differ in the degree of their arousal and in the speed with
which they return to their former level of functioning.
Different individuals appear to vary around different central tendencies i.e. to differ
in responsiveness.
Arousal is a blend of Physiological and Psychological activity in a person, and it
refers to the intensity dimensions of motivation at a particular moment. Arousal can
be considered in a continuum as given in the figure below.
The Arousal Continuum
Low (Coma) High

(Frenzy)
Neurally speaking arousal is often identified with activity in the ascending reticular
activating system. In addition to the arousal which determines theta frequency there
is also gating input from the cholinergic or serotonergic systems, which code the
“arousal” in certain ways. The subcortical control of theta activity is that arousal is
a necessary but not sufficient condition for the generation of anxiety. There are
different types of arousal such as the hippocampus arousal. Different types of
arousal fulfill different functions even in relation to anxiety.
1.3.1 Characteristics of Arousal

Arousal or activation has no steering function in the behaviour. It means that a
person may be excited or in aroused state but this arousal may not guide him toward
any particular action or goal i.e. the behaviour of the individual may not result
oriented.
It is considerably broader than emotion.
Activation is not a state that can be inferred from knowledge of antecedent conditions
alone, because it the product of interaction between internal and external cues.
Activation does not fit very well into S-R formula. It is a phenomenon of slow
changes of drifts in level with a time order of minutes not of seconds or fractions
thereof.
Activation is a quantifiable dimension and the evidence indicates that physiological
measures show a sufficiently high intra individual concordance for quantifying this
dimension.
The effect of any given degree of activation upon performance appears to vary
however, with the number of factors including the task to be performed and certain
characteristics of the individual – such as perhaps the ability to inhibit and coordinate
responses under a high degree of excitation. 11
Arousal, Stress and  Pleasant/excitement
Motivation
 Unpleasant/anxiety
 Arousal interpreted as pleasant facilitates performance
 Arousal interpreted as unpleasant hurts performance
 Arousal is multifaceted
 Significance of All the Arousal Performance Views
 Arousal and state anxiety do not always have a negative effect on performance
It can be facilitative or debilitative, depending on the interpretation
1.3.2 Arousal and Performance

 Increased Muscle Tension and Coordination Difficulties
 Attention Changes
 Narrowing of Attention
 Shift to Dominant Style
 Attend to inappropriate cues
 There are many theories of anxiety and arousal which are stated below.
1.3.3 Anxiety and Arousal Theories

1) Drive theory: According to this theory, higher the arousal and anxiety a person
feels, higher will be the performance.
2) Inverted U hypothesis: According to this theory, there is an optimum level of
arousal and anxiety which causes one to perform higher. If the arousal and
anxiety are too little or too high, the performance will be poorer.
3) Individual zones of optimal functioning: This theory states that different
persons have different levels of anxiety and arousal that are unique in making
them perform their best. Some perform their best with low anxiety, some with
medium amount and some with a high amount of anxiety. That the performance
of the individual depends on the individual characteristics.
4) Multidimensional anxiety theory: According to this theory, when one has
anxious thoughts, he or she will have poorer performance. Anxiety felt by the
body will have effect on performance almost like that of inverted U theory.
5) Catastrophe model theory: This theory states that as long as there are lower
thoughts of anxiety, the performance will be best around the medium level of
arousal. If there is high level of anxious thoughts (worry) performance will be
better at a medium level of arousal but will suddenly drop off and become very
poor. There is a breaking point when performance decreases dramatically.
6) Reversal theory: According to this theory, arousal affects performance
depending on an individual’s interpretation of their arousal. Arousal can be
interpreted as pleasant and exciting and as unpleasant and anxious. Arousal that
is thought to be pleasant helps performance and vice versa for bad arousal.
12
7) Anxiety direction and intensity theory: This theory states that how someone Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
sees their own anxiety is important for understanding the relationship of their
anxiety to their performance. Both the person’s interpretation of the intensity,
that is how much of anxiety and the direction of anxiety as to whether it is
helping or hindering performance, have to be considered. Therefore viewing
anxiety as helpful leads to better performance.
1.3.4 Reactions to Arousal and Anxiety

 Muscle Tension and Coordination Difficulties
 Attention and Concentration Changes
Implications for practice
 Identify Optimal Arousal-related Emotions
 Recognise Personal and Situational Factors
 Recognise Arousal and State Anxiety Signs such as Cold Clammy hand, need
to urinate, weating, negative self talk, butterflies, feeling ill, headaches, cotton
mouth, troubles sleeping.
 Tailor Coaching Strategies to Individuals
 Develop Performers’ Confidence
1) Define arousal.
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2) What are the characteristics of arousal?
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3) How does arousal affect performance?
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4) Discuss the relationship amongst anxiety, arousal and stress.
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13
Arousal, Stress and
Motivation .....................................................................................................................
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5) What are the reactions to arousal and anxiety?
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1.4 DEFINITION OF STRESS

Stress is a word that we use all the time and almost everyday. What is meant by
stress? Is it physiological arousal? How does it differ from anxiety and anger?
Hans Selye first popularised the concept of “stress” in the 1950s. Selye theorised
that all individuals respond to all types of threatening situations in the same manner,
and he called this the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). He claimed that, in
addition to Sensory Nervous System arousal, other bodily systems such as the
adrenal cortex and pituitary gland may be involved in a response to threat. For
example, chemicals such as epinephrine (adrenaline) may serve to focus the body’s
attention just on immediate self-preservation by inhibiting such functions as digestion,
reproduction, tissue repair, and immune responses. Ultimately, as the threat wanes,
Selye suggested, body functions return to normal, allowing the body to focus on
healing and growth again. But if the threat is prolonged and chronic, the Sensory
Nervous System arousal never gets “turned off,” and health can be impaired. With
a continuously suppressed immune system, for example, a person would be more
vulnerable than usual to infection, which is one explanation of why some individuals
get sick so often.
And, regardless of whether Selye was right or not, psychology, as well as medicine
and popular culture, have accepted the concept of “stress” as an unpleasant fact of
life.
Stress is actually caused by change. Change can be anything. Humans prefer status
quo and a balanced state of physical and mental status. A change causes disturbance
in this status and the individual concerned feels a state of imbalance as he has to
adjust himself to the changed condition. Adaptation if successful brings the organism
to a state of balance. If adaptation to change is not successful it causes imbalance.
Life thus is a process of change. Therefore, anything that involves change contains
within it the “demand” that we adapt to it, in one way or another. Graduating from
school can be as demanding as starting school, and starting a new job can be as
demanding as losing a job.
How we perceive the change really determines how we manage to adapt to it. If
the perception is positive, we generally embrace the change with open arms and
relief. If the perception is negative, that is, if the change challenges our stamina or
resources, the body will automatically and dramatically respond to this perceived
threat with a variety of physiological responses. Let us take the example of a person
14
who has lost his job. He may react to the loss of job with anger. This anger may
be conscious or unconscious but as long as it persists , there is a physiological Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
arousal.
In traditional terms it could be said that this person is under intense stress. In fact,
because of Selye’s influence, psychology and medicine have tended to regard “stress”
as if it were some “thing” that could destroy our health and happiness even against
our wills.
But it could just as well be said that the person in the example has simply failed to
accept change in a healthy, adaptive manner.
So maybe “stress” isn’t any “thing” at all. Maybe it is just a descriptive term that
our culture uses to normalise unconscious anger, a fear of love, a lack of forgiveness,
a desperate clinging to a vain identity, and an absence of a spiritual life. Maybe stress
is just a convenient myth to shift responsibility for life away from ourselves and onto
something so vague that everyone can love to hate it.
1.4.1 Physiological Responses to Stress

Early in the 20th century, Walter Cannon’s research in biological psychology led him
to describe the “fight or flight” response of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)
to perceived threats to physical or emotional security.
Cannon found that SNS arousal in response to perceived threats involves several
elements which prepare the body physiologically either to take a stand and fight off
an attacker or to flee from the danger:
 Heart rate and blood pressure increase
 Perspiration increases
 Hearing and vision become more acute
 Hands and feet get cold, because blood is directed away from the extremities
to the large muscles in order to prepare for fighting or fleeing.
1.4.2 Psychological Responses to Stress

Psychological response is the uneasiness that comes from a perceived threat to our
self esteem. Note the word perceived. One of the great re discoveries in modern
psychology is that your perception (the intangible thoughts you choose to have)
creates your mental and physical response to an objective situation. It is not the
activity itself that causes stress, but how you choose to think about it. Anxiety is
worry over a future uncertainty created by mental occupation with the outcome of
the event. It is impossible to perform your best in a state of cognitive anxiety. Arousal
is the level of activation or excitement you feel. There is an optimum level of arousal
a person must be at to perform his best. His thoughts can absolutely change and
control his autonomic nervous system and his level of arousal.
1.4.3 Description and Types of Stress

A substantial imbalance between demand and response capability, under conditions
where failure to meet the demand has important consequences. In Sports Psychology,
stress is often categorised in four interrelated stages.
The word stress is difficult to define because it means different things to different
people. Some describe stress in terms of stressors – the variety of external and
internal stimuli that evoke stress, such as short period of time to finish the work or 15
Arousal, Stress and conflict with a friend or spouse. Often it is a combination of events or stimuli that
Motivation
causes stress.
Other experts believe that stress can be defined as the pattern of responses that an
individual makes to events that disturb his or her equilibrium or exceed coping
abilities i.e. when events disrupt our usual level of functioning and require us to put
in some extra effort to reestablish balance that we experience stress.
Therefore, stress also involves nonspecific physiological reactions that occur in
response to stressful events e.g. heightened activity of adrenal gland.
Some other experts emphasise the importance to how we perceive an event. The
same situation may extremely stressful for one person but may not have any significance
for another person.
When defining stress we must differentiate between stress and distress since not all
stress is bad.
When events have a harmful effect , stress is called distress.
Stress may also have beneficial effect e.g. starting a new job or taking up an exciting
sport may have a stimulating effect that results in personal growth. This type of stress
is known as eustress.
Excessive stress is called hyperstress it usually occurs when events including positive
ones pile up and stretch the limits of adaptability.
Hypostress or insufficient occurs when we lack stimulation e.g. doing a monotonous
job is an example of hypostress. A person bored with his present situation may
resort to sensation seeking behaviour such as mountain climbing or some other
adventurous activity.
Stress has been categorised and conceptualised in other ways also. Negative life
events, death of loved one or financial loss in stock market, are usually quite stressful.
At the same time like beginning of career or getting married are also stressful.
Thus, the most important factor is the total impact of various life changes, both
positive and negative, in combination with the amount of readjustment these events
require. Studies reveal that change in life intensity is closely linked with the onset of
various illnesses. The combined effect of life events has been found to correlate
significantly with cardiac arrest, stroke diabetes and other chronic illnesses, depression
and many other physical and psychological problems.
More recently attention has been directed to stress associated with everyday difficulties
e.g. concerns about owing money or about being stuck in traffic. It has been found
that daily hassles sometimes have a greater effect on our moods and health as
compared to major misfortunes of life. However, people vary widely in terms of what
bothers them. For example for college students, the most commonly reported hassles
are anxiety over tests, grades, studying and finances etc.
Middle aged people are troubled by concerns about health and money. Professionals
feel that they have too much to accomplish in too little a time. Daily hassles common
to all groups are misplacing or losing things, worries over physical appearance, and
too many things to do.
A final approach to the conceptualisation of stress has been the self-perception of
“global” stress in our lives. Some psychologists call it chronic stress as opposed
16
to acute stress , which is stress that is momentary response to imminent danger and Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
is relieved when the danger is over. Most experts opine that chronic stress is most
harmful.
1.4.4 Stressors
A given stressor is more or less powerful depending upon how we perceive it. For
example, some people take criticism of their work as a personal attack, become
upset and waste a lot of energy defending themselves. While some other take criticism
as a challenge to improve their work and experience less stress.
People afflicted with inner doubts, low self-esteem, and suspiciousness may
misconstrue even the routine demands of everyday life as stressful. Besides personality
traits also contribute to the experience of stress. For example, type “A” personality
is more prone to develop stress-related illness due to personality traits.
People with type “A” personality syndrome tend to be competitive, argumentative,
time-urgent , ambitious, and impatient as well as hostile. They judge themselves and
others by rigorous standards.
Consequenlty, type “A” people are constantly under stress and are more likely to
develop cardiac arrest. Age and gender also contribute to the perception of stress
in that women and younger people are more likely to experience higher stress.
Another factor that adds to distress is how people react to us. Prejudice against us
because we belong to a particular group is just an example. Many situational factors
also contribute to our experience of stress. Most important is the combined effect
of these various factors and greater the number of these stressful situations greater
the amount of stress experienced. Some of the situational factors that contribute
alone or in combination are:
i) Physical stressors.
ii) Lack of control over decisions and demands in our personal or work life.
iii) Unpredictability of events.
iv) Lack of social support from friends and family.
v) Poor interpersonal relations with family, friends and colleagues.
vi) Role Conflict.
vii) Career concerns including anxiety about job, promotion etc.
viii) Unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions.
1.4.5 Stages of Stress

Environmental Demand, What is being demanded, the task
Perception of Demand, What is the individual’s perception of the demand
Stress Response,
What is the person’s response to the demand?
 Arousal
 Anxiety
17
Arousal, Stress and  Muscle tension
Motivation
 Attention changes
Behavioural Consequences, What is the performance or outcome
1.4.6 Sources of Stress

 Event importance
 Uncertainty
 Self Esteem
 Trait Anxiety
 Social Anxiety
1) Define stress.
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2) Describe the characteristics of stress.
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3) What are the physical and psychological responses to stress?
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4) Describe the different stages of stress.
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1.5 AROUSAL, STRESS AND ANXIETY

Arousal is a general physiological and psychological activity whereas anxiety is a
negative emotional state with feelings of worry, nervousness and apprehension that
18 is associated with the activation of the body.
The third concept of stress refers to an imbalance between the demands a person Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
feels and his capability to meet that demands. If he is unable to meet the demands
through his own capabilities, stress results.
Arousal can affect performance in many ways. The theories that are related to
arousal and performance are given below.
Arousal increases muscle tension and affects coordination. Too much tension can
create difficulties. It also affects attention, which can become too narrow with too
much arousal and can make a person pay attention to too much in their environment
when there is too little arousal.
1.5.1 Signs of Arousal and Anxiety

 Cold clammy hands
 Constant need to urinate
 Profuse sweating
 Negative self talk
 Dazed look in eyes
 Ill feeling
 Headache
 Dry mouth
 Difficulties sleeping
 Butterflies in stomach
 Inability to concentrate
 Increased muscle tension
Psychologists can identify what is the best combination of emotions needed for good
performance. Also one can recognise how personal things and things about one’s
situation can interact to influence anxiety and therefore performance. To take an
example from the sports field, an athlete can recognise arousal and anxiety signs and
the coaches can tailor their strategies to different individuals and understand that state
anxiety must be reduced, increased or maintained at certain optimum level.
There are certain personality types that are associated with health concerns , that is
for instance cardiovascular disease. One personality type is called Type A and is
associated with anger and hostility.
Arousal is a major aspect of many learning theories and is closely related to other
concepts such as anxiety, attention, agitation, stress, and motivation.
There has been quite a bit of research indicating the correlation suggested by Yerkes
and Dodson, but a cause of the correlation has not yet been fully established.
Although the Yerkes-Dodson law is quite old, it has held up in time through numerous
studies. Just because something is old, does not make it invalid. In fact, because it
has held up for so long it has gone from theory to law.
The arousal level can be thought of as how much capacity one has available to work
with. One finding with respect to arousal is the Yerkes-Dodson law which predicts
an inverted U-shaped function between arousal and performance. 19
Arousal, Stress and A certain amount of arousal can be a motivator toward change, but too much or
Motivation
too little will work against the learner. Hence one may want some mid level point of
arousal that provides the motivation to change. Too little arousal has an inert effect
on the learner, while too much has a hyper effect.
There are optimal levels of arousal for each task to be learned:
 lower for more difficult or intellectual (cognitive) tasks
 higher for tasks requiring endurance and persistence
For example, the arousal level in a quality team training session must be quite high
as it requires persistence and it is basically a low cognitive task. On the other side
one may have a high cognitive task such as an advanced algebra class. The latter is
extremely high on the cognitive level, so arousal must be kept low as one may need
the learners’ full attention on the subject matter. If the task involves or produces too
much arousal, the learner will be overloaded.
1.5.2 Implication for Practice

Control environmental arousal factors such as the noise level, temperature, comfort,
etc. This allows a person to put more arousal factors that are beneficial to learning
without going into arousal overload.
When training tasks that are high on the cognitive scale or are highly complex, one
must use less motivators and keep the stress level low. The brain tends to shut certain
aspects out when it has too many inputs coming in at once, and the one input that
one does not want is to shut out what one wants the learner to learn. Some trainers
call this brain overload or brain cramps. This does not mean one cannot make the
material interesting, just keep their arousal on an even keel.
Outdoor or physical team training activities require more arousal techniques. This is
where the trainer has to become more of a college football type coach and less of
a trainer. The effort to reach the peak arousal point where the most change (learning)
takes place is higher on this scale than cognitive learning. To reach that peak arousal
point you need to provide more stress and motivation.
Tests can be great motivators for getting students to learn. It shows that they
mastered the task, they do not like to fail, they want that certificate, its a challenge,
etc. But test taking anxiety can push some learners’ arousal level over the peak
arousal point. You can reduce stress levels by supplying non-graded quizzes and
performance activities that provide reassurance and feedback to the learners.
When the optimum arousal point goes too low then use activities that get the learners
interacting with each other or moving. Provide inspirational speeches, challenging
games, and puzzles.
When the optimum arousal point goes too high then take the cognitive focus off the
goal (eliminate “what if” statements) and place it on the process. Take a break,
watch a video, stretch. Play a fun, but interesting game.
Provide the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about the learning to
take place as it helps to eliminate fears. One’s learning environment needs to control
the stress factors, not the unknowns.
20
1.5.3 Measurement of Anxiety and Stress Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
How to measure anxiety and stress? ( A scale DASS is given at the end of this unit.
Try out on yourself and score to find out what is the measure of depression and
anxiety in you)
Knowing how to measure arousal and anxiety stress can not only give the counsellor
and client a clearer picture of the client’s anxiety and how much it impacts their life,
but it also provides clues for controlling it. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales
(DASS) is comprised of 42 questions that the patient completes within about 10
minutes. The questions, rated on the Likert scale to measure severity or frequency,
indicate various negative symptoms that are primarily emotional or emotionally driven.
1.5.4 The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS)

1) Understanding the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS)
The DASS is made up of three scales: depression, anxiety and stress. These scales
provide a more complete picture of the patient’s condition. Each scale contains 14
questions that measure anxiety and stress. Each scale contains subscales that have
anywhere from two and five questions. However, the items are not clustered within
a scale. Instead, they are randomly scattered throughout the entire DASS. The
primary purpose of the DASS is to measure arousal, anxiety stress and depression.
2) Understanding the Depression Scale
The Depression Scale measures the patient’s level of depression. To measure
depression, the scale makes a series of statements regarding the patient’s outlook on
life and on themselves. Patients who score high are self-disparaging and are convinced
that their life has no value or meaning. Their outlook on the future is pessimistic and
they do not have the ability to experience satisfaction or find enjoyment in anything.
They have no initiative, are uninterested, and are unable to involve themselves socially.
Overall, they were gloomy and dispirited.
3) Understanding the Anxiety Scale
Patients who score high on the Anxiety Scale exhibit trembling and shakiness. They
feel panicky, apprehensive, worried about their performance and are afraid of losing
control. Physically, they report breathing difficulties, sweaty palms, a pounding heart
and a dry mouth.
4) Understanding the Stress Scale
Characteristics of patients who score high on the Stress Scale include symptoms of
stress such as tension and the inability to relax. Over-arousal, easily startled and edgy
or jumpy are other symptoms as well as irritability and nervousness. They are intolerant
of delay, waiting or interruption.
5) Using the DASS as a Diagnostic Tool
Diagnosing and measuring anxiety and stress using the DASS is done on a dimensional
conception of depression, anxiety or stress as opposed to a categorical conception
of the disorder. While the DASS helps to distinguish between the different disorders,
it also identifies the degree of the different disorder. It measures to what extent the
patient experiences the symptoms. This scale is an effective way to measure anxiety
and stress.
21
Arousal, Stress and
Motivation Self Assessment Questions
1) Discuss the relationship between arousal, stress and anxiety.
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2) What are the signs of arousal and anxiety?
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3) Discuss arousal and anxiety in terms of application.
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4) Discuss the Depression, Anxiety and stress Scale in detail.
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1.6 TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF STRESS

AND ANXIETY
Counselling
Counselling may be defined as “talking therapy”, which aims to ease a person’s
discomfort, pain, distress or impaired performance.
Behaviour therapy
The most common form of behaviour therapy is exposure to the anxiety-provoking
stimulus. People are repeatedly exposed to the stimulus until anxiety or panic subsides.
Cognitive therapy
This involves identifying the causes of anxious thinking (i.e. illogical ideas or automatic
false notions) and the adoption of more logical (correct or accurate) ways of thinking.
It is very effective but because it can be offered only by trained specialists, it may
not be readily available.
22
Cognitive-behavioural therapy or CBT Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
This is a combination of two kinds of therapy – cognitive and behavioural. In
behavioural therapy, as the name suggests, people learn how to change behaviour.
Behaviour therapy helps you weaken the connections between troublesome situations
and your habitual reactions to them, reactions such as fear, depression or rage, and
self-defeating or self-damaging behaviour. It also teaches you how to calm your mind
and body, so you can feel better, think more clearly, and make better decisions. You
may have already heard of the most common behavioural techniques used in the
treatment of anxiety disorders: desensitisation, relaxation and breathing exercises.
On the other hand, cognitive therapy focuses on thoughts, assumptions and beliefs.
With cognitive therapy, people may learn to recognise and change faulty or maladaptive
thinking patterns. Cognitive therapy is not about “positive thinking” in the sense that
you must always think happy thoughts. It’s a way to gain control over racing,
repetitive thoughts which often feed or trigger anxiety.
The two therapies often are used together because they are beneficial to each other.
For example, in the midst of extreme anxiety, it may feel impossible to gain control
over your thoughts and apply cognitive therapy techniques. Therefore, a behavioural
technique such as deep breathing may help you calm down and focus on your
thinking.
Relaxation techniques
Relaxation is the voluntary letting go of tension. This tension can be physical tension
in the muscles, or it can be mental or psychological tension. When we relax physically,
certain impulses are sent to brain, which in turn bring about a general feeling of calm,
both physically and mentally. The purpose of muscle tension is to increase your
alertness and readiness to respond. However, constant tension makes people
oversensitive and they begin to respond to even smaller events as though they were
threatening. By learning to relax, you can gain control over those feelings of anxiety.
The three main components of relaxation therapy are:
 Learn to recognise tension
 Learn to relax your body in a general, total sense
 Learn to let tension go in specific muscle groups.
Deep Breathing
This is one of easiest stress management techniques to learn and the best thing
about it is it can be done anywhere! When we become stressed, one of our body’s
automatic reactions is shallow, rapid breathing which can increase our stress response.
Taking deep, slow breaths is an antidote to stress and is one way we can “turn-off”
our stress reaction and “turn-on” the relaxation response. Deep breathing is the
foundation of many other relaxation exercises.
 Get into a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down.
 Put one hand on your stomach, just below your rib cage.
 Slowly breathe in through your nose. Your stomach should feel like rising and
expanding outward.
 Exhale slowly through your mouth, emptying your lungs completely and letting
your stomach fall. 23
Arousal, Stress and  Repeat several times until you feel relaxed.
Motivation
 Practice several times a day.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Our muscles respond to thoughts of perceived threats with tension, which is one of
the most common stress symptoms. Too much tension can cause stiffness and may
result in headaches, stiff necks and backaches. One way to relieve this tension is
through Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR).
It involves tensing, then relaxing the body muscles from head to toe. Since PMR can
increase blood pressure, people with hypertension should not use this technique.
Wear lose, comfortable clothing. Sit or lie down somewhere comfortable.
Begin with your facial muscles and frown hard for 5-10 seconds, then relax all your
muscles.
Work other facial muscles by clenching your jaw, tightly closing your eyes, and
raising your eyebrows for 5-10 seconds. Feel the tension in these muscles and then
release.
Then move on to other muscle groups, raise your shoulders, tighten your arms, your
chest, your back, legs, etc. – until you’ve tensed and relaxed your whole body.
Social skills training
Some people lack appropriate social skills that are required of them by the demands
of the society. It is precisely the reason why some people become anxious among
strangers or in strange situations. Social skills’ training helps you to develop ways of:
 Meeting new people and establishing relationships
 Speaking effectively in public, whether formally or informally
 Holding up your end of a personal or group discussion
 Getting actively involved in group and leadership activities
 Establishing new romantic relationships on a realistic and enduring basis
 Ending relationships that aren’t working out in a civil and appropriate fashion
Medications
The following are some of the groups of medication used in the treatment of generalised
anxiety disorder:
Benzodiazepines
Most of them are effective in the short term. They are relatively fast acting drugs. But
the main problem with this class of drugs is dependency (addiction). People taking
such drugs may experience a return of their anxiety symptoms when they stop the
medication. A gradual reduction of the dose with the help of your psychiatrists will
prevent a relapse or withdrawal symptoms. Some of these are Diazepam (Calmpose),
Alprazolam (Xanax), Temazepam etc.
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
24 These drugs are usually used in the treatment of depression. Some of them however
are also used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Examples are Imipramine, Concept of Anxiety,
Arousal and Stress
Amitriptyline etc.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
These were also used first for the treatment of depression, but are now being used,
at times with good results, for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Examples are
Flouxetine (Prozac), Sertraline etc.
Beta blockers
Beta blockers are mainly used to reduce some of the physical symptoms of anxiety,
like a pounding heartbeat, sweating and shaking, and to control anxiety in public
situations. But these drugs also reduce blood pressure and slow the heartbeat. E.g.
Propranolol
Buspirone
This has been shown to be useful in the treatment of GAD. It takes about 2-4 weeks
to relieve symptoms of GAD. Importantly it is not habit forming (non-addictive), and
does not have many side effects.
1.7 PREVENTION OF ANXIETY AND STRESS

Although anxiety disorders cannot be prevented, there are ways to reduce your risk
and methods to control or lessen symptoms. Recommendations include:
 Reducing caffeine, tea, cola, and chocolate consumption.
 Checking with a doctor or pharmacist before using over-the-counter or herbal
remedies to see if they contain chemicals that may contribute to anxiety.
 Exercising regularly.
 Eating healthy foods.
 Keeping a regular sleep pattern.
 Seeking counseling and support after a traumatic or disturbing experience.
 Avoiding alcohol, cannabis.
1.8 LET US SUM UP

In this unit we studied the concept of anxiety, arousal and stress along with different
types of anxiety and the various symptoms of physical and psychological aspects of
anxiety. Then we define arousal, bring out its characteristic features and discuss the
theories of arousal. Then we studied causes of anxiety, symptoms of anxiety and
treatment of anxiety. Thus, now we understand complexity of anxiety. This was
followed by a discussion on arousal and stress and their relationship. We studied
nature of stress and its different types. Then we also studied the treatment and
prevention of anxiety and stress in individuals.

1) What do you understand by the term anxiety? What are its different forms?
2) Explain different causes of anxiety and different approaches to its treatment.
25
Arousal, Stress and 3) What should a person do to prevent anxiety?
Motivation
4) Define stress and its different forms.
5) Define Arousal and describe its characteristics.
6) How do we treat anxiety and stress?
7) How do we prevent anxiety and stress?

G. Andrews et. al. (1994). Treatment of Anxiety Disorders, UK: Cambridge
University Press.
Johnstone, Freeman & Zealey (1998) (eds). Companion to Psychiatric Studies,
Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
26
UNIT 2 THE GENERAL ADAPTATION
SYNDROME AND MOTIVATION
Structure
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Objectives
2.2 General Adaptation Syndrome
2.2.1 Stage 1: Alarm Reaction
2.2.2 Stage2: Resistance
2.2.3 Stage 3: Exhaustion
2.2.4 Definition of GAS
2.2.5 The Diseases of Adaptation
2.2.6 The Concept of Adaptation Energy
2.2.7 Measures to Ward off GAS Exhaustion Stage
2.3 Motivation
2.3.4 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
2.4 Psychological Reactions to Stress

2.4.1 Defense Mechanisms
2.4.2 Motivation to Copes with Stress
2.4.3 Types of Motivation
2.5 Methods to Sustain Motivation

2.5.1 Stress and Emotions
2.5.2 Managing Stress
2.5.3 Modifying Environment
2.5.4 Altering Life Style
2.6 Let Us Sum Up

2.0 INTRODUCTION
This unit is on general adaptation syndrome and motivation. It starts with general
adaptation syndrome (GAS) and discusses the three stages viz., alarm stage, resistance
stage and the exhaustion stage. Then we give the definition of general adaptation
syndrome and its characteristics. Then we discuss the concept of adaptation energy
and measures to put off the general adaptation syndrome’s negative effects and keep
up the motivation. Then we define motivation and discuss the various explanations
as to what motivates persons, such as the drive reduction theory etc. We also discuss
other theories including the hierarchy of needs. Then we discuss psychological
reaction related to GAS and stress. The various defense mechanisms used are
discussed in terms of how the behaviour is motivated through defenses. Then we
discuss types of motivation and methods to keep motivation sustained despite GAS.
27
Arousal, Stress and
Motivation 2.1 OBJECTIVES
 Define and discuss the concept of General Adaptation Syndrome;
 Explain the stages of GAS;
 Describe motivation;
 Explain the theories of motivation and how the behaviour is motivated;
 Elucidate the psychological reactions to stress;
 Describe the different types of motivation; and
 Analyse the methods that would sustain the motivation.
2.2 GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME

Man is by nature hedonistic in that we like to remain in a tensionless state therefore
whenever an individual is in stress he makes some responses to bring back the
organism to a state of normalcy. Stress responses by an individual may be categorised
as:
 Physiological, in that the body makes changes in order to respond to the stress
state;
 Behavioural , the individual may change behaviour in order to deal with the
stress;
 Coping strategies which may or may not involve a change of overt behaviour.
(See graph below)
Alarm reaction Stage of Resistance Exhaustion

In 1926, a young medical student named Hans Selye noticed that patients in the early
stages of infectious diseases exhibited similar symptoms, regardless of the type of
disease they had.
He observed a set of three common responses that occurred whenever any organism
was injected with a toxic substance:
28
1) the adrenal glands enlarged, The General Adaptation
Syndrome and Motivation
2) the lymph nodes and other white blood cell producing swelled at first then
shrank, and
3) bleeding appeared in the stomach and intestines.
He called these three common responses the General Adaptation Syndrome and
proposed that certain changes take place within the body during stress that disrupt
normal physiologic mechanisms and trigger an array of diseases.
No matter what type of organism he looked at, he noticed that physical and
emotional stress induced a pattern that, if left untreated, always lead to infection,
illness, disease, and eventually death. The figure above illustrates what Hans Selye
observed.
As shown in the diagram, there are three stages in Selye’s General Adaptation
Syndrome. Let’s look at what happens during each stage that makes us more susceptible
to disease.
2.2.1 Stage 1: Alarm Reaction

Any physical or mental trauma will trigger an immediate set of reactions that combat
the stress. Because the immune system is initially depressed, normal levels of resistance
are lowered, making us more susceptible to infection and disease. If the stress is not
severe or long-lasting, we bounce back and recover rapidly.
2.2.2 Stage 2: Resistance

Eventually, sometimes rather quickly, we adapt to stress, and there’s actually a
tendency to become more resistant to illness and disease. Our immune system works
overtime for us during this period, trying to keep up with the demands placed upon
it. We become complacent about our situation and assume that we can resist the
effects of stress indefinitely. Therein lies the danger. Believing that we are immune
from the effects of stress, we typically fail to do anything about it.
2.2.3 Stage 3: Exhaustion

Because our body is not able to maintain homeostasis and as we do not have the
long term resistance needed to combat stress, we invariably develop a sudden drop
in our resistance level. No one experiences exactly the same resistance and tolerance
to stress, but everyone’s immunity at some point collapses following prolonged stress
reactions. Life sustaining mechanisms slow down, organ systems begin to break
down, and the reserves that we have for stress fighting also gives up and this is called
by Selye as diseases of adaptation.
The General Adaptation Syndrome is thought to be the main reason why stress is
such an abundant source of health problems. By changing the way our body normally
functions, stress disrupts the natural balance, which is called the homeostasis and
that which is very crucial for one’s well being. It can also subtract years from our
lives by speeding up the aging process.
2.2.4 Definition of GAS

Thus, the G.A.S. may be defined as the manifestation of stress in the whole body,
as they develop in time. As we have seen, a fully-developed G.A.S. consists of three
stages: the alarm reaction, the stage of resistance, and the stage of exhaustion. Yet 29
Arousal, Stress and it is not necessary for all three stages to develop before we can speak of G.A.S.
Motivation
Only the most severe stress leads rapidly to the stage of exhaustion and death. Most
of the physical or mental exertions, infections, and other stressors, which act upon
us during a limited period, produce changes corresponding only to the first and
second stages. At first they may upset and alarm us, but then we adapt to them.
Normally, in the course of our lives, we go through these first two stages many, many
times. Otherwise we could never become adapted to all the activities and demands
which are all part of an individual’s life. Even the stage of exhaustion does not
always need to be irreversible and complete, as long as it affects only parts of the
body.
For instance, running produces a stress situation, mainly in our muscles and
cardiovascular system. To cope with this, we first have to limber up and get these
organs ready for the task at hand. Then, for a while we will be at the height of
efficiency in running, but eventually exhaustion will set in. This could be compared
with an alarm reaction, a stage of resistance, and a stage of exhaustion, all limited
primarily to the muscular and cardiovascular system. But such exhaustion is reversible.
After a good rest we will be back to normal.
Most human activities go through three stages analogous to those of the G.A.S.
2.2.5 The Diseases of Adaptation

Many maladies are due not so much to what happens to us as to our inability to
adapt, and they have therefore been called diseases of adaptation. The most common
of such diseases are peptic ulcers in the stomach and upper intestine, high blood
pressure, heart accidents, and nervous disturbances.
Of course, any event makes demands upon us and, hence, causes some stress, but
it is only people who cannot cope, either because of innate defects or lack of
knowledge, who develop stress diseases.
Yet diseases of adaptation is a relative concept. No malady is just a disease of
adaptation. Nor are there any disease producers which can be so perfectly handled
by the organism that maladaptation plays no part in their effects upon the body.
2.2.6 The Concept of Adaptation Energy

The selective exhaustion of muscles, eyes, or inflamed tissue all represent final stages
in local adaptation syndromes (L.A.S.) only. Several of these may develop
simultaneously in various parts of the body; in proportion to their intensity and extent,
they can activate the G.A.S. mechanism. It is when the whole organism is exhausted
that we enter into the (fatal) stage of exhaustion of the G.A.S.
Apparently, we have hidden reserves of adaptability, or adaptation energy, in ourselves
throughout the body. As soon as local stress consumes the most readily accessible
local reserves, local exhaustion sets in and activity in the strained part must stop. This
is an important protective mechanism because, during the period of rest thus enforced,
more adaptation energy can be made available, either from less readily accessible
local stores or from reserves in other parts of the body. Only when all of our
adaptability is used up will irreversible, general exhaustion and death follow.
How to overcome stress and stay motivated to accomplish one’s goals. When one
is stressed it is difficult to keep the motivation going. Motivation is something that
30
differs with each person. There are some who benefit and work better with external The General Adaptation
motivators, and there are others who require internal motivators. Stress not only
affects one’s motivation levels, but it also affects the person’s immune system and
other health functions. Therefore, if one faces issues of stress, the person may be
damaging his or her health as well as their motivation for success.
In order to overcome the issues of stress, and lack of motivation, the person will
need to figure out what motivates him or her, as well as what one can do to limit
the stress and deal with it.
2.2.7 Measures to Ward Off GAS Exhaustion Stage

Some of the things one may do include the following:
 Take time for oneself.
 Reward oneself with little things.
 Take time to think about the stress, but not dwell on it.
 Realize that there are some things that can control and some things that are
beyond one’s control and leave out things that cannot be controlled and move
on.
 To look at problems and stressful situations as challenges that one can over
come.
 Keeping a positive attitude.
Of the various things listed above the one that is most important is to have time for
oneself. To think about oneself and take care of oneself, as a lot depends on how
one looks at the stress in terms of being healthy. A healthy person would look at
stress in a healthy way, a relaxed person will not allow the stress to overwhelm him
and thus taking time to oneself and relaxing and being with oneself and one’s thoughts
are important to overcome any kind of stress. By looking after oneself one can take
care of the stresses also.
Another important thing is being happy and for this even patting oneself at the back
for having dome something good is sufficient to keep off the stress. Everyone does
good things at one time or the other. Every one achieves something at one time or
the other. Looking back at these achievements and patting oneself in the back or
giving oneself a reward such as going on a vacation with family or get a DVD which
one had wanted to see for a long time or get a story book which one wanted to for
a long time but could not do so due to pressure of work, can be indulged in as a
self reward. Also it is important consider what all can be controlled by one’s own
self and what are beyond one’s control. One should not unnecessarily keep on
harping on issues that are beyond one’s control. The more the effort to control the
uncontrollable stresses, more the frustration and more stress. It is important to
therefore consider calmly whether some stress issue is within one’s control, and if not
the person should allow it to pass and not try to overcome.
The ability to take up stresses as challenges would go a long way in handling that
stress rather than meekly succumbing to it. By doing so one’s motivation will continue
to be high and one would work relentlessly towards one’ goal.
Also a positive attitude and looking at things more positively and in a more optimistic
manner would also keep the stress level down and the motivation level high. 31
Arousal, Stress and
Motivation Self Assessment Questions
1) Define General Adaptation Syndrome.
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2) Describes the three stages of GAS.
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3) Define GAS and the diseases of adaptation.
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4) Describe what is the concept of adaptation energy.
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5) How will you put off the exhaustion stage of GAS?
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2.3 MOTIVATION
Darwin’s theory of natural selection caused many psychologists to try and explain all
human behaviours through instincts, however according to the latest research and
modern approach to behaviour, it is generally agreed upon that a person’s behaviour
is motivated by biological and psychological factors and not necessarily instinctual
factors.
Let us take up some of the psychological theories to behaviour.
32
2.3.1 Drive Reduction Theory The General Adaptation
According to this theory, behaviour is motivated by biological needs. A biological
need such as hunger, thirst and sex are the needs of our requirements for survival.
A drive makes the person act and behave in a way to satisfy that need. For
example if a person has the hunger need, he would go to a restaurant, order food
and eat and thus satiate the hunger need. Thus our needs drive us towards a
behaviour.
Generally the human organism is in a state of balance or what is called as homeostasis.
When there arises a need such as hunger etc., the organism goes into a state pof
imbalance that is the homeostasis is disturbed. This produces considerable disturbance
to the individual and the person starts doing something to restore the homeostasis.
Now the behaviour is all motivated towards bringing the organism back to a state
of balance. Thus the individual goes to a restaurant for food to satiate the need for
hunger or goes to a ‘piao’ to satiate the thirst need. If the person does not find water
then he may go to a shop and order for some bisleri or take an aerated drink which
ever is available. In extreme cases where there is no water available in the vicinity
as in the case of a person stranded in a desert area, the mind in order to restore the
homeostasis (imbalance caused by thirst need) may imagine water in a far off place
and even imagine drinking the same.
The drives can be primary as stated in the case of need for hunger, thirst and survival
need. Needs can also be secondary in that they are learned needs. For instance
need for money is a secondary need and in order to earn money which would
purchase food which will in turn satiate the primary need, the individual earns and
does many things to get that money. Thus money a secondary drive could also be
a very powerful motivator of a behaviour.
We must remember that drive reduction theory alone cannot explain all motivations.
There are other theories which try to explain the varieties of motivations that people
have.

According to this theory one seeks an optimum level of excitement or arousal at
which level the individual’s performance is at its best. Yerkes Dobson Law states
that this theory of motivation to perform will keep increasing until we reach the
optimum level of arousal. When the arousal goes beyond the limit, the motivation
goes down and thus the performance goes down.

According to this theory, behaviour is driven by a desire to possess something or
to have something. Here the incentives are the stimuli that we are drawn to because
of knowledge and learning
2.3.4 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

According to Abraham Maslow, human behaviour is motivated by different needs
which are arranged in a hierarchical form with the basic biological needs such as
hunger etc. being at the lowest which motivates the human behaviour. Once the
biological needs are satisfied then there is safety needs and th individual’s behaviour
is motivated towards satisfying those needs such as looking for a shelter, home etc.
Above these are the needs for love and belonging and the behaviour is motivated in
terms of these, followed by needs for esteem where the person is motivated to do 33
Arousal, Stress and something which gets him admiration, recognition etc. Once these needs are also
Motivation
satisfied then the individual is motivated to do things just to actualise his own
potentials, and here he is highly self motivated to achieve this as for instance becoming
a great painter etc. Thus Maslow pointed out that all needs were not created equal.
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2) Bring out the characteristics of motivation.
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3) Delineate the drive reduction and arousal theory of motivation.
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4) State the incentive and Maslow theory of need hierarchy of motivation.
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2.4 PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTIONS TO STRESS

Unlike the body’s stress reactions, our psychological reactions are shaped by learning
and are heavily dependent on the way we perceive the world. We undertake a wide
variety of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses to stress. However, the
most familiar psychological reactions to stress are defense mechanisms. They are
called defense, because they are used to protect oneself from perceived threat.
Although defense mechanisms are influenced to some extent by learning, most
psychologists believe that they are automatic unconscious mechanisms that protect us
from the awareness of anxiety, thereby helping us to maintain a sense of balance
(homeostasis) and a sense of self worth in the face of threat.
Each of us rely on such mechanisms at one time or the or other. As emergency
reactions, they diminish our awareness of anxiety and help to maintain our sense of
34
adequacy and feelings of worth. Since defense mechanisms involve self deception The General Adaptation
and distortion of reality, excessive or habitual reliance on them may prove maladaptive
and result in stinted personal growth. In fact with these defense mechanisms the
homeostasis is maintained but with wrong methods and solutions. The stress is not
removed and continues in certain other forms. Let us take up and deal with some
of the defense mechanism.
2.4.1 Defense Mechanisms

Avoidance: The individual avoids the anxiety provoking situation, in order not to
experience stress. Social phobic avoids social situations, thereby fooling themselves
that they have no problems.
Denial: When a situation is too painful to face, an individual may simply deny that
it exists. The partner of a terminally ill patient may refuse to accept that there is
anything wrong, despite having been given all the facts.
Repression: The problem is pushed into the unconscious so that it does not have
to be dealt with.
Projection: The problem is projected to another person rather than being seen as
one’s own problem. Anger against the boss is projected on to the dog at home . As
the person cannot attack the boss, he comes home and kicks the dog. Thus he
projects his anger against the boss on to the dog.
Rationalisation: The individual looks for logical reasons for the stressful situation.
In fact, these may not appear logical to anyone else. A student who fails in the class
ratioanlises that the teacher does not like him or her and so gave poor marks.
Reaction formation: Other thoughts or feelings are substituted, which are
diametrically opposed to the truth. For example, a man may be experiencing stress
because he is strongly attracted to his best friend’s wife. In order to deal with this,
he develops a hatred for her; this feeling causes less stress than does the strong
attraction.
Stress also evokes a variety of emotional responses ranging from a sense of exhilaration
in the face of minor, challenging stressor to the more familiar negative emotions of
anxiety, anger and discouragement. Stressful life experiences such as separation or
loss of loved ones are frequently associated with depression.
How people behave depends partly on the level of stress experienced and partly on
the motivation. People with high achievement need are able to withstand larger
amount of stress.
Similarly personality pattern also affects the way people handle stress. Type “A”
personality people are able to cope with higher degrees of stress but are also more
prone to fall prey to different psychosomatic ailments.
Mild stress often energizes people to be more alert, active and resourceful. However,
moderate stress tends to have a disruptive effect on people’s lives, especially on
complex behaviours such as in the case of a student writing and completing a term
paper by a certain date.
Severe stress tends to inhibit behaviour and may lead to apathy and immobility, as
in the severely depressed, who often feel helpless in the face of overwhelming
frustration or deprivation.
35
Arousal, Stress and 2.4.2 Motivation to Cope with Stress
Motivation
Motivation to cope with stress results in two types of approaches:
i) emotion focused coping and
ii) problem focused coping.
In emotion focused coping the individual tries to alter the emotional reaction to stress,
for example, by expressing rather than suppressing feelings.
Problem focused coping involves trying to understand the problem situation better
and taking action to deal with it. This kind of coping includes various forms of stress
management.
Stress management
Stress management is a term that is used to describe a number of psychological
techniques which are used to help people to reduce stress as for example, time
management, relaxation, biofeedback, cognitive restructuring (changing the way one
thinks about the situation), etc.
Cognitive appraisal
Cognitive appraisal involves thinking about the stressful situation and trying to find
ways of solving the problem. For example, driving to work down the motorway was
proving very stressful and so the person by leaving home five minutes earlier, was
able to drive to avoid the traffic and reach office on time.
Time management
Not only trying to do too many things in day, but also managing one’s time ineffectively,
can often be a source of stress. Individuals can be taught to look at what has to be
accomplished in a day, or a week, and find efficient ways of working so that they
are not constantly backtracking and thereby wasting time. Establishing priorities and
working to these is an efficient method of time management.
2.4.3 Types of Motivation

Motivations are many types, such as intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation
These are rewards we get internally, such as enjoyment or satisfaction. Intrinsic
motivation refers to the motivation from within the individual. For example doing
work for its own sake and enjoying it and without expecting anything from it for
doing the work is intrinsic motivation, whereas:
Extrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivators are rewards that we get for accomplishments from outside
ourselves Ex. Grades, salary, etc. whereas doing the work in order to get extra
income is extrinsic motivation.
Then we have whole lot of other motivations . There are other categories or types
of motivation as well, usually based on the specific end goal that we are interested
in. These are given below:
36
Social motivation The General Adaptation
Social motivation refers to the motivation that comes about as a result of the pressure
of the society or peers that drives people towards a certain beahviour as for example
following norms of the society and biding by the norm because societal pressure.
Another example is not talking loudly in the library because it is expected that we
keep silence in the library
Achievement motivation
Achievement motivation refers to the pleasure of achievement that drives us, it is
Achievement motivation. The person concerned is motivated by the need to achieve
more and more than what he or she has achieved. Humans seem to be motivated
to figure out our world and master skills, sometimes regardless of the benefits of the
skills or knowledge. Studies involve looking at differences in how people set and
meet personal goals and go about acquiring new knowledge or skills.
Incentive motivation
This refers to the motivation that drives a person in order to obtain the reward or
incentive that is being offered for a certain beahviour.
Fear motivation
This refers to the motivation; if it is the fear or repercussion, it is Fear motivation,
and so forth.
Knowing what type of motivation an individual responds best to can give managers
insight into what strategies will be most effective. Extrinsic motivators are effective
for a short period of time but studies show that if we want a behaviour to continue,
intrinsic motivation is most effective.
1) What are the psychological reactions to stress?
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2) What are the important aspects of motivation to cope with stress?
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3) What are the methods to keep motivation on?
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37
Arousal, Stress and
Motivation 4) Describe the relationship between emotions and stress.
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5) What are the ways to manage stress?
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2.5 METHODS TO SUSTAIN MOTIVATION

Studies of management styles show two basic attitudes that affect how managers
continue to keep the level of motivation high among their employees with second
level of GAS continuing.
Theory X: managers believe that employees will work with high motivation only if
rewarded with benefits or threatened with punishment.
Theory Y: managers believe that employees are internally motivated to do good work
and policies should encourage this internal motive.
Theory Z: Theory Z essentially advocates a combination of all that’s best about
theory Y and modern Japanese management, which places a large amount of freedom
and trust with workers, and assumes that workers have a strong loyalty and interest
in team working and the organisation.
Theory Z also places more reliance on the attitude and responsibilities of the workers,
whereas Mcgregor’s XY theory is mainly focused on management and motivation
from the manager’s and organisation’s perspective.
Theory Z makes certain assumptions about workers. These include the assumption
that workers tend to want to build cooperative and intimate working relationships
with those that they work for and with, as well as the people that work for them.
Also, Theory Z workers have a high need to be supported by the company, and
highly value a working environment in which such things as family, cultures and
traditions, and social institutions are regarded as equally important as the work itself.
These types of workers have a very well developed sense of order, discipline, moral
obligation to work hard, and a sense of cohesion with their fellow workers.
Finally, Theory Z workers, it is assumed, can be trusted to do their jobs to their
utmost ability, so long as management can be trusted to support them and look out
for their well being.
One of the most important tenets of this theory is that management must have a high
degree of confidence in its workers in order for this type of participative management
to work. For this to work, employees must be very knowledgeable about the various
issues of the company, as well as possessing the competence to make informed
38 decisions.
Theory Z stresses the need for enabling workers to become generalists, rather than The General Adaptation
specialists, and to increase their knowledge of the company and its processes through
job rotations and continual training. In fact, promotions tend to be slower in this type
of setting, as workers are given a much longer opportunity to receive training, and
more time to learn the intricacies of the company’s operations.
The desire, under this theory, is to develop a work force that has more of a loyalty
towards staying with the company for an entire career, and be more permanent than
in other types of settings. It is expected that once an employee does rise to a position
of high level management, they will know a great deal more about the company and
how it operates, and will be able to use
Theory Z management theories effectively on the newer employees takes this notion
of perceptions a bit farther and talks about how the workers might perceive
management.
While management motivates workers in the above manner, there are also the emotions
that contribute to motivation.
2.5.1 Stress and Emotion

These are intimately connected concepts. The term stress can refer to either certain
life events (stressors) or how we react to these changes in the environment (stress
reactions)
Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe designed one of the first instruments to measure
stress. Their social readjustment rating scale (SRRS) measured stress using life-
change units (LCUs). Any major life change increases the score on the SRRS, a
person who scored very high on the SRRS is more likely to have stress-related
diseases than a person with a low score.
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). Hans Seyle describes the general response in
humans and animals to stressful events and the three identified stages were the
following
Alarm reaction – Heart rate increases, blood is diverted away from other body
functions to muscles needed to react. The organism readies itself to meet the challenge
through activation of the sympathetic nervous system.
Resistance – The body remains physiologically ready. Hormones are released to
maintain this state of readiness. If the resistance stage lasts too long, te body can
deplete its resources.
Exhaustion – The parasympathetic nervous system returns our physiological state to
normal. We can be more vulnerable to disease in this stage especially if our resources
were depleted by an extended resistance stage.
Various studies show that a perceived lack of control over events exacerbates the
harmful effects of stress; control over events tends to lessen stress.
Stress management is another method by which one keeps the motivation on despite
GAS.
2.5.2 Managing Stress

Managing stress successfully involves more than relying on the automatic, symptoms
reducing reactions to stress besides the motivation to deal effectively. Managing
39
stress means taking charge, directing, and controlling our responses to stressors,
Arousal, Stress and thereby modifying the overall stress. However most of the ways to cope with stress
Motivation
fall under two categories – a) modifying ones environment and b) altering life style.
2.5.3 Modifying Environment

This approach includes in it:
Assertiveness training helps people to learn to say ‘no’ when imposed upon. They
learn to ask for what they want without being aggressive or self-effacing. It is often
a highly effective technique to counteract low self-esteem. This counteracts stress in
several ways: by learning to say no, people are not overworked or imposed upon;
by asking for what they want, they are more likely to be happy with their situation;
by seeing themselves as effective, they become more comfortable with themselves.
Withdrawal means removing oneself physically or emotionally from an activity,
organisation or person. It may be an appropriate response to stress, especially when
a stressful situation cannot be successfully modified through assertiveness or
compromise. For example, a worker after several attempts to convince his boss for
promotion may feel that his pleas are falling on deaf ears and decide to actively look
for another job. Withdrawal is neither good nor bad in itself.
Much depends on how it is used. On the one hand, if someone habitually withdraws
from stressful situations, that person may drift into a constricted lifestyle that prevents
adequate adjustment or personal growth. On the other hand the use of withdrawal
as a temporary strategy may be a valuable means of coping with stress that has
become overwhelming or detrimental to one’s health. But when no suitable solution
is possible a permanent withdrawal may the best solution.
Compromise another adaptive reaction to stress and occurs when an adjustment is
made by the modifying opposing ideas or behaviour. The three common types of
compromise are conformity, negotiation, and substitution.
Conformity involves a change in our behaviour due to another’s direct influence. For
example, as an assistant in the purchasing deptt. you may not like the new elabourate
procedure laid down for purchasing but you comply with the new rules only because
you don’t want to displease your superiors and coworkers and readily accommodate
to the added stress. Besides it is not easy to get new job, therefore, you may find
changing that changing attitude is the most realistic approach, because endless strife
and resentment would be more stressful.
Negotiation is more active, fruitful and promising to exact a compromise in some
stressful situations. Negotiation means that we make mutual concessions with another
person. Often used in labour management and political disputes, negotiation is these
days widely used at interpersonal level among coworkers, marriage partners, and
friends. Negotiation is preferred over conformity when possible as it mutual
accommodation among participants.
Substitution means that we seek alternative goals with another person. When negotiation
or conformity is not possible substitution is the best way of achieving compromise.
For example, a person desirous of achieving higher education may not do so because
he is the only bread winner for the family. In such circumstances he may decide to
enroll himself at some evening college or some part time course. Thus an alternative
way is found to pursue the desired goal.
Compromise in itself is neither good nor bad. It depends on the relation between the
40 satisfaction achieved and the price paid for stress reduction. However, habitual
compromise may bring more frustration and conflict. Many a people exhaust themselves The General Adaptation
in stifling jobs and frustrating marriages because compromise has been the easy way
out. Therefore, before exacting a compromise it’s long term impact must be taken
into account. A life of passive accommodation to undue stress is certainly more
stressful than a more direct headlong approach.
2.5.4 Altering Life Style

Exerting control over oneself is easier than exerting control over the environment.
Therefore, attempt to modify something about ourselves or about our behaviour is
a better way of managing stress. There are number of ways of altering lifestyle-
developing greater tolerance for stress, altering our daily habits, learning to control
distressful thoughts, acquiring problem solving skills and seeking social support.
a) Stress tolerance is defined as the degree of stress one can tolerate or how long
one can put up with a demanding task without acting in an irrational or
disorganised way. It is found that successful people are often under great deal
more stress than is usually thought of. They acquire high stress tolerance. Greater
tolerance for stress comes with experience and skill at a given time. People in
high stress jobs such as police and administration learn to remain cool and calm
in the face of stress because of long experience on the job. Stress tolerance may
also be increased by selecting reasonable goals to achieve and adjusting our
expectations to match the realities of the immediate situation. Greater aspirations
and expecting too much from ourselves is also a big source of frustration.
b) Another noteworthy aspect of stress tolerance is the ability to function well
despite anxiety. There are instances in the life of every person when it is natural
to feel anxious. For example, feeling of anxiety is natural when preparing for an
important exam. Mild or moderate stress may even impel us to put in our best.
We can resist stress if we are physically fit and regular exercise is very important
in this regard.
c) Changing pace of life is another method of reducing stress. It has been observed
that one can bring lot of stress in one’s life by rushing around and trying to
accomplish too much in too little a time. Researches reveal that countries and
societies where pace of life is faster than desired, people frequently fall prey to
stress related ailments. This can be avoided by better time management. For
example:
 Get up early enough to rushing.
 Set a radio-alarm clock to your favorite station.
 Take time for breakfast.
 Walk at an unhurried pace.
 Make a list of things to; put the most important things first.
 Share at least one meal each day with other people.
 Try exercise regularly.
 Take some time to relax each day in the manner that is most natural to you.
Avoid procrastination; the sooner you begin the task, the less you will worry
about it.
41
Arousal, Stress and Learn to control distressful thoughts. You might have experienced glancing at
Motivation
the first question on a test and muttering to yourself, “If the rest of this test is
this hard, I am going to flunk this test”.
Ironically such negative self monitoring interferes with our performance, making
you do worse on the test. One can control such thoughts by firs becoming
aware of one’s negative, catastrophic thinking and then developing positive
thoughts that incompatible with one’s distressful thoughts.
d) Another way of managing distressful thoughts is to replace them with humorous
thoughts; humor really works to reduce stress. Read some cartoons, crack
jokes with friends, recall funny events from your life. Humor is valuable way of
coping and can have physiological as well as psychological benefits to the
distressed person.
1) What are the methods to sustain motivation?
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2) What is meant by altering lifestyle?
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2.6 LET US SUM UP

In this unit we studied and discussed the concept of General Adaptation Syndrome
as propounded by Hans Selye. We came to know how our body prepares and
reacts to stress. We also tried to understand different psychological reactions to
stress. Then we explored the relationship between GAS and motivation. We explained
how motivation affects our perception and flight or fight approach to stress. This was
followed by a discussion on how to manage stress which included different strategies
of coping with stress and sustaining motivation.
2.7 UNIT END QUIESTIONS

1) Explain in your own words how our body reacts to stress?
2) Discuss different psychological reactions to stress.
3) How motivation affects perception and coping of stress?
42
The General Adaptation
2.8 SUGGESTED READINGS Syndrome and Motivation
Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundation of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive

Theory. New Jersey: Prentice- Hall
Herzberg, Frederick (19820. The Managerial Choice. Routledge, London
Harold F. O’Neil, Jr., Michael Drillings and Harold F. O’Neil. (1994) (Ed).
Motivation: Theory and Research, Routledge, London
Maslow, H. (1950). Social Theory of Motivation. In M. Shore (Ed.), Twentieth
Century Mental Hygiene (New York: Social Science Publishers.
43
UNIT 3 STRESS AND AROUSAL
Structure
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Objectives
3.2 Stress
3.3 What Stress is and What it is not?
3.4 Stressors
3.4.1 Stress and Disease
3.5 Arousal, Activation and Energetical Theories

3.5.1 Yerkes-Dodson Law and Arousal Theory
3.5.2 Inverted U Theory
3.5.3 Drive Theory
3.6 Alternatives to Inverted ‘U’ Theory

3.6.1 Marten’s Multidimensional Anxiety Theory
3.6.2 Fazey and Hardy’s Catastrophe Theory
3.6.3 Hanin’s Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning Theory
3.6.4 Jone’s Directionality Theory
3.6.5 Apter’s Reversal Theory
3.7 Let Us Sum Up

3.0 INTRODUCTION
This unit deals with stress and arousal. It starts with what is not stress and states in
detail what stress is not. The next section talks about what is not stress and discusses
in detail what actually stress is. Then we take up stressors and stress and its relationship
to disease. Then we take up arousal, activation and energetic theories within which
we discuss three theories, viz., Yerkes-Dodson’s Law, drive theory and inverted U
theory. Then we take up various alternate theories to the inverted U theory.
3.1 OBJECTIVES
 Define stress and state what is stress;
 Explain what stress is not;
 Describe the stressors;
 Delineate the relationship between stress and disease;
 Elucidate the arousal theories like drive theories etc;
 Analyse the inverted U theory; and
44  Discuss the alternative theories to the inverted U theory.
Stress and Arousal
3.2 STRESS
Definition: Stress is the state manifested by a specific syndrome which consists of
all the non specifically induced changes within a biologic system. Thus, stress has its
own characteristic form and composition, but no particular cause. The elements of
its form are the visible changes due to stress, which addictive indicators are expressing
the sum of all the different adjustments that are going on in the body at any time.
The word stress has been used so loosely, and so many confusing definitions of it
have been formulated, that I think it will be best to start by clearly stating what it is
not. Contrary to current popular or medical opinion, stress is not nervous tension.
Stress reactions do occur in lower animals and even in plants, which have no nervous
system. The general manifestations of an alarm reaction can be induced in any
organism mechanically.
Stress is not an emergency discharge of hormones from the adrenal medulla. An
adrenaline discharge is frequently seen in acute stress affecting the whole body, but
it plays no conspicuous role in generalised inflammatory diseases (arthritis, tuberculosis)
although they can also produce considerable stress. Nor does an adrenaline discharge
play any role in “local stress” reactions, limited to directly injured regions of the body.
Stress is not that which causes a secretion by the adrenal cortex of its hormones. (the
corticoids). ACTH, the adrenal-stimulating pituitary hormone, can discharge these
hormones without producing any evidence of stress.
Stress is not the nonspecific result of damage only. Normal and even pleasant activities,
such as a game of tennis or a passionate kiss, can produce considerable stress
without causing conspicuous damage.
Stress is not the deviation from homeostasis, the steady state of the body. Any
specific biologic function, for example, the perception of sound or light, the contraction
of a muscle, eventually causes marked deviations from the normal resting state in the
active organs. This is undoubtedly associated with some local demand for increased
vital activity, but it can cause only “local stress” and even this does not necessarily
parallel the intensity of the specific activity.
Stress is not that which causes an alarm reaction. The stressor does that, not stress
by itself.
Stress is not identical with the alarm reaction or with the G.A.S. as a whole. These
are characterised by certain measurable organ changes which are caused by stress.
Stress itself is not a nonspecific reaction. The pattern of the stress reaction is very
specific, that is, it affects certain organs (e.g., the adrenal, the thymus, the gastrointestinal
tract) in a highly selective manner.
Stress is not a reaction to a specific thing. The stress response can be produced by
virtually any agent.
Stress is not necessarily undesirable. It all depends on how a person takes it. The
stress of failure, humiliation, or infection is detrimental. However, stress of exhilarating,
creative, successful work is beneficial. The stress reaction, like energy consumption,
may have good or bad effects.
Stress cannot and should not be avoided. Everybody is always under some degree
of stress. Even while quietly asleep our heart must continue to beat, our lungs to
breathe, and even our brain works in the form of dreams. Stress can be avoided only 45
Arousal, Stress and by dying. The statement that a person is under “stress” is just as meaningless as the
Motivation
statement that the person is running a temperature. What we actually refer to here
by means of such phrases is an excess of stress or of body temperature.
If we consider these points, we may easily be led to conclude that stress cannot be
defined, and that perhaps the concept itself is just not sufficiently clear to serve as
the object of scientific study.
Nevertheless, stress has a very clear, tangible form. Countless people have actually
suffered or benefited from it. Stress is very real and concrete indeed, and is manifested
in precisely measurable changes within the body. So before we proceed to a formal
definition of the nature of stress, we will describe what stress is and describe its
manifestations.
3.3 WHAT STRESS IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT?

The workings of stress are extremely complex. Apart from specific stimuli, which
need not be discussed here, the first effect of any, agent or demand made upon the
body as for example, be it running up a flight of stairs, dealing with a viral infection,
or performing a dance etc., is to produce a nonspecific stimulus.
This may be a nervous impulse, a chemical substance or lack of an indispensable
metabolic factor; it is referred to simply as the “first mediator,” because we know
nothing about its nature. We are not even certain as to whether it is an excess or
deficiency of any particular substance; it is possible that various derangements of
homeostasis can activate the stress mechanism.
Stress is the friction that allows our minds to accomplish tasks on a deadline and to
perform complicated tasks, and it is a motivator to push our limits. Too much stress,
however, can severely affect the brain and cause problems and symptoms similar to
neurological disorders. Knowing some of the signs of excess stress can help a person
find ways to alleviate stress and become healthy. As with any medical condition,
stress can lead to a number of complications, so it is advisable to seek professional
medical help as soon as possible.
Stress causes the brain to release corticosteroids into the endocrine system. These
corticosteroids cause the heart rate to increase, raise blood pressure and heighten
alertness. Over time, this shift into high gear causes damage to the brain and body
that manifests as a variety of disorders, particularly mental dysfunction.
One of the earliest neurological symptoms of too much stress is alterations in sleep
patterns. Insomnia (the inability to sleep) is common, and shortened sleep patterns,
troubling dreams resulting in restless nights, shallow sleep (the inability to fall completely
asleep and enter the regenerative phase of your daily cycle), sleepwalking and a
feeling of tiredness after sleep also are possible. Sleep deprivation exacerbates other
stress symptoms and can lead to other, non neurological health problems.
Stress and lack of proper sleep also contribute to behavioural changes sometimes
associated with neurological disorders. They can include rapid mood swings, lashing
out or volatile temper, nervousness, anxiety or a feeling of impending doom, an
inability to concentrate and excessive worry. Sometimes patients mistake these
symptoms for brain tumors or other disorders, which only heightens their stress
cycle.
Other symptoms of too much stress can include sexual impotence or disinterest in
46
sex, headaches, restlessness, loss of appetite, and dizziness or feeling light headed.
These are generally caused by the constant corticosteroid infusion into the nervous Stress and Arousal
system.
Although we have still to identify the first mediator(s), we do know that eventually
stress acts upon the hypothalamus and particularly upon the median eminence (ME).
This action appears largely to be mediated through or modified by nervous stimuli
coming from the cerebral cortex, the reticular formation and the limbic system.
The incoming nervous stimuli reach certain neuro endocrine cells, most of which are
located in the ME. These act as “transducers, “ transforming nervous signals into a
humoral messenger, the corticotrophic hormone releasing factor. CRF reaches the
anterior lobe through the hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system that originates in
the ME region within a network of capillaries into which CRF is discharged by the
local neuroendocrine cells. It is then carried down through the larger veins of the
pituitary stalk to a second capillary plexus in the pituitary.
The hypothalamus stimulates the adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) secretion
through blood-borne substances carried by way of the portal veins. Experiments
have proven that CRF elicits a discharge of ACTH from the adenohypophysis into
the general circulation.
Upon reaching the adrenal cortex, it causes secretion of corticoids, mainly
glucocorticoids such as cartisol or corticosterone. These induce glyconeogenesis,
thereby supplying a readily-available source of energy for the adaptive reactions
necessary to meet the demands faced by the body.
In addition, they facilitate various other enzymatically regulated adaptive metabolic
responses and suppress immune reactions as well as inflammation, assisting the body
to coexist with potential pathogens.
Furthermore, the glucocorticoids are responsible for the thymicolymphatic involution,
eosinopenia and lymphopenia characteristic of acute stress. Curiously, glucocorticoids
are needed for the acquisition of adaptation primarily during the alarm reaction, but
not so much to maintain the adjustment during the stage of resistance.
The Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) plays a comparatively minor role in the
secretion of mineralocorticoids, such as aldosterone, which is regulated mainly by the
rennin hypertension system and the blood electrolytes, whose homeostasis is in turn
influenced by them.
This chain of events is cybernetically controlled by several biofeedback mechanisms.
An ACTH feedback by a surplus of the hormone returns to the hypothalamo pituitary
system and inhibits further ACTH production.
Another major pathway involved in the stress mechanism is carried through the
catecholamines liberated under the influence of an acetylcholine discharge, at autonomic
nerve endings and in the adrenal medulla. The chromaffin cells of the latter secrete
mainly epinephrine, which is of considerable value in that it stimulates mechanisms of
general utility to meet various demands for adaptation.
Thus it provides readily available sources of energy by forming glucose from glycogen
depots and free fatty acids from the triglyceride stores of adipose tissue; it also
quickens the pulse, raises the blood pressure to improve circulation into the musculature,
and stimulates the CNS.
In addition, epinephrine accelerates blood coagulation and thereby protects against
47
excessive hemorrhage should wounds be sustained in conflicts. All of this is helpful
Arousal, Stress and in meeting the demands, whether they call for fight or flight.
Motivation
At this point it will be helpful to discuss two apparent objections to accepting the
concept of a single stereotyped response to stress. That is we must consider the
following two important points:
i) Qualitatively different agents of equal toxicity or stressor potency do not necessarily
elicit exactly the same reactions in different people.
ii) Even the same degree of stress, induced by the same agent, may produce
different effects and even lesions in different individuals.
The effects specific to any given agent usually modify the effects and manifestations
of the general stress syndrome.
The fact that the state of stress, even if due to the same agent, can cause different
effects in different individuals, has been traced to “conditioning factors” that can
selectively enhance or inhibit one or the other stress effect.
This conditioning may be endogenous (genetic predisposition, age or sex) or exogenous
(treatment with certain hormones, drugs, or dietary factors.) Under the influence of
such conditioning factors, a normally well tolerated degree of stress can even become
pathogenic, selectively affecting those parts of the body that are particularly sensitized
both by those conditioning factors and by the specific effects of the eliciting agent,
just as physical tensions of equal strength in different chains will break the particular
link that is the weakest as a result of internal or external factors.
The foregoing processes are the principal ones involved in the stress reaction, but by
no means the only ones. As well, the level of STH (Somato Tropic Hormone) the
growth hormone, may rise, and changes in the output of thyroid hormones of the
ovary or testis may take place.
1) Discuss Stress as a concept.
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2) What stress is not – explain.
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3) What is actually stress? Give suitable examples.
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48 ......................................................................................................................
Stress and Arousal
4) How conditioning factors affect stress?
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3.4 STRESSORS
The agents or demands that evoke this coordinated response which I have designated
11 stress are referred to, quite naturally, as stressors; and of course something is a
stressor to the same degree that it calls forth the syndrome.
When the stressor in question is some organism or substance foreign to the body,
the curative process resulting from the stress reaction can take either of two forms,
according to whether the pathogen causes trouble directly or indirectly. Direct
pathogens cause disease irrespective of our body’s reaction, whereas indirect pathogens
produce damage only through the exaggerated and purposeless defensive responses
they provoke.
If a patient accidentally exposes his hand to a strong acid, alkali, or boiling water,
damage will occur irrespective of his reactions. Because all these are direct pathogens;
they would cause damage even to the body of a dead man who obviously could not
put up any vital defense reactions. On the other hand, most common inflammatory
irritants, including allergens, are essentially indirect pathogens, which do not themselves
cause disease, but are damaging only by stimulating an inopportune and harmful fight
against what is innocuous.
During evolution, immunologic reactions which lead to destruction of microbes, grafts,
and other foreign tissues undoubtedly developed as useful defensive mechanisms
against potentially dangerous foreign materials. However, when – as in the case of
many allergens, heart transplants, etc. – the attack against the “foreign” agent is
unnecessary or even harmful, man can improve upon the wisdom of Nature by
suppressing this hostility. Nevertheless, when the aggressor is dangerous, the defensive
reaction should not be suppressed but, if possible, increased above the normal level,
which can be done, for example, by catatoxic substances that carry the chemical
message to the tissues to destroy the invaders even more actively than would normally
be the case.
However, stressors are not exclusively physical in nature. Emotions, e.g., love, hate,
joy, anger, challenge and fear, also call forth the changes characteristic of the stress
syndrome.
3.4.1 Stress and Disease

In general, the hormonal responses outlined above facilitate adaptation to environmental
change or stimuli; but they are sometimes the cause of disease, especially if the state
of stress is prolonged or intense. In this latter case, the body goes through the three
stages of what is known as the “general adaptation syndrome” (G.A.S.).
The first is the alarm reaction, characterised by the changes above described. Of
course, if the stressor (stress-producing agent) is so severe that continued exposure
is incompatible with life, the organism will die within a few hours during this stage;
otherwise, a stage of adaptation of resistance will ensue, since no organism can be
maintained continuously in a state of alarm. 49
Arousal, Stress and The adaptive stage is characterised by the vanishing or diminishing of the initial
Motivation
symptoms, since the body has achieved optimal adaptation. After still more prolonged
exposure to the stressor, however, this acquired adaptation is lost and a third stage
of exhaustion is entered into, which, unless the organism receives emergency aid from
some outside source, leads to death. Apparently, the adaptability of an organism is
finite.
An important instance of prolonged stress is that brought about by various dental
problems such as tooth loss and the resultant malocclusion, muscular imbalances and
ensuing unrelenting muscle tensions which create both physical and psychological
demands. These conditions are often left untreated for years and even decades, and
it is easy to see how trouble in this area might lead not only to local wear and tear
but also to general, systemic stress, which in turn may create other problems or
intensify the original ones.
3.5 AROUSAL, ACTIVATION AND ENERGITICAL

THEORIES
3.5.1 Yerkes-Dodson Law and Arousal Theory
One of the earliest theories that attempted to provide a comprehensive framework
was arousal theory. Arousal is a hypothetical construct that represents the level of
central nervous system activity along a behavioural continuum ranging from sleep to
alertness.” Stokes and Kite (2001) suggested that arousal be considered, “the basic
energetic state of an organism.”
These definitions provide an adequate foundation for understanding the rather general
and nonspecific nature of arousal. As this theory states, arousal mobilises and regulates
the human stress response. Everyday living informs us that various events and conditions
elicit a response. This response frequently incorporates physiological, cognitive,
behavioural, and emotional dimensions. As arousal theory would assert, what facilitates
this response is an energetical or activation system that is general and nonspecific.
To understand how the scientific community first came to support arousal theory we
must go back to the turn of the twentieth century, specifically to the work of Yerkes
and Dodson (1908).Yerkes and Dodson examined mice involved in a simple learning
task.
The task put before the mice was to learn to discern a white from a black doorway
and pathway (and to refrain from walking down the black pathway). Thus performance
was measured by how many attempts the mice made prior to learning that exploring
the dark pathway was not a good idea. Electric shock was the aversive stimulus used
to shape the animals’ behaviour. Although it is unclear as to how well these shocks
were calibrated, different intensities of shock were used to study the effect they had
on the mice’s learning.
The results of this study suggested that when mice are shocked with high-intensity
electricity, they are quicker to go the other way, in this case through the white
doorway and down the white path, than when one uses low-intensity shocks.
This became the first Yerkes-Dodson principle, later becoming a “law” of performance.
Over time this finding, and others, led to the postulate that moderate levels of arousal
(often used synonymously with stress) will result in optimal performance, whereas
too little arousal or too much arousal will degrade performance — a curvilinear
50 relationship sometimes termed an inverted U. This general assertion seems to make
intuitive sense to most people. After all, if one lacks motivation or even the most Stress and Arousal
modest amount of arousal to stay focused and get going, one’s performance on
various tasks is likely to suffer.
The inverse of that is equally compelling, with too much exertion or strain, our
performance is likely to decrease. But does it accurately portray what science says
about stress and performance? The answer is not exactly.
3.5.2 Inverted U Theory

The Yerkes and Dodson experiments later became the foundation on which the
curvilinear relationship between arousal and performance was based. There have
been numerous criticisms of Yerkes and Dodson’s experiments, not the least of which
concerns the mice-to-man extension of their findings as well as the generalisability of
their simple labouratory learning paradigm to real-world complex performance issues.
A further criticism concerns Yerkes and Dodson’s failure to measure stress (or even
arousal) in these mice. Instead, they administered different levels of shock that were
later interpreted as resulting in arousal or stress in the mice. Certainly, one could
argue that electric shock would in many instances increase arousal and might even
constitute stress, but Yerkes and Dodson did not themselves make this claim. However,
a large portion of the psychological community concluded that electric shock increased
the arousal in the mice, acting as a stressor of different intensities, motivating the mice
to learn faster.
The reality is that we do not actually know how aroused, stressed, motivated,
anxious, or upset the mice were. This was never measured physiologically or
behaviourally. It is interesting to note that subsequent research has found that mild
to moderate electric shocks do not necessarily cause arousal in different animals and
can be rapidly habituated to in labouratory settings.
In actuality, the inverted-U hypothesis is not an explanation for the arousal performance
relationship; it merely posits that this relationship is curvilinear without explaining what
internal state or process produces it. Further concerns have been raised about the
methodology required to either prove or refute the hypothesis since arousal can not
be generated in the labouratory per se. That is to say, researchers typically measure
physiological reactions to workload and stressful conditions, linking them to arousal
as supposed markers, since arousal itself is a theoretical construct.
Neiss (1988) explored a reconceptualisation of arousal into specific psychobiological
states (an interdependence model between affect, cognition, and such states). Neiss
recommended that any investigation of these psychobiological states should optimally
include measures that have historically been associated with arousal: respiration,
heart rate, electroencephalography, electromyography, etc.
3.5.3 Drive Theory

The drive theory (Hull, 1943; Spence, 1951) held that the relationship between
arousal and performance was positive and linear. The Hull-Spence drive theory
specifically states that an increase in drive (that has become linked by many to
arousal) will increase the likelihood that a well-learned response will occur (likely
improving performance); whereas arousal will decrease performance of a task that
is not well-learned. Duffy one of the major early proponents of arousal and activation
constructs conjectured that humans organise responses to achieve and maintain balance.
We tend to be selective in our response to various stimuli and that our attention is 51
Arousal, Stress and directed as a result of our personal goals. She indicated that after evaluating the
Motivation
relationship of elements within the environment we mobilise an energetical system to
meet the demands presented. Duffy implicated arousal in the activation of this system
and indicated that it supplied the energy for the organism’s behavioural response and
that these three qualities: directional response, relational evaluation, and energy
mobilisation, were common to all human responses.
In later work, Duffy (1957) provided a review of the experimental support for
arousal as a unitary function in the human response system. She asserted, “In general,
the optimal degree of activation appears to be a moderate one, the curve which
expresses the relationship between activation and quality of performance taking the
form of an inverted U.” It was found that performance on simple tasks, like time
estimation, was enhanced through modest increases in arousal.
Another experiment attempted to expand Yerkes and Dodson’s principle to include
different motivational influences (air deprivation instead of electric shock) and a
different population, using rats instead of mice. The findings appear consistent with
the curvilinear principle—rats swimming speed while immersed under water increased
based on the amount of time submerged up to a point, at which it decreased. It was
concluded that learning has an optimal level of motivation or drive associated with
it, and that when motivation exceeds this level, performance suffers.
Easterbrook (1959), in one of his experiments on the relationship between stress and
performance (the effects of emotion on cue utilisation), argued that there is an optimal
level of stress associated with cue sampling (attention allocation) as one scans and
absorbs the various stimuli in his or her environment. It was proposed that the effects
of arousal under stress were motivational in nature, serving to better organise a
course of action, as opposed to emotional, leading to a disruption in performance.
This too seemed to adhere to the Yerkes-Dodson principle.
1) What are stressors? Discuss.
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2) Relate stress and disease.
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3) Discuss the arousal, activation and energetic theories.
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52
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Stress and Arousal
4) Describe Yerkes-Dodson Law.
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5) What is arousal theory?
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6) Describe in detail the inverted U theory.
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7) Elucidate the drive theory.
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3.6 ALTERNATIVES TO INVERTED ‘U’ THEORY

In the previous section we learned that inverted-U theory is the primary theory used
to explain the relationship between stress and performance. However, psychologists
believed that the inverted-U theory is a simple theory that does not capture or
explain the complexities of the stress-performance relationship. In this section we
look at alternatives to inverted-U theory.
There are five stress-performance theories that we will discuss:
1) Martins’ Multidimensional Anxiety Theory
2) Fazey and Hardy’s Catastrophe Theory
3) Hanin’s Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning Theory
4) Jones’ Directionality Theory
5) Apter’s reversal theory
3.6.1 Martens’ Multidimensional Anxiety Theory

Multidimensional Anxiety Theory is based upon the notion that stress is multidimensional
in nature, composed of a cognitive anxiety component and a somatic anxiety
component. Multidimensional theory specifically hypothesizes two things: 53
Arousal, Stress and 1) a negative linear relationship exists between cognitive state anxiety and
Motivation
performance, and
2) An inverted-U relationship exits between somatic anxiety and performance.
According to the mulitidimentional theory, in the case of cognitive state anxiety, as
anxiety increase, performance begins to deteriorate. But, in the case of somatic state
anxiety, as anxiety increase performance increases to a certain level, and after a
certain level performace begins to drop. Somatic state anxiety forms an inverted
U-shape.
3.6.2 Fazey and Hardy’s Catastrophe Theory

The basic assumptions of the Inverted-U theory are that
a) Small incremental increases in arousal result in small incremental increases or
decreases in performance, and
b) Moderate arousal results in optimal performance.
The Catastrophe Theory questions both these notions. The basic variables of the
model includes cognitive anxiety, physiological arousal (not somatic anxiety), and
performance. The theory suggests that the relationship between physiological arousal
and athletic performance is believed to take the form of the inverted-U when cognitive
anxiety is low, but to take a very different form when cognitive anxiety increases. At
a high level of cognitive anxiety, performance increases gradually as in the inverted-
U, but at some points as psychological arousal continues to rise, performance will
show a catastrophic drop-off. In other words, if cognitive state anxiety is high, an
increase in physiological arousal can result in a sudden and large decrement in athletic
performance.
The basic tenets of Fazey and Hardy’s catastrophe model were tested by Hardy and
Parfitt (1991) and Hardy Parfitt, and Pates (1994), and both of these studies provided
strong support for the basic tenets of catastrophe theory.
3.6.3 Hanin’s Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF)

Theory
The individual zone of optimal functioning (IZOF) was developed by Yuri Hanin
(1989). This theory also questions the two basic assumptions of inverted-U theory,
but more specifically the notion that a moderate level of state anxiety results in best
performance. IZOF theory postulates that the level of optimal state anxiety best for
one athlete may be different from that optimal for the next athlete.
Thus, for some athletes, the optimal level of state anxiety was very low, while for
others it was very high. In IZOF theory an optimal level of precompetitive state
anxiety is identified and a narrow band of anxiety functioning created around it. The
band of optimal functioning is generally considered to be the optimal level of anxiety.
If the athlete’s anxiety level stays within the IZOF, he will perform well, but if the
level is outside the band, his performance will deteriorate.
Individual zone of optimal theory is a viable theory for explaining the anxiety-
performance relationship. An athlete will perform best if his state anxiety is within a
certain zone of optimal functioning. Strong support for the concept of an individual
zone of optimal functioning (IZOF) has been reported by Prapavessis and Grove
(1991), Raglin and Turner (1993), and Turner and Raglin (1996). In each of the
54
case, the results favored IZOF theory.
3.6.4 Jones’ Directionality Theory Stress and Arousal
Jones (1991) posits that the absolute intensity of anxiety was not nearly so important
as the athlete’s perception of whether his anxiety intensity was facilitative or debilitative
relative to a subsequent competitive event. In simpler words, an athlete’s perception
of how intensity affects performance is more important than the intensity itself. Jones
labeled this facilitative or debilitative perception the direction component of anxiety.
Therefore, according to the directional theory, the important question is not whether
an athlete has a high or low level of anxiety, but whether he perceives that this
specific level will help him perform better. The application of directionality theory in
sport is illustrated in two studies reported by Hanton and Jones (1999a, 1999b).
3.6.5 Apter’s Reversal Theory

Reversal theory, as proposed by Apter (1982), has characteristics associated with
both drive and inverted-U theory. It is as much a theory of personality as it is a
theory of arousal. Individuals are described as being either telic or paratelic dominant.
Telic-dominant individuals have a goal-directed orientation towards life, while paratelic-
dominant individuals are fun-loving and have a “here-and now” orientation.
While in a telic frame of mind, the athlete seeks to reduce the level of arousal in order
to bring about a state of relaxation.
While in a paratelic frame of mind, the athlete seeks to increase arousal in order to
increase excitement. The individual’s ability to switch back and forth between telic
and paratelic modes is referred to as psychological reversal.
3.7 LET US SUM UP

In this unit we discussed at length what stress is and what stress is not. Now from
this discussion we can fairly make out what constitutes stress and what does not.
Then we studied the concept of arousal and Yerkes-Dodson law and arousal theory
and came to know how it relates to stress and performance. We also studied critical
evaluation of Yerkes-Dodson law. This was followed by different alternative theories
of arousal given by different scientists.

1) Discuss in detail what constitutes stress and what does not?
2) How Yerkes-Dodson law explains relationship between arousal and performance?
3) Briefly discuss different alternative theories of arousal.

Seligman, Martin E.P. (1990), Learned Optimism, New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
Inc.
Baumeister, R.F.; Vohs, K.D. (2004), Handbook of Self-regulation: Research,
Theory, and Applications, New York: Guilford Press.
Carver, C.S.; Scheier, M.F. (2001), On the Self-regulation of Behaviour, New
York: Cambridge University Press.
55
UNIT 4 MOTIVATION AS AROUSAL
Structure
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Objectives
4.2 Motivation
4.3 Drive
4.4 Motivation and Homeostasis
4.5 Motivation Process
4.5.1 Importance of Learning about the Motivational Process
4.6 Motivation as Arousal

4.6.1 Mechanisms of Arousal
4.6.2 Factors Influencing Arousal
4.6.3 Under Arousal
4.6.4 Over Arousal
4.7 Arousal in Educational Setting

4.7.1 Factors that Increase the Arousal Level
4.7.2 Factors that Decrease the Arousal Level
4.7.3 Methods to Reduce High Levels of Arousal
4.7.4 Other Factors that Influence Arousal
4.7.5 Motivation, Ability and Opportunity as Separate Concepts of Arousal
4.7.6 Involvement and Goal Satisfaction
4.7.7 Antecedents to One Another
4.7.8 Operational Ranges
4.8 Let Us Sum Up

4.0 INTRODUCTION
This unit is focusing on motivation and arousal. We start this unit with definition of
motivation and the major types of motivation and what causes these types of motivation.
Then we discuss drive and how it is related to arousal. The motivation and homeostasis
are related and these are explained in this section. Then we take up the discussion
of motivational process and in this we emphasise on the importance of learning about
the motivational process. Then we discuss the main theme of this unit the motivation
and arousal in which we present the mechanisms of arousal, factors influencing
arousal, under and over arousal and how all these influence motivation. The Arousal
in educational setting is covered in which we discuss what the teachers should do to
keep up the arousal of students at an optimal level and thus motivate them to the
highest performance level. Then we discuss involvement as an important factor for
arousal and present some of the research methods related to the same.
56
Motivation as Arousal
4.1 OBJECTIVES
 Define and conceptualise motivation;
 Delineate different types of motivation;
 Define drive;
 Explain the relationship between Motivation and homeostasis;
 Explain the process of motivation; and
 Analyse the relationship between motivation and arousal.
4.2 MOTIVATION
A group of young men and women throw themselves out of a plane. As they descend
down rapidly they join hands and make a circle and after that they divide into pairs
making different formations appears as if they are flowers and these flowers are
dancing in the air. It seems they are in a state of eternal ecstasy. They open their
parachutes only at the last moments and glide safely to the ground.
In another instance, an individual spends hours to solve rubric cube without any
expectation to receive any kind of reward for solving it. In fact he often feels
frustrated at not being able to solve it. How do we explain such behaviours? It is
quite puzzling why should any person risk his or her life by throwing himself out
of plane and play games as they fall toward earth. Why would someone take so
much of pain to solve a rubric cube ?
Answer is very simple. These actions occur because the persons involved are
motivated to perform them. They are acting in response to their motivation, that is
internal processes that can not be directly observed in the situation but which are
real, nevertheless, and which serve to activate, guide, and maintain people’s actions.
Motivation is the driving force that impels us to strive to achieve certain goals.
Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans
but, theoretically, it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behaviour as
well. Motivation may be rooted in the basic need to minimise physical pain and
maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or a
desired object, goal, state of being, ideal, or it may be attributed to less apparent
reasons such as altruism, selfishness, morality, or avoiding mortality.

Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in
the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external
pressure. Intrinsic motivation has been studied by social and educational psychologists
since the early 1970s. Research has found that it is usually associated with high
educational achievement and enjoyment by students. When is it possible to state that
a person, for example a student is motivated? Students for instance are likely to
be motivated if they
 attribute their educational results to internal factors that they can control (e.g. the
amount of effort they put in),
57
Arousal, Stress and  believe they can be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are
Motivation
not determined by luck),
 are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good
grades.
Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations
are rewards like money and grades, coercion and threat of punishment. Competition
is in general extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others,
not to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. A crowd cheering on the individual
and trophies are also extrinsic incentives.
Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards can lead to over
justification and a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation.
In one study demonstrating this effect, children who expected to be (and were)
rewarded with a ribbon and a gold star for drawing pictures spent less time playing
with the drawing materials in subsequent observations than children who were assigned
to an unexpected reward condition and to children who received no extrinsic reward.
4.3 DRIVE
Drives and desires can be described as a deficiency or need that activates behaviour
that is aimed at a goal or an incentive. These are thoughts that originate within the
individual and may not require external stimuli to encourage the behaviour.
Basic biological drives that are essential for human survival could be sparked by
deficiencies such as hunger, which motivates a person to seek food. On the other
hand, there are more subtle drives such as the desire for praise and approval,
motivates a person to behave in a manner pleasing to others.
By contrast, the role of extrinsic rewards and stimuli can be seen in the example of
training animals by giving them treats when they perform a trick correctly. The treat
motivates the animals to perform the trick consistently, even later when the treat is
removed from the process.
4.4 MOTIVATION AND HOMEOSTASIS

What do the state of hunger, thirst and cold have in common? These are all
unpleasant states and impel us to do something to reduce or eliminate them. This
basic fact provides the basis for a major approach to motivation called drive theory.
Drive theory states that biological needs arising within our bodies create unpleasant
states of arousal that is the feelings that we describe as hunger, thirst, fatigue etc. In
order to eliminate such feelings and restore a balanced physiological state, or
homeostasis, we engage in certain activities.
Thus according to drive theory motivation is basically a process in which various
physiological needs push us to actions designed to satisfy these needs.
Behaviours that result in elimination or reduction of the appropriate drive are
strengthened and tend to be repeated while those not able to produce the desired
result are weakened and tend not to be repeated when the drive state reoccurs.
Though the drive theory primarily focused on biological needs and the resultant drive,
psychologists soon extended this model to other forms of behaviour not so clearly
58
linked to basic needs, such as drives for stimulation, status, achievement, power and Motivation as Arousal
forming stable relationships.
4.5 MOTIVATION PROCESS

What is motivational process? The motivational process is the steps that you take
to get motivated. It is a process, that when followed produces incredible results. It
is amazing what you can do if you are properly motivated, and getting properly
motivated is a matter of following the motivational process.
Like any other process it takes a little work and foresight and planning on the part
of the individual. However, the return on the individual’s investment of time is
significant, and it is important when needing extra motivation that the person applies
the motivational process.
Thus the motivational process consists of
1) Determining what you want to be motivated to do or accomplish. This is a
specific goal in a very specific area of your life.
2) The motivational process is not best for general motivation, but does wonders
when you need to get motivated to do a specific task, or reach a specific goal.
3) Making up the steps to get to the determined goal, little by little. These are the
little things one needs to do, like read your goals each morning. This is an
important part of the motivational process because this is the part that breaks
the task up in to manageable and convenient sized pieces.
When you look at the task at hand in little, manageable segments, it does not
seem as overwhelming, and thus it is easier to get motivated, and to stay
motivated
4) Removing the distractions so that the person stays motivated is important. This
is key to the motivational process.
5) Getting motivated does little good if one cannot stay motivated, so this part of
the process is the part where the person removes those things that ruin his or
her ability to stay focused and stay motivated.
4.5.1 Importance of Learning about the Motivational Process

By learning about the motivational process, the person learns how to apply the same
to his or her own life. They recognise the steps to get motivated so that they can
apply it to the situations and parts of their life that need motivation.
By learning about and how to apply the motivational process to one’s own life, the
person becomes much more successful in all areas and all endeavors of his or her
life.
For example, when the person learns about the motivational process and applies it
to getting motivated to be more kind, they make efforts, widen their circle of
friendship, and will have better, longer lasting friendships.
When the person learns about the motivational process and applies it to getting
motivated to live a healthier lifestyle, the person may do the little things that it takes
to get healthier. For example, the person may start drinking more water, eliminate
the bad foods, get enough sleep, exercise regularly etc. This in turn would help the
59
person to have increased energy, and more of an ability to accomplish other goals.
Arousal, Stress and When the person learns about the motivational process and apply the same to
Motivation
getting motivated to work harder, the person becomes more efficient and end up
doing the things required to get promotions, and get a raise at work. The person will
make more money, be happy about his or her job, and have a more rewarding and
successful career.
The motivational process is a great way to not just get motivated, but also stay
motivated to accomplish your goals, and to become a better person. When you use
the motivational process you begin to find that getting motivated to do things that
once seemed hard is much easier, and staying motivated to stick with things until you
are finished, is a breeze. So, learn all that you can about the motivational process,
and apply it to your life in every situation that you have the requires an extra boost
of motivation.
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2) Differentiate between intrinsic and exgtrinsic motivation.
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3) What is drive and how does it contribute to arousal and motivation?
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4) Discuss the relationship between motivation and homeostasis.
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5) Why do we have to learn about the motivational process?
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4.6 MOTIVATION AS AROUSAL
Motivation is not entirely a psychological concept. In addition to an intellectual and
emotional interest, a person’s tendency to engage in a behaviour is at least partially
determined by the person’s physiological state. A major physiological factor is the
level of arousal, which refers to the overall readiness of the human organism to
engage in activity. Research recognises arousal as the energy source for behaviour,
being the primary key in initiation, strength and persistence of all motivational
behaviours.
It must be kept in mind that one can be aroused without being motivated, but yet
the person cannot be motivated without being aroused.
Motivational arousal can increase and decrease with its level of intensity being guided
by how an individual perceives a task. If a task is expected to be difficult the need
for motivational arousal will increase, whereas if the task is expected to be easy
motivational arousal will decrease. The relationship between the level of arousal and
learning is summarized in Figure below, which shows that people at either a very low
level (nearly asleep) or at a very high level (nearly panicking) learn very little. People
tend to learn best at a medium level of arousal. This means that if learners are at a
very low level of arousal, the teacher should do things that are likely to increase
arousal. On the other hand, if learning is impeded by an excessively high level of
arousal, then the teacher should do things that are likely to reduce the level of
arousal.
Arousal is operationally defined by sensory alertness, motor activity and emotional
reactivity, and is the driving force behind the behaviour of all organisms according to
their responses to stimuli. The three elements of the operational definition are influenced
by the electrocortical, behavioural and autonomic mechanisms that provide a basic
structure for understanding arousals contribution to motivation.
High
Learning
Efficiency
Low
Low High
Level of Arousal
Fig. 1: Relationship between level of arousal and learning efficiency
4.6.1 Mechanisms of Arousal

There are three mechanisms of arousal, viz.
1) electro cortical arousal that arouses the brain,
2) behavioural arousal, and
3) autonomic arousal that arouses the body.
61
Arousal, Stress and Often functioning independently these three systems are only activated by the body
Motivation
when needed, and thus this ensures conservation of energy and helps to limit adverse
affects which come from over use.
Change in the frequency of brain waves through speeding up or slowing down is
recognised as electrocortical arousal. Electrocortical arousal can be monitored
through the use of an electroencephalograph (EEG). Electrocortical arousal can also
be recorded through the use of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI),
which assesses blood flow through the brain to recognise various areas that respond
to external stimuli and cognitive demands.
Behavioural arousal is measured through observable behaviours such as restlessness,
tension, fidgeting, and muscle twitching. Alternatively autonomic arousal is recognised
as a biological response, triggered by the nervous system which potentially can lead
to sympathetic responses that include increased heart rate, pupil dilation, and changes
in breathing.
4.6.2 Factors Influencing Arousal

Four factors have been recognised to influence arousal level’s relationship with
performance, these are:
 Skill level,
 Personality,
 Trait anxiety, and
 Complexity of the task
Knowledge of the above four influences helps individuals exercise control over their
arousal levels and enhance their performance.
Skill levels can increase an individual’s flexibility to give better performance beyond
his optimal level of arousal. The more skill a person has to complete the task, the
better he can perform in a state lesser or greater arousal. If an individual lacks the
skills required to complete the task correctly due the task being unfamiliar, he is likely
to experience high levels of arousal which only hinders with performance. But if he
has already mastered the skill needed and has experience in performing the task,
chances are greater that he will correctly complete the task in greater then optimal
arousal levels.
Personality is another factor that influences an individual’s optimum level of arousal.
Whether a person is introverted or extraverted has been discovered as a leading
factor in arousal seeking behaviours. Extraverts tend to dampen arousing effects, and
thus seek out highly arousing activities in order to reach optimal levels of arousal.
Whereas introverts seek out less arousing activities because of their sensitivity to
stimulation, needing only minimally arousing activities to reach their optimal level of
arousal. This would suggest an extraverted person would be able to perform better
than an introvert if there were to complete the same highly stimulating activity.
Task complexity refers to the level of conscious attention that a person needs to
place on a task in order to complete it. A lower level of conscious attention and
higher level of arousal can go well with Skills that are low in complexity because
simple tasks require fewer decisions to be made. However, skills high in complexity
require a lot of decision making and concentration, therefore lower level of arousal
62 is likely to occur. For example driving on an unfamiliar road is perceived as more
complex than driving on a familiar road, such as trip from home to work. Driving on Motivation as Arousal
the unfamiliar road would require more conscious awareness for learning unfamiliar
driving conditions, thus needing low levels of arousal in order to maintain optimal
performance.
Trait anxiety is also thought to influence optimal arousal. Thoughts of failure, negative
self-talk and lack of confidence tend to govern the cognitions of people with high trait
anxiety, making even a simple task more complex and arousing. An individual with
low trait anxiety is recognised as being able to handle a higher threshold of pressure,
as they are less likely to enter into the same damaging thoughts. The lower the trait
anxiety, the more likely an individual is to believe he can successfully complete the
task, consequently low task complexity and arousal levels.
4.6.3 Under Arousal

A low resting heart rate and shallow breathing are considered an in indicator of
physiological under arousal.
If a person is under aroused there is no driving force to motivate him or her for
behaviour and fulfill his needs. For example, boredom is a sign of underarousal.
The effect of underarousal, has been studied through boredom and sensory deprivation
research. Sensory deprivation refers to an individual’s sensory and emotional
experience within an unchanging environment.
In a study 19 volunteers were placed in a sensory deprivation chamber which
completely dampened sound and blocked out light. Each participant spent 15 minutes
in the chamber sitting on a padded chair. Before being sent to chamber each participant
was given a hallucinations scale questionnaire, out of 19 participants 9 scored in the
upper 20th percentile (predisposed to hallucination), while the other 10 scored in the
lower 20th percentile. Individuals in the upper percentile recorded experiences of
hallucinations and delusions when inside the chamber. The remaining 9 participants,
not recognised as predisposed to hallucinations, also reported experiences of
hallucinations or delusions but to a lesser extent than the high percentile group.
The experiment supported theories of arousal in that the brain prefers constant and
moderate levels arousal from the environment, and is continuously attempting to
achieve its optimal level of arousal. Without external arousal the participant’s brains
were left to rely on internal cognitive and behavioural methods to increase arousal.
Under arousal is a common disposition of antisocial people and those who are
involved in criminal and social deviant activities. Underarousal is also recognisable in
disorders such as conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
4.6.4 Over Arousal

Increased heart rate, pupil dilation, and changes in breathing have been attributed to
excessive stimulation and physiological over arousal. Effect of excessive stimulation
and over arousal can be seen in the form of stress, as it triggers heightened levels
of arousal and threatens optimal functioning. For example, serious illness, death,
divorce or separation, mental illness, serious disability, abuse or violent crime, trouble
with police, and witnessing violence.
Sensation Seeking is a personality trait. Through engaging in risky behaviours a
sensation seeker’s main objective is to raise levels of internal arousal. It has been
found that individuals high on sensation seeking participate in behaviours such as fast 63
Arousal, Stress and driving, whereas individuals low tend to drive with in the stipualted speed limit. In
Motivation
one of the studies it was found that high sensation seekers are more likely to use
recreational drugs such as ecstasy, marijuana, alcohol and tobacco when compared
to low sensation seekers. The study delved further, recognising a strong correlation
between a high sensation seeker using drugs and drug use within their group of
friends. Results indicate that sensation seekers look towards drugs to provide them
with a quick boost in arousal.
1) Discuss motivation as arousal.
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2) Explain the mechanism of arousal.
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3) What factors influence arousal?
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4) Define Under arousal.
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5) What is meant by over arousal and how does this affect motivation?
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4.7 AROUSAL IN EDUCATIONAL SETTING

In educational set up level of arousal is influenced by what teachers do, by what
learners do, and by other factors. The following are some factors that increase the
level of arousal in the classroom:
64
4.7.1 Factors that Increase the Arousal Level Motivation as Arousal
 The teacher can introduce topics in an interesting manner;

 Use humor during lectures;
 Avoid talking in a monotone;
 Encourage students to participate in class discussions;
 Call on students in an unpredictable rather than predetermined order;
 Raise questions to which students are eager to learn or discover answers;
 Vary the style or order of presentation. In other words, avoid doing everything
in the same order every day;
 Give tests or quizzes at appropriate intervals, so that students feel constantly
accountable for what they learn.
 Move around the room rather than standing stiffly behind a podium;
 Give breaks during long class sessions.
4.7.2 Factors that Decrease the Arousal Level

Teachers often accidentally or inappropriately lower the level of arousal of their
students when they do such things as the following:
 Talk in a monotone;
 Lecture from a text of which the students already have an exact copy;
 Give the entire presentation themselves, without letting anyone ask questions or
contribute insights;
 Do the same thing in the same order every day;
 Skip breaks when students need them;
 Give students the impression that they will not be held accountable for their
learning until some Time in the vaguely distant future.
The preceding list focused on inappropriately lowering level of arousal. Note, however,
that if students are at an excessively high level of arousal, it is desirable to do things
such as the following to reduce arousal:
4.7.3 Methods to Reduce High Levels of Arousal

Since students will be at high level of arousal before the examination etc. it is
important to keep the arousal level optimal so that students could perform to their
best capability and capacity. For this the teacher may resort to the following measures:
 Give students sample test items so that they will be less anxious about their
performance at the time of final examination.
 Do nothing unusual or outside the routine between recess and lunch hour on the
day before spring vacation, when students are likely to be at a high state of
arousal;
 Follow a very ordinary routine in a school which has just been touched by a
65
tragic event, such as a civil disturbance or the death of a community leader.
Arousal, Stress and 4.7.4 Other Factors that Influence Arousal
Motivation
Perhaps the most frequently studied antecedent has been motivation to process
information. The most common driving force behind one’s motivation to process has
been labeled “involvement” and has been the subject of extensive categorisation
efforts.
For instance, Gardner, Mitchell, and Russo (1978; 1985) have suggested that three
involvement categories serve as antecedents to persuasion and arousal which are for
instance,
i) high involvement,
ii) strategy limited low involvement, and
iii) attention limited low involvement.
Other categorisations of involvement have been included in the hierarchy of effects
terminology, including cognitive, affective, and low involvement categories as well as
four levels of audience involvement: pre attention, focal attention, comprehension,
and elabouration.
To give examples from the advertisement field, it may be stated that High involvement
refers to the state of arousal to process brand relevant advertising information.
Strategy limited low involvement contends that consumers are attentive to non brand
advertising content (music, scenery, sources etc.).
Attention limited low involvement implies an absence of attention to either brand or
non brand ad content.
It is more appropriate to consider the involvement level as being on a continuum
from low to high. In fact, similar arguments have been made for a continuum of
message elabouration. Yet, operationally, the notion of an involvement continuum
would present problems in an experimental manipulation.
Recently, researchers have explored relationships among combinations of possible
antecedent conditions to message elabouration. For example, there has been
considerable interest in the elabouration likelihood model (ELM) in that it can be said
to have intelligently incorporated a variety of persuasion variables into a succinct and
empirically testable framework Specifically, the ELM suggests that the likelihood of
message elabouration occurs as a function of separable elements of one’s motivation
and ability to process information. The arousal is quite at a high level with involvement
also being high.
When a message receiver is both motivated to process message content (e.g., due
to the personal relevance of the message) and has the ability to process the content,
the central route to persuasion is hypothesized to occur.
These conditions of motivation and ability are said to result in the following:
1) foster message relevant thinking,
2) activate cognitive responses,
3) create changes in cognitive structure, and eventually
4) lead to an enduring impact on one’s attitudes toward the communicated topic.
When these antecedent conditions are not present, attitude formation or attitude
change can occur via the peripheral route to persuasion. Here, the message recipient
focuses not on primary message content, but upon background cues (e.g., music,
66 scenery, source characteristics) that are peripheral to the main message content.
Attitudinal effects under the peripheral route are hypothesized to be less enduring Motivation as Arousal
than those under the central route, thereby keeping arousal quite high.
Motivation and ability are antecedent conditions to arousal and to information
processing. Recent research has been extended in order to delineate three antecedent
conditions to cognitive response generation, that is (i) The message recipient’s
motivation, (ii) ability, and (iii) opportunity to process information.
4.7.5 Motivation, Ability and Opportunity as Separate
Concepts of Arousal
When we deal with arousal related research, it is important to establish the conceptual
independence of variables in experimentation in order to avoid confounding of the
manipulations. If confounding of manipulations occurs, the researcher’s confidence in
causal explanations of the experimental results will be greatly reduced.
Establishing the theoretical meaningfulness of concepts is the first and perhaps the
most important step toward construct validation. At the heart of this process is the
notion of construct explication or the procedure of making an abstract word like
arousal or motivation rather explicit in terms of its observable variables. A precise
explication of constructs is vital for high construct validity since it permits tailoring the
manipulations and measures to whichever definitions emerge from the explication.
These emerging definitions should be clear and in accordance with general
understanding of the words being used. For example, although several definitions of
involvement exist, the underlying theme of involvement can be said to be the
personal relevance of the goal object (e.g., advertising, product, purchase decision)
to the individual.
Most would also agree that involvement can be defined as an individual, internal state
of arousal with intensity and direction properties. This internal state can be distinguished
from its possible antecedents (e.g., risk), and consequences. Therefore, researchers
should avoid conceptualising and/or measuring involvement as:
1) antecedents to involvement, such as product importance, risk, symbolic or
hedonic values
2) brand awareness product knowledge or emotions
3) cognitions or affect
4) familiarity, commitment, or importance
5) information search
Many of the researchers would reason that by virtue of measuring involvement
antecedents or consequences of arousal, the state of involvement can be inferred.
Preferably, antecedents theoretically predicted to influence involvement should be
manipulated, while indicators tapping the true involvement should be used as a
measure of involvement.
Necessary Evidence
An observed relationship between an indicator of involvement and that of cognitive
response production may mean one of four things:
1) both indicators measure involvement,
2) both indicators measure cognitive response production,
3) a third variable (e.g., opportunity to respond) has altered the relationship between
involvement and cognitive responses,
67
4) the indicators do indeed reflect different, but related, constructs.
Arousal, Stress and It has been pointed out that demonstration of a shifting, nonmonotonic and asymmetric
Motivation
relationship provides evidence to reject the hypothesis that both indicators reflect the
same construct.
A shifting, nonmonotonic relationship indicates that as the magnitude of one indicant
increases, there is at least one change in the direction of the other indicant. The term
“non-monotonic” covers a family of formal frameworks devised to capture and
represent defensible inference. that kind of inference of everyday life in which
reasoners draw conclusions tentatively, reserving the right to retract them in the light
of further information. Such inferences are called “non-monotonic” because the set
of conclusions warranted on the basis of a given knowledge base, given as a set of
premises, does not increase with the size of the knowledge base itself. This is in
contrast to standard logical frameworks logic, whose inferences, being deductively
valid, can never be “undone” by new information.
Apart from non monotonic, there is also asymmetric relations. Asymmetric relations
bring down the arousal. A relationship is said to be asymmetrical when the relationship
of A to B is not identical to that of B to A.
Also, regarding the antecedents to message elabouration, the likelihood that
elabouration occurs can be viewed as a function of separable elements of motivation
and ability. The separability of these concepts is based upon the following reasoning:
If a person is highly aroused to process a message but lacks the prerequisite
motivation, little processing will occur. Conversely, if a message processor is motivated
to process message content but lacks the required ability and/or opportunity, little
message elabouration will occur. Therefore, each individual antecedent condition
serves only as a necessary, but not sufficient condition for message elabouration. In
other words the arousal and motivation are not adequate to reach the goal of
elabouration of the message.
Table 1 provides a list of additional factors influencing one’s motivation, ability, and
opportunity to respond. It should be noted that these factors serve as antecedents
(as opposed to indicators) of their respective arousal factors.
Table: Factor Influencing Motivation, Ability and Opportunity
to Process Information*
Motivation Ability Opportunity

personal relevance knowledge distraction
personal responsibility self-schema exposure time
number of sources familiarity message length
need for cognition expertise message comprehensibility
forwarning of message content number of message arguments
forwarning of persuasive intent message medium clutter
*Adapted from Batra and Ray(1986) and Petty and Cacioppo (1986 p. 220)
The examination of the differences and involvement has led other researchers to
make similar conclusions about the separability of the concepts.
4.7.6 Involvement and Goal Satisfaction

Involvement in actively processing information is largely a function of a person’s
recognition that the information has goal satisfaction value to him. Involvement is thus
68 grounded in the perceived meaning of the specific content. An advertisement that is
highly arousing to a receiver by virtue of its content may be transmitted in a form that Motivation as Arousal
restricts his opportunity for response, or vice-versa. Arousal to process and opportunity
to process should, therefore, be treated as theoretically separate variables.
Support for this contention was found in the examination of the interaction between
content involvement and media conditions. When exposed to the broadcast message,
individuals were noted to be engaged in equal counter argumentation regardless of
involvement. When exposed to the print message, high content involvement subjects
engaged in significantly more counter argumentation than low content involvement
subjects.
Others have argued for conceptual distinctiveness between ability (due to expertise)
and motivation (due to involvement).
It may be noted that expertise may not be necessarily related to involvement because
involvement is a motivational construct whereas expertise is a sustaining construct
representing knowledge structure. One does not necessarily have to be an expert in
order to be involved with the product. However, involvement may motivate one to
gather information and in time become increasingly knowledgeable about the product.
Even though it can be argued that motivation, ability, and opportunity are conceptually
distinct and should be treated as such in experimental settings, several operational
problems can still occur.
4.7.7 Antecedents to One Another

As indicated by several writers, measures of motivation, due to perceived importance,
and ability (due to acquired knowledge) have been found, in some practical situations,
to be significantly correlated with one another. This can create problems for the
conceptual and, especially, the operational distinctiveness of the measures. However,
there are three possible explanations for the significant correlations.
First, motivation to process can, over time, develop into an antecedent condition
influencing one’s ability to process. For example, those motivated to find out more
about an advertised topic might be more likely, over time, to develop greater expertise
or invoke self-schema than those who are less motivated.
Second, the self-report measures of product expertise knowledge have been criticized
as being inflated measures of “true” expertise/knowledge. Studies involving “true”
measures of expertise have found no relationship between expertise and involvement
levels.
Third, the operationalisation of motivation as “measured product importance” is
certainly quite different from its operationalisation as “experimentally manipulated
involvement in a product’s advertisement.” It would be interesting to see the relationship
between motivation and ability across a variety of operationalisations of motivation.
Another perplexing problem is that motivation, ability, and opportunity may all interact
in some situations.
The possibility of the three-way interaction among motivation, ability, and opportunity
should serve as a caution in the development of operationalisations. For example,
consider a hypothetical situation in which a researcher predicts increased cognitive
response activity to print advertising under a high level of motivation (e.g., due to
greater personal relevance) and a high level of ability (e.g., due to subjects having
extensive product knowledge). In such cases there is a three way interaction amongst
69
these variables.
Arousal, Stress and Take the high personal relevance treatment which was perceived by subjects as
Motivation
severely limiting their opportunity to process the advertising information. This actually
caused subjects exposed to the high personal relevance treatment to generate
significantly fewer (as opposed to greater) cognitive responses.
With the manipulation of any one of the conditions, every effort should be made to
hold the other conditions constant. In fact, one should include checks to determine
if the manipulated condition inadvertently affected the non manipulated conditions.
In addition, longitudinal studies might be insightful in untangling causal interpretations
concerning the time occurrence of the variables. Perhaps of equal practical significance
is the reality that the manipulation of one variable (e.g., motivation) may ultimately
depend upon the level selected in holding the other variables (e.g., opportunity)
constant.
4.7.8 Operational Ranges

Cook and Campbell (1979) caution researchers to be careful in experiments that
involve the manipulation of several discrete levels of an independent variable that is
continuous. For example, one might conclude that “manipulated high involvement”
does not impact cognitive response production when in fact the “manipulated high
involvement” was at an involvement level too low to produce cognitive responses.
Therefore, it is important to conduct research at many levels of the continuous
variable.
Another problem arises when a related, nonmanipulated variable (e.g., opportunity
to respond) in an experiment occurs at a level either too low or too high to allow
the intended manipulation (e.g., involvement) to operate. For instance, if an experiment
contained an unlimited time to process a single advertisement, it is doubtful that a
significant separation between manipulated high and low involvement groups would
be attained.
Similarly, if an experiment contained an overwhelming number of advertisements
under an unreasonably short exposure time, significant separations between manipulated
involvement groups would again be difficult to achieve.
As argued with inverted-U effects in cognitive response production, the manipulation
of message processing involvement (with subsequent message elabouration) will tend
to operate only in a given range of one’s opportunity to process the message. The
solution to this dilemma is to conduct several pretests varying the level at which other
important, non-manipulated conditions are held constant.
For interpretative and causal reasons, it is important to establish the conceptual
distinctiveness of the motivation, ability, and opportunity antecedents to message
elabouration. For example, one may have the desire to be involved in an advertised
message, possess sufficient knowledge to process its claims, but distraction may
severely limit the message processor’s opportunity and ultimately reduce message
elabouration. In addition, to infer that an involvement manipulation was the sole
influence on cognitive response production assumes that the involvement concept has
been found to be independent from related, but theoretically distinct, concepts such
as ability and opportunity.
Although the variables are recognised as being conceptually distinct, the success of
the manipulation of one antecedent condition (e.g., motivation) can ultimately depend
on the level at which other conditions (e.g., opportunity) are held constant. Therefore,
70
it is important for researchers to understand the relative level at which a variable is Motivation as Arousal
manipulated as well as levels used to hold constant other theoretically related variables.
Because of the practical considerations found in developing successful manipulations
of motivation, ability, and opportunity conditions, it is important to go beyond traditional
manipulation check measures and include confounding checks as well. This procedure
is important to ensure that a manipulation of one condition (e.g., motivation) will not
inadvertently affect the perceptions of other non manipulated conditions (e.g.,
opportunity). Internal analyses of manipulation and confounding checks can provide
researchers with helpful suggestions in the redesign of motivation, ability, and
opportunity experiments.
Coming back to the educational settings, students themselves have a large degree of
control over their physiological readiness to learn. For example, students may eat an
inappropriate diet. By eating too much sugar, students may be at a level of arousal
too high to learn effectively. Other students have sleeping habits that interfere with
level of arousal. They may get too little sleep because they stayed up late watching
TV, because they have to work to help support their family, because the neighbourhood
is too noisy, or because they have to ride a bus a long time to get to and from school.
These factors may bring students to a level of arousal that is too low.
In addition to factors directly controlled by students and teachers, there are other
ingredients that influence level of arousal. For example, level of arousal is likely to
drop precipitously on an extremely hot day, or even on a cold day when the heating
system renders the classroom too warm. Likewise, classroom furniture may be
oppressively uncomfortable (and provoke fatigue after a half hour) or too comfortable
(and induce sleep at the end of a tough day). While teachers can exercise some
control over these factors, in other cases they must merely be aware of them and
make adjustments appropriately.
Actually, level of arousal theory can lead to over simplification. For example, sometimes
extremely high levels of arousal are actually more productive than medium levels of
arousal. This is especially likely to be true when the high level of arousal occurs
because of interest directed toward the topic under consideration. (An equally high
level of arousal may be maladaptive in the same situation if it is directed toward a
peripheral element.) The important principle from level of arousal theory is for teachers
to identify situations in which an inappropriate level of arousal is interfering with
learning and to help students adjust their arousal to a more appropriate level.
1) Discuss arousal in educational settings.
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2) What factors influence arousal level in educational setting?
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71
Arousal, Stress and
Motivation .....................................................................................................................
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3) How can the teacher in a classroom make use of this knowledge?
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4) What are the methods to reduce high levels of arousal?
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5) Discuss involvement as a factor of arousal.
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4.8 LET US SUM UP

In this unit we studied the concept of motivation. We came to know what a motive
means and what is meant by the terms like Drive, Need etc. We also studied forms
motivation like extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. This was followed by a discussion
on motivation process as to make you aware of how motives actually work and
accomplish behaviourally. Then we discussed the concept of arousal. What we mean
by the term arousal in ordinary language. What mechanisms are used in arousal. We
also tried to cover personality factors that influence level of arousal with in an
individual. We also tried to understand the effect of underarousal and ovrarousal as
reflected in the behaviour of the individual. In the last we tried to understand implication
of arousal in educational settings.

1) How would you define motivation? Discuss the process of motivation.
2) How is arousal related to motivation? discuss with suitable examples.
3) Define arousal. What factors influence arousal and performance?
4) Can arousal level affect performance in educational settings? What should a
teacher do to increase the arousal of students in classroom setting.
72
Baron, Robert A., Nyla, R Branscombe and Donn Byrne (2007). Social Psychology.
Allen and Bacon, NY
Gendolla, Guido H.E. & Wright Rex, A. (2004). Motivation in Social Setting.
Cambrige, London
Forges, Joseph, P. (2004). Social Motivation. Conscious and Unconscious Process.
Univ. South Wales, Sydney.
Joe Akande (2011). Words of Encouragement (Mutual arousal). Strategic insight
Publishing, NY
73
Unit 1 (1).pdf
Unit 2.pdf
Unit 3.pdf
Unit 4.pdf
UNIT 1 INTRODUCTION TO EMOTION,
BASIC EMOTIONS AND CONCEPT
OF EMOTIONS
Structure
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Objectives
1.2 Feelings
1.2.1 Dimensions of Feelings
1.2.2 Distinction between Feelings and Emotions
1.3 Emotions
1.3.1 Basic Emotions
1.3.2 Concept of Emotions
1.3.3 General Characteristics of Emotions
1.3.4 Changes in Emotions
1.3.5 The Physiological Changes in Emotions
1.3.6 Development of Emotions
1.3.7 Components of Emotions
1.4 Comparison of Emotions of Children and Adults

1.5 Let Us Sum Up
1.7 Suggested Rreadings and References
1.0 INTRODUCTION
All of us at some point of time or the other in our everyday life feel happy, sad, angry,
love, pity, jealousy, hatred, fear, agony etc. What are these feelings which we experience
in our lives? What makes us feel these? Imagine our lives without these feelings or
experiences? These are actually emotions. Our life would have been absolutely boring
and meaningless without emotions. Our emotions and how we feel about certain things
most often influences our thinking. Even our perception is not always determined by the
outside stimulus but by our internal feelings, emotions, desires, and aversions. Thus
feelings and emotions are dynamics of our behaviour, and thus are very important. In
our practical life, feelings and outside behaviour are closely related. It is therefore very
essential to know the difference between emotions and feelings which are highly inter
related and both together and individually affect our behaviours. Emotions and feelings
often appear just as different stages of one phenomenon.
1.1 OBJECTIVES
 Explain about the feelings and emotions;
 Discriminate between feelings and emotions;
 Identify the characteristics of emotions; 5
Emotions  Enumerate the types of emotions; and
 Explain about the components of emotions.
1.2 FEELINGS
Feelings is a term which is always used for various kinds of experiences. This term is
generally used when we are not sure of the answer to a particular question. For instance,
when we talk about feelings of pleasure, familiarity, we say I feel fine. These feelings
can be put into various categories. Feelings like displeasure, grief, discontent, sadness
etc. can be categorised under one category characterised by a tone of unpleasantness
and avoidance. Similarly feelings like pleasure, happiness, joy, delight etc., will come
under one category characterised by desirable pleasant feeling tone. In this manner we
can enumerate many more experiences of feelings coming under various categories.
Having known a little about what feelings are, now let us look at the dimensions of
feelings.
1.2.1 Dimensions of Feelings

It has been stated by psychologists that each experience of feelings has three main
characteristics. For instance, each feeling whether anger, pleasure, desire or sadness
can be said to have a certain pleasantness-unpleasantness dimension.
Secondly, all feelings have a certain tone of excitement or numbness. For instance,
pleasure has a tone of excitement. Similarly anger also has a tone of excitement. Sadness
has a tone of numbness. Thus any feeling state has its position on excitement-numbness
dimension.
Thirdly it is also noticed that most feelings have a tone of tenseness also referred as
tone of expectancy or a tone of relaxation. All feelings connected with our waiting for
something to happen or all feelings with anticipation will be characterised by the
expectancy tone. In the same way when our feelings refer to something that has already
happened, then there is a tone of relief or release. The feelings like anxiety and longing
will have expectancy tone and feeling of sadness will have a tone of release since the
sad event has already happened. Thus it can be stated that any feeling has a position on
tension relaxation dimension.
1.2.2 Distinction between Feelings and Emotions

A feeling has also has some characteristics of its own, distinguishing it from experiences
like sensations and emotions. Feeling is an internal experience and not felt in any one
particular part. One may sometimes say that he/she experiences pain in the back of his
leg. Here the individual uses the term feeling in a different sense. It is actually directed
towards perception of part where the pain is sensed.
A pain may be unpleasant but the unpleasant feeling connected with it has no definite
location in any part of the body. In this matter, it is different from sensations.
A visual sensation is experienced at the retina of the eye. It means that the sensation is
localised but the whole organism is involved in feelings.
The feelings need not be strong always, sometimes they are very mild or as dull
background states. This acts as discrimination between feelings and emotions.
The most important difference between a feeling and an emotion is one of degree or
strength. The term invariably refers to a very strong and stirred up feelings or experiences.
6
Introduction to Emotion,
1.3 EMOTIONS Basic Emotions and
Concept of Emotions
Emotions not only give colour but also meaning to our lives and experiences. The crimes
and even inhuman acts are all because of emotions. Emotions play a very important
role in human behaviour and life. In fact, even moral behaviour is based on emotion to
some extent (Daniel Goleman 1995).
The emotion is defined as ‘a strong mental or instinctive feeling such as love or fear’
(Oxford English Dictionary, 1996) involving many bodily processes, and mental states.
An emotion combines cognition, bodily arousal and behaviour in a ready made formula
for responding in line with the way the situation has been interpreted. There is a huge
difference in the ways of feeling emotions by human beings and animals although both
of them experience anger, fear, sadness, and joy.
Emotion can be defined as the “feeling” aspect of consciousness, characterised by
certain physical arousal, a certain behaviour that reveals the feeling to the outside world,
and an inner awareness of feelings. Emotion is associated with mood, temperament,
personality and disposition and motivation. The English word ‘emotion’ is derived from
the French word émouvoir. This is based on the Latin emovere, where e- (variant of
ex-) means ‘out’ and movere means ‘move’. The related term “motivation” is also
derived from movere. No aspect of our mental life is more important to the quality and
meaning of our existence than emotions. They are what make life worth living, or
sometimes ending. So it is not surprising that most of the great classical philosophers—
Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, Descartes, Hobbes, Hume—had recognisable theories of
emotion, conceived as responses to certain sorts of events of concern to a subject,
triggering bodily changes and typically motivating characteristic behaviour.
1.3.1 Basic Emotions

Energy in motion is an emotion and is a way of expressing oneself in life. Emotions
cannot be considered as good and bad as each emotion has a specific role to play in
colouring our life. Emotions expressed by humans can be divided into two broad
categories and are called as positive and negative emotions. In positive emotions an
attempt or an intention to include is expressed. They are fueled by an underlying desire
for enjoyment and unity. Interest, enthusiasm, boredom, laughter, empathy, action,
curiosity are the examples of positive emotions.
In negative emotions an attempt or intention to exclude is expressed. They are fueled
by an underlying fear of the unknown, a fear of the actions of others, and a need to
control them or stop them to avoid being harassed. Apathy, grief, fear, hatred, shame,
blame, regret, resentment, anger, hostility are examples of negative emotions. The negative
emotions are helpful and act as a motive in moving away from what one doesn’t want
and positive emotions are useful for moving towards what one wants.
According to McDougall’s concept of emotions instincts and emotions were both innate
patterns. This view was supported to some extent by James-Lange theory. Thus for a
long time, it was believed that emotional behaviour was inherited. John Watson who is
considered as leader of behaviourism examined this belief and concluded that there are
three basic emotional patterns which are found even in infants and therefore can be
regarded that emotions are inherited. Watson identified fear, anger and love as the three
basic emotions. Paul Ekman has dedicated his career to researching emotions, focusing
primarily on the following seven basic emotions.
7
Emotions
Fear — Danger lurks
Sadness— Impending loss
Anger — Nonspecific threat, trespass, thwarted goals, plea for justice
Joy — Impending gain
Surprise— Unexpected event
Disgust — Contamination, toxic contact
Contempt — Substandard behaviour or being
There are hundreds of emotions along with their blends. The basic members and families
of emotions, though not all agree on them, which are proposed by some theorists are as
follows:
According to Daniel Goleman, the basic families of emotions are:
Fear: (Safety) anxiety, apprehension, nervousness, concern, consternation, misgiving,
wariness, qualm, edginess, dread, fright, terror and in the extreme cases phobia and
panic.
Anger: (Justice) fury, outrage, resentment, wrath, exasperation, indignation, vexation,
acrimony, animosity, annoyance, irritability, hostility, and perhaps these are manifest in
the extreme as hatred and violence.
Sadness: (Loss) grief, sorrow, cheerlessness, gloom, melancholy, self-pity, loneliness,
dejection, despair, and depression in the extreme case.
Enjoyment: (Gain) happiness, joy, relief, contentment, bliss, delight, amusement, pride,
sensual pleasure, thrill, rapture, gratification, satisfaction, euphoria, whimsy, ecstasy,
and at the far edge, mania.
Love: (Attraction) acceptance, friendliness, trust, kindness, affinity, devotion, adoration,
infatuation, and agape.
Disgust: (Repulsion) contempt, distain, scorn, abhorrence, aversion, distaste, and
revulsion.
Surprise: (Attention) shock, astonishment, amazement, and wonder.
Shame: (Self-control) guilt, embarrassment, chagrin, remorse, humiliation, regret,
mortification, and contrition.
Daniel Goleman and Paul Ekman (1992) do not agree with the categorisation of emotions
instead they think emotions in terms of families or dimensions, the main families’ being-
anger, sadness, fear, enjoyment, love, shame and so on.
Each of this family is considered to have a basic emotional nucleus at its core and its
relatives rippling out from there in countless mutations. These outer ripples are moods
which last longer than an emotion.
Beyond moods are temperaments, making people melancholy, timid or cheery. And
still beyond such emotional dispositions are the outright disorders of emotions such as
clinical depression or unremitting anxiety (Daniel Goleman 1995).
1.3.2 Concept of Emotions

Emotions expressed by humans can be divided into two broad categories and are
called as positive and negative emotions. Examples of positive emotions include the
8
following: Interest, enthusiasm, boredom, laughter, empathy, action, curiosity.
An attempt or intention to exclude is expressed by Negative emotions. Apathy, grief, Introduction to Emotion,
Basic Emotions and
fear, hatred, shame, blame, regret, resentment, anger, hostility are examples of negative Concept of Emotions
emotions.
Emotions are accompanied by activation or an aroused state in the organism. They are
normally accompanied by both physiological and psychological changes. The
physiological changes normally include changes in gestures, muscular movements, facial
expression, changes in physiological reactions like blood-pressure, pulse rate, heartbeat,
respiration, etc. and psychological changes include blurring or clouding of consciousness,
blocking of memory, confusion in perception etc.
1.3.3 General Characteristics of Emotions

All emotions have certain definite characteristics. Different emotions also have their
own characteristics and behavioural patterns. Some of the general characteristics of
emotions are as follows:
i) Emotions and biological drives: Emotions mostly occur when any basic need is
thwarted or challenged or when such a need is satisfied. Emotion is said to occur
as a reaction when some basic drive is frustrated or properly satisfied. For example,
fear is a response associated with expected danger. Anger is a response when
some activity is blocked. Similarly joy is felt when the need is satisfied.
The other way in which emotions are related to biological needs is that they not
only occur as a reaction to the thwarting of a need, but also, as experiences that
help and direct the organism towards the satisfaction of the needs. To cite an
example, in anger we are able to use more energy in fighting the obstructing situation.
Thus emotions serve the organism in a helpful manner in the satisfaction of basic
needs.
ii) Emotions and reasoning: Emotion does not surge up in the most challenging or
disturbing situation in facing the problem by reasoning and thinking. An emotional
response is always weakened by the application of our reasoning process. Logical
reasoning locks emotions and strong emotions block logical thinking. These two
phenomena seem to be opposed to each other. It is known that emotion is a
primitive form of reaction than reasoning. Emotions have their own biological value
in helping the organism to meet an emergency situation. In critical situations
immediate and vigorous action is called for and there may not be much time for
thinking and reasoning.
iii) Emotion and overt behaviour: Each emotion has certain definite muscular and
overt behaviour. Generally, each emotion is said to have its own expressive
behaviour. But many emotions have common expressive signs. Certain strong
emotions have their own characteristic behaviour patterns. For instance in anger,
there is typical behaviour of attacking and all activities connected with it. In fear,
there is the activity of fight or escape. Several other forms of overt behaviours
such as smiling, laughing and crying are also expressions of emotions.
iv) Emotions and internal response: When we experience emotions there are certain
internal activities and disturbances in the autonomic nervous system, ductless glands
and visceral organs.
v) Emotions and mood: Unlike feelings emotions are very strong in intensity. So
any emotional experience even after it ceases, leaves behind a kind of ‘after feeling’
called as mood. We all might have had experienced these moods at some point of
time or the other in our lives. For example, after we had an outburst of anger, for
9
a much longer time we would be in an angry mood. When we are in this mood we
Emotions are liable to become angry even with a slight provocation. After an experience of
intense fear, we would be in a frightened mood for much longer time and unexpected
sound or event will make us afraid again.
1.3.4 Changes in Emotions

We all have been experiencing various emotions in our day to day life. Have you ever
noticed what changes happen in you when you experience an emotion? Let us
understand more about the changes which happen in us due to emotions. As mentioned
earlier emotions are characterised by definite overt behaviour patterns. Emotions when
experienced cause certain overt changes and also disturbances of visceral patterns.
Here we enumerate some of the important changes. These changes are produced
because of the activities of ductless glands and the autonomic nervous system.
1.3.5 The Physiological Changes in Emotions

i) Facial expressions: Various muscles of the face including the eye, the lips, the
nose and the forehead undergo changes by way of twisting and taking different
poses. Most of the emotions have their facial expressions but it may not always be
easy to judge the emotion from these expressions. Some facial expressions are
universal.
ii) Muscular adjustment: Sometimes the entire muscular system of the body
undergoes contraction and adjustments. For example, the bodily changes that
take place in “startle reaction” when there is quick, unexpected and strong stimulus.
The startle response consists of sudden movement of the head, blinking of the
eyes, a characteristic facial expression, raising and drawing forward of the
shoulders, turning inward of the upper arms, bending of the elbows, turning
downward of the forearms, flexion of the fingers, forward movement of the trunk,
contraction of the abdomen and bending of the knees.
Some have questioned considering ‘startle reaction’ as an emotion as they consider
startle reaction as one of the basic reflexes. There is some truth in this claim as the
same type of bodily changes also appears in cases of fear response.
iii) Gestures and movement of the hands: Gestures may sometimes involve the
movements of the whole body.
iv) Change in voice: The voice gets affected in an emotion. When excited the voice
becomes loud and high pitched. Under fear the voice takes a sinking and low
tone.
There are other changes of a miscellaneous nature associated with emotions such as the
hair standing on end, stimulation of sweat glands, drying of the tongue etc.
Another change that takes place under emotions is the fact that we have unusual amount
of energy at our disposal. For example, when we are fighting a fire, we seem to have
strength and energy beyond our ordinary limit. When we are running away from danger,
we are able to run much faster and the energy at our disposal seems to be much more
than what is ordinarily available for us (some of us who may never win a prize at running
a race may perhaps even beat a champion if we were chased by a cobra or a tiger).
We would even notice a comparatively weaker person when under strong anger
overcoming a much stronger man in a fight. All these are due to release of abnormal
amount of energy helping us to meet the critical situation and thus preserve our well
being.
10
The changes that occur internally are: Introduction to Emotion,
Basic Emotions and
 There is greater intensity of heart action. Concept of Emotions
 The pulse rate increases. This is commonly seen in fear and anger.
 Blood pressure increases in emotional excitement.
 There are many changes in gastro-intestinal tract. For example, Churning movement,
slow down or stop in the stomach, the flow of saliva and other gastric juices
necessary for digestion is reduced by 85 to 90%.
 There is greater secretion of glycogen into the blood stream,
 Sweat glands become more active and there is increased muscular tone.
1.3.6 Development of Emotions

The fine emotions of an adult, with his controlled and symbolic expressions of some of
them, are certainly far removed from the blunt, massive direct action of a baby under an
emotion. The difference almost resembles that between a ‘cold war’ and an actual front
line battle on the field. Obviously great changes are taking place during the years of
growth of the individual from infancy to adulthood. Almost everyone has his own
characteristic developmental process as the individual develops from an infant to an
adult. One of the most widely accepted schemes of the development of emotions was
proposed by Bridges(1932). Let us now understand the stages of emotions as proposed
by Bridges.
Katherine Bridges’ Theory - Emotions develop as babies age
Newborns - One emotion only: diffuse excitement
3 Months - Distress and delight
6 Months - Distress differentiates into fear, disgust, and anger
12 Months - Delight differentiates into elation and affection
2 Years - Jealousy develops from distress; joy develops from delight
According to Bridges, new born infants have no differentiated emotional responses,
but only have uncoordinated skeletal visceral responses, to all emotional stimuli. As the
organism develops and matures, various emotions begin to differentiate with general
distress and delight by about 6th month, distress developing into definite anger, distress
and fear. Like this various emotions appear as the child advances in years. By about the
age of 5 years, the responses such as envy, anxiety and shame appear.
Investigation undertaken by Bridges, several studies have been made on child
development with reference to emotional characteristics. It has been noticed that different
emotional responses are shown at different ages. Sometimes a particular stimulus which
produced emotional response at an earlier age produces a distinct emotion at a lower
age. The converse also takes place.
These differences in emotional responses at different age levels occur as a result of both
maturation and learning. One such study showing these changes was reported by Blatz
and his colleagues. Observations have been made with deaf blind human subjects and
also with chimpanzees. The role of maturation and role of learning plays a very vital role
in the process of development of emotions. These investigators claim that many of the
emotional responses and the way of behaviour are learned. Maturation also plays an 11
Emotions important part in as much as, some of the response patterns depend mainly on the
maturational process.
Emotional expressions and emotions in a child vary from those in an adult in various
ways. Apart from role of maturation, the learning process also plays a very great part in
the development of emotions. As the child grows it learns a great deal with regard to its
emotional life. It learns to experience new emotions. It learns to experience emotions
like anger and fear towards a new stimuli. It learns new ways of expressing of emotions.
Most of the changes in emotional life of a child that takes place due to the process of
learning are associated with what is ordinarily known as emotional maturity or proper
development of emotions.
Emotions were found to be developed from environmental and genetic influences. Instincts
and emotions are both innate patterns. Fear, Anger and Love are considered to be
three basic emotional patterns found in infants and regarded as being inherited.
Emotions have been acting as wise guides in the evolutionary long run. According to
Darwin (1965), emotions are developed primarily to prepare animals for action,
particularly in emergencies. The nature of emotional state may be termed as psychological
conditions, or as a psychological condition modified by cognitive process, where
psychological arousal emerges as an essential factor, usually guided and steered by
present cognitive factors and by evaluations of past experiences (Leventhal, 1980).
1.3.7 Components of Emotions

Most psychologists would agree that an emotion is a complex pattern of changes that
include physiological arousal, subjective feelings, cognitive processes and behavioural
reactions, all in response to a situation we perceive to be personally significant.
Accordingly, an emotion has four components:
i) Physiological arousal: Emotions involve the brain, nervous system and hormones,
so that when you’re emotionally aroused the hormone secretion is more to give us
instant energy. Each emotion has a specific characteristic of physiological aspects.
For example: When angry, the blood rushes to our hands in order to fight. When
afraid, the blood rushes to our skeletal system and leg to facilitate the fight or flight
responses.
ii) Subjective feelings: Emotions also include subjective awareness, or ‘feeling’
that involves elements of pleasure, liking and disliking. Thus, in studying emotion
or knowing another person’s feelings, we must rely heavily on that person’s own
self reports.
iii) Cognitive processes: Emotions also involve cognitive processes such as memorial,
perceptions, expectations and interpretations. Our appraisal of an event plays an
especially significant role in the meaning it has for us.
iv) Behavioural reactions: Emotions also involve behavioural reactions, both
expressive and instrumental. Facial expressions such as smiles and frowns, as
well as gestures and Lories of voice, all serve to communicate our feelings that
may enhance our chances for survival.
The various theories of emotion differ mostly is regard to which of these various
components is given priority. In much the same way, authorities differ about how emotions
are activated or triggered.
The various components of emotion can be illustrated with a famous illustration from
12 William James (1884) paper, ‘What is an emotion?’ James cited the example of
encountering a bear. “Imagine you are walking casually through the woods enjoying the Introduction to Emotion,
Basic Emotions and
sights and sounds of nature. Suddenly, there is a roaring sound, a crashing of undergrowth Concept of Emotions
and a bear emerges into the clearing immediately in front of you. You immediately come
to a halt, your heart is pounding, your mouth is dry, your muscles tense and you feel
intensely afraid. You remember that it is important, when confronted by bears, to stand
your ground and so you stand your ground and so you stay very still despite your fear.
Eventually, after an impressive paw waving show of aggression, the bear wanders off
and you are safe.
In this example, the emotion is one of the intense fear or terror, when you encounter the
bear in the woods. The fear goes hand in hand with marked physiological changes; for
example, the dryness in the mouth, the tension in the muscles, the racing heart and so
on. The fear is also characterised by a readiness to run or to fight the ‘Fight or Flight’
syndrome. This is the functionality of fear in this instance. However, although there is
action readiness, you do not actually follow that through to the level of behaviour;
instead, you stand your ground.
Another part of the fear is the cognitive aspect where you actually feel extremely afraid
because the bear has been understood at some level to be threatening to your current
concerns such as personal survival.
1.4 COMPARISON OF EMOTIONS OF CHILDREN

AND ADULTS
An individual is considered to be emotionally grown up and mature when he has outgrown
some of the characteristics of emotional life of a child and had developed the
characteristics of a normal adult. This process can be understood by comparing the
characteristics of a child’s emotion with those of the emotions of a normal adult.
The child’s emotions are few. The primary emotions of a child shown from birth are
three i.e., love, fear and anger. At the earliest stages, it does not have any emotional
responses to complex situations that would arouse in a grown up adult blended emotions
like jealousy, wonder, awe, admiration etc. these complex and secondary emotions are
learned by the child from the adults as they grow and as opportunities occur.
In the early years of life of the child the stimuli that provoke the basic emotions are very
few. They are limited to its immediate surroundings and certain biological needs. Fear is
aroused only by loud noises, and when there is loss of physical support and balance.
Anger is produced only when there is interference with its activities or when thwarted in
its attempt to satisfy biological needs, like hunger. Love is seen when it is fondled and as
a reaction to affectionate treatment by few individual adults like parents or close relatives.
Another important difference is that the child freely gives vent to the muscular and
motor expressions of emotions, much more than adult. The child when is angry, kicks
about, rolls on the ground, tears the clothes etc. the emotions of children are not organised
and balanced. At one moment the child may be extremely angry but at the next minute
it may the just the opposite state. As we grow up, we learn to organise emotions properly,
to behave in a steady and dependable manner.
1) Emotion is defined as _________________________________________.
2) ________ emotions are helpful and act as a motive in moving away from what
one doesn’t want. 13
Emotions
3) Examples for positive emotions are__________________.
4) The role of___________ and role of ____________ plays a very vital role in
the process of development of emotions.
5) The components of emotions are _______________________________.
6) The ____________ Nervous system comes into activity when the individual is
in a state of danger or emergency.
1.5 LET US SUM UP

Feelings are a term which is always used for various kinds of experiences. Feelings like
displeasure, grief, discontent, sadness etc. can be placed under one category
characterised by a tone of unpleasantness and avoidance. Similarly feelings like pleasure,
happiness, joy, delight etc., will come under one category characterised by desirable
pleasant feeling tone. The feelings need not be strong always; sometimes they are very
mild or as dull background states. This acts as discrimination between feelings and
emotions.
The most important difference between a feeling and an emotion is one of degree or
strength. Emotion can be defined as the “feeling” aspect of consciousness, characterised
by certain physical arousal, a certain physical arousal, a certain behaviour that reveals
the feeling to the outside world, and an inner awareness of feelings. Emotions when
experienced cause some overt changes and also disturbances of visceral patterns.
According to Paul Ekman there are seven basic emotions, viz., Fear, Sadness, Anger,
Joy, Surprise, Disgust and Contempt. Emotions were found to be developed from
environmental and genetic influences. An emotion has four components 1) Physiological
arousal, 2) subjective feelings, 3) Cognitive process and 4) Behavioural changes. The
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system plays a significant role in emotions.

1) What are feelings?
2) Write about the development of emotions.
3) What are the basic emotions?
4) Explain about the various components of emotions.
1.7 SUGGESTED READINGS AND REFERENCES

Tonu Malim & Ann Birch (1998). Introductory Psychology. Macmillan Press, London.
Sandura K. Ciccarelli & Glenn E. Meyer (2007). Psychology. Pashupati Printers.
Norman L.Munn, L. Dodge Fernald. JR., Peter S. Fernald. (1967). Introduction to
Psychology. Oxford & IBH Publishing co.,328-355.
E.G.Parameswaran, C.Beena (2002). An Invitation to Psychology. Neelkamal
Publications.
Daniel Goleman (1995) . Emotional Intelligence. Bantom Books.
14
References Introduction to Emotion,
Basic Emotions and
Lewis, M. & Haviland-Jones. J.M (2000). Handbook of Emotions. (2nd ed). Concept of Emotions
NewYork: Guildford.
Suman (2008). Emotional competency and teaching competency of teacher and
its effects on the student’s academic achievement. Unpublished thesis.
Lorraine Bell, (2003) . Managing Intense Emotions and Overcoming Self-
Destructive Habits. Hove:New York.
15
UNIT 2 THEORIES OF EMOTIONS
Structure
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Objectives
2.2 Theories of Emotions
2.2.1 James-Lange Theory of Emotion
2.2.2 Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
2.2.3 Bem’s Explanation of Behaviour
2.2.4 Schachter-Singer’s Two Factor Theory of Emotions
2.2.5 Schachter and Singer’s Experiment
2.2.6 Criticism of Two Factor Theory
2.2.7 Opponent-process Theory: Action and Reaction to Emotion
2.2.8 Lazarus’s Cognitive Theory
2.2.10Social Theories of Emotions
2.3 Let Us Sum Up

2.5 Glossary
2.6 Suggested Readings and References
2.0 INTRODUCTION
This unit explains about different theories put forward to explain basically about the
emotion and to explain the number of events occurring during emotions which we have
discussed in the pervious unit. The experimental work by psychologists and physiologists
has tried to identify the order of these events and also what changes are associated with
each event. This in turn has given rise to number of different theories of emotions.
As mentioned earlier, the emotion which is experienced has physiological, cognitive
and subjective components. But the important point is to determine whether the
physiological arousal leads to emotion experienced or the emotion experienced gives
rise to physiological arousal. This point has lead to research in formulating various
theories of emotion. The oldest theory was James-Lange theory, given by Lazarus.
2.1 OBJECTIVES
 Define emotions in terms of different theories;
 Explain the concept of emotions according to each theory;
 Put forward the various theories of emotions;
 Identify and explain the typical factors that exdplain emotions under each theory;
and
 Elucidate the similarities and differences among the various theories nof emotions.
16
Theories of Emotions
2.2 THEORIES OF EMOTIONS
Psychologists have proposed a number of theories about the origins and function of
emotions. The theorists agree on one thing that emotion has a biological basis, which is
evidenced by the fact that the amygdala (part of the limbic system of the brain), which
plays a large role in emotion, is activated before any direct involvement of the cerebral
cortex (where memory, awareness, and conscious “thinking” take place). There are
the following theories which explain the complex mental and physical experiences that
take place in humans called as “feelings” and these are:
 James-Lange theory
 Cannon-Bard theory
 Schachter-Singer theory
 Opponent-process theory
 Lazarus’s cognitive theory
 Arousal theory
 Social theories of emotions.
Suppose, in one of your courses, you are required to make a class presentation. As
you walk towards the dais, the front of the room, your pulse races, your mouth feels
dry and you can feel beads of perspiration coming on your forehead. This is just
because you are terrified. What is the basis for this feeling? Sharply contrasting answers
are offered by Cannon-Bard and James-Lange theories of emotion.
2.2.1 James-Lange Theory of Emotion

Proposed independently by psychologist William James and physiologist Carl Lange,
the James-Lange theory of emotion proposes that emotions occur as a result of
physiological reactions to events. According to this theory, you see an external stimulus
that leads to a physiological reaction. Your emotional reaction is dependent upon how
you interpret those physical reactions. For example, suppose you are walking in the
woods and you come across face to face with a bear. You begin to tremble and your
heart begins to race. The James-Lange theory proposes that you will interpret your
physical reactions and conclude that you are frightened (“I am trembling, therefore I am
afraid.”)
William James explained the same thing differently. He said that the bodily changes
follow directly the perception of the exciting fact, and that our feeling of the same
changes as the facts occur and these feelings are called emotions.
The James-Lange theory states:
Environmental influence (event) —> Physiological change —> Psychological
experience
In other words, James and Lange would say, “I feel afraid because I tremble”. If a
person sees a bear while walking along in the woods, James and Lange would suggest
that the person would tremble and then realise that, because they are trembling, they
are afraid.
According to James, his theory is that the bodily changes follow directly the perception
of the exciting fact. Our feelings of the same changes as they occur and this is called the
emotion. 17
Emotions Common sense says that when we lose our fortune, we are sorry and weep. We
encounter a bear, are frightened and run. We are insulted by a rival and we get angry
and strike that person.
This order of the sequence does not seem to be correct. What is actually correct,
according to James is that we feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike,
afraid because we tremble.
Without the bodily states following the perception, the latter would be purely cognitive
in form, pale, colourless, and devoid of emotional warmth. We might then see the bear,
and judge it best to run, receive the insult and deem it right to strike, but we should not
actually feel afraid or angry.
Problems:
Later studies separated the internal organs that James said caused arousal from the
CNS, but this did not eliminate emotional responding. So, perceptions of bodily changes
could not be the only factor involved in emotions. James Lange theory offers a more
surprising view of emotion. It suggests that the subjective emotional experiences are
actually the result of physiological changes within our bodies. In other words you feel
frightened when making your speech because you notice that your heart is racing, your
mouth is dry, and so on. We feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike, and
afraid because we tremble.
1) Discuss the theory of emotion as put forward by James and Lange.
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
2) How is the theory explained in terms of physiological aspects?
.....................................................................................................................
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.....................................................................................................................
2.2.2 Cannon – Bard Theory of Emotion

This theory suggests that various emotion provoking events induce simultaneously the
subjective experiences which are labeled by humans as emotions. All these emotions
are accompanied by physiological reactions and thus in the situation given as an example
of a student going to the stage to give a lecture, the sight of the audience and of his
professor, whose pen is poised to evaluate the student’s performance, causes the student
to experience a racing heart, a dry mouth and other signs of physiological arousal and at
the same time, also to experience subjective feelings which is labeled as fear. In other
words it may be stated that this situation stimulates various portions of the nervous
system so that both arousal, mediated by the autonomic nervous system and subjective
feelings, mediate in part by the individual’s cerebral cortex.
18
The Cannon-Bard theory is a physiological explanation of emotion developed by Walter Theories of Emotions
Cannon and Philip Bard, and states that we feel the emotions and experience the
physiological reactions such as sweating, trembling and muscle tension simultaneously.
More specifically, it is suggested that emotions result when the thalamus sends a message
to the brain in response to a stimulus, resulting in a physiological reaction.
For example: I see a snake —> I am afraid —> I begin to tremble.
According to the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, we react to a stimulus and experience
the associated emotion at the same time.
The Cannon Bard theory of emotion differs from other theories of emotion such as the
James Lange theory of emotion, which argues that physiological responses occur first
and this in turn cause the emotions.
The questions in regard to the emotions that arise are for instance
Where do our emotions come from?
What is it about the human body and mind that has the capacity to form emotions and
reactions to such a variety of situations?
Even more important, Why do we form these emotions?
According to Cannon-Bard, emotions do not come as a response to physiological
conditions. However, at the same time, neither do emotions come and then the body
creates a physical reaction to the said emotions. When we consider this philosophy we
realise that according to Cannon-Bard
“emotions and physiological responses occur at exactly the same time.”
When both these theories (James Lange and Cannon Bard’s) are considered, the issue
arises is that which of these theories is closer to the truth. Until recent decades, most
of the psychologists believed that Cannon-Bard theory was more accurate. They
reached this conclusion on the basis of several forms of evidence. More recently though
the pendulum of scientific opinion has begun to swing the other way and certain aspects
of James-Lange approach have gained increasing acceptance.
Additional support for the James-Lange theory of emotion is provided by studies of the
facial feedback hypothesis according to which changes in our facial expression sometimes
produce shifts in our emotional experiences rather than merely mirroring them.
In other words, as James would suggest, we feel happier while we smile, sadder when
we frown, and so on. While there are many complexities in examining the hypothesis,
the results of several studies offer support for accuracy.
1) Describe Cannon Bard Theory of emotions?
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19
Emotions
2) How do emotions emerge?
.....................................................................................................................
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.....................................................................................................................
3) In what way Cannon Bard’s theory differs from that of James Lange theory?
.....................................................................................................................
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.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
4) What are the common aspects in the above two theories?
.....................................................................................................................
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2.2.3 Bem’s Explanation for Behaviour

In 1978, Thomas Gilbert published Human Competence: Engineering Worthy
Performance which described the Behaviour Engineering Model (BEM) for
performance analysis. This model consists of three Leisurely Theorems that:
1) Distinguished between accomplishment and behaviour to define “worthy
performance”,
2) Identified methods for determining the “potential for improving performance (PIP)”
3) Described six essential components of behaviour that can be manipulated to effect
performance.
Determine Worthy or Desired Performance
The first step to using the BEM involves identifying desired or “worthy” performance.
This level of performance is characterised by behaviour (B), or what a person does,
and accomplishment (A), the outcomes of the behaviour.
Determine the Potential for Improving Performance (PIP)
The gap between desired and current performance can be determined by comparing
“the very best instance of that performance with what is typical” Exemplary
performance is demonstrated when behaviours result in the best outcomes. Typical
performance is the current level of performance. The potential for improving
performance is the ratio between the two and can be expressed as:
The PIP is the performance gap. The greater the gap, the greater the potential for
typical performers to improve their performance to the exemplary level. Rather than
viewing this gap as a problem, this model helps people see the potential for improvement
20 more positively (Chyung, 2002).
In order to understand what changes must be made to a management system to achieve Theories of Emotions
worthy performance, a performance technologist must first determine the influences on
behaviour. Gilbert (1978) states that behaviour is the product of the personal
characteristics of an individual (repertory) and the environment where behaviours occur.
Within each of these aspects of behaviour there are conditions that can be examined for
deficiencies and ultimately manipulated to improve performance. These six conditions
of behaviour are data, instruments, incentives, knowledge, capacity and motives.
Following the sequence of steps in the cause analysis process is most likely to uncover
the variables that can be improved with the least costly intervention strategies first.
Improvements to environmental conditions generally have the greatest leverage for
performance improvement. Providing people with clear expectations of and feedback
on performance, the right tools for the job, and appropriate rewards and recognition
for performance are often the most cost effective changes that can be implemented
within a management system.
2.2.4 Schachter-Singer’s Two-factor Theory of Emotions

This theory is similar to Bem’s explanation for the cause of behaviour in general.
Schachter’s theory looks specifically at how we decide what emotions we are
experiencing especially when we are experiencing one.
When trying to understand what kind of person we are, we first watch what we do and
feel and then deduce our nature from this.
This means that the first step in the experience of motions is to experience physiological
arousal. You are physiologically up or down compared to normal. We then try to find
a label to explain our feelings usually by looking at what what we are doing (behaviour)
and what else is happening at the time of arousal (environment) Thus we do not just
feel angry, happy or whjat ever. We experience general feeling and then decide what
the experience mean, a specific emotion.
Physiological arousal + Environment circumstances = Attributed emotions
e.g. 1. I am tense and sweating + a gun is being pointed at me = I am afraid.
e.g.2. I am tense and sweating + Sheela is looking at me and smiling = I am in love.
In both the examples, the state of arousal is the same. What changes is the environment.
Two factor theory argues that the cues in theenvironment are what determine the emotions
that we believe we are experiencing. Change the environment the emotions will also
change.
Like the James Lange theory of emotion, Schachter and Singer felt that physical arousal
plays a primary in emotions. However, they suggested that this arousal was the same
for a wide variety of emotions, so physical arousal alone could not be responsible for
emotional responses.
The two-factor theory of emotion focuses on the interaction between physical arousal
and how we cognitively label that arousal.
So, imagine you are alone in a dark parking lot walking toward your car. A strange man
suddenly emerges from a nearby row of trees and rapidly approaches. The sequence
that follows, according to the two-factor theory, would be much like this:
1) I see a strange man walking toward me.
2) My heart is racing and I am trembling. 21
Emotions 3) My rapid heart rate and trembling are caused by fear.
4) I am frightened!
The process begins with the stimulus (the strange man), which is followed by the physical
arousal (rapid heartbeat and trembling). Added to this is the cognitive label (associating
the physical reactions to fear), which is immediately followed by the conscious experience
of the emotion (fear).
2.2.5 Schachter and Singer’s Experiment

In a 1962 experiment, Schachter and Singer put their theory to the test. A group of 184
male participants were injected with epinephrine, a hormone that produces arousal
including increased heartbeat, trembling and rapid breathing. All of the participants
were told that they were being injected with a new drug to test their eyesight. However,
one group of participants was informed of the symptoms the injection might cause,
while other participants were not.
Participants were then placed in a room with another participant who was actually a
confederate in the experiment. The confederate either acted in one of two ways: euphoric
or angry. Participants who had not been informed about the effects of the injection
were more likely to feel either happier or angrier than those who had been informed.
Schachter and Singer developed the two-factor theory of emotion. The two-factor
theory suggests that emotion comes from a combination of a state of arousal and a
cognition that makes best sense of the situation the person is in. For example, the two-
factor theory of emotion argues that when people become aroused they look for cues
as to why they feel the way they do. If a person experiences a state of arousal for
which they have no immediate explanation, they will describe their emotions in terms of
the cognitions available to them at the time.
If a person experiences a state of arousal for which they have an appropriate explanation
e.g. ‘I feel this way because I have just received an injection of adrenalin’, then they
will be unlikely to describe their emotions in terms of the alternative cognitions available.
If a person is put in a situation, which in the past could have made them feel an emotion,
they will react emotionally or experience emotions only if they are in a state of
physiological arousal. The participants were 184 male college students, taking classes
in introductory psychology at Minnesota University.
As soon as the participant arrived, he was taken to a private room by the experimenter
and told that the aim of the experiment was ‘to look at the effects of vitamin injections
on visual skills’, and was asked if he would mind having an injection of ‘Suproxin’
(made up name).
184 out of 195 participants agreed to the injection. They were given an injection (by a
doctor) of either adrenalin (epinephrine) or a placebo, which was actually a saline
solution, which has no side effects at all. The effects of the adrenalin are an increase in
blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar level, respiration rate, and blood flow to the
muscles and brain, with an accompanying decrease in blood flow to the skin. This is
often experienced as palpitations, tremors, flushing and faster breathing. The effects
begin after three minutes and last from ten minutes to an hour.
The participants were then put in one of four experimental conditions:
1) Adrenalin Ignorant - participants were given no idea of the injection adrenain
22 2) Adrenalin informed - participants were informed what adrenalin will do
3) Adrenalin misinformed - participants were given wrong information about adrenalin Theories of Emotions
effect
4) Control group.
The researchers then made observational measures of emotional response through a
one-way mirror, and also took self-report measures from the participants. In the
euphoria condition the misinformed participants were feeling happier than all the others.
The second happiest group was the ignorant group. This demonstrates that these
participants were more susceptible to the stooge because they had no explanation of
why their bodies were reacting differently.
2.2.6 Criticism of Two-Factor Theory

While Schachter and Singer’s research spawned a great deal of further research, their
theory has also been subject to criticism. Other researchers have only partially supported
the findings of the original study, and have also shown contradictory results.
Other criticisms of the two-factor theory:
 Sometimes emotions are experienced before we think about them.
 There are actual physiological differences between emotions.
To sum up this theory, strong emotions are a common part of daily life, but how do we
tell them apart? How do we know that we are angry rather than frightened, sad rather
than surprised? One potential answer is provided by a third theory of emotion, that is
the two-factor theory of emotions by Schacter and Singer.
According to this view, emotion provoking events produce increased arousal. In response
to the feelings of arousal, we search the external environment in order to identify the
cause of such arousal feelings.
These causes that we select play a key role in determining the importance we place on
our arousal. If we feel aroused after a near-miss in traffic, we will probably label our
emotion as fear or perhaps anger. If instead we feel aroused in the presence of an
attractive person, we may label our arousal as attraction or love. In short, we perceive
ourselves to be experiencing the emotion based on the external cues, as well as our
processing them, and then suggest what we should be feeling. The theory is described
as a two factor theory because it considers both arousal and cognitive appraisal that we
perform in our efforts to identify the cause of such arousal.
2.2.7 Opponent-Process Theory: Action and Reaction to

Emotion
Have you ever noticed that when you experience a strong emotional reaction, it is soon
followed by the opposite reaction? Thus, elation is followed by a let-down, and anger
is followed by calm, or even by regret over one’s outbursts. This relationship is an
important focus of the opponent-process theory of emotion.
The theory has two central assumptions:
1) Emotional reactions to a stimulus are followed automatically by an opposite reaction
and,
2) Repeated exposure to a stimulus causes the initial reaction to weaken and the
opposite reaction, to strengthen.
23
Emotions To cite an example, let us say a student who initially enjoys making speeches in public
may experience a kind of a letdown after each speech is finished.
With repeated experiences in delivering speeches, the pleasure the student feels at
addressing large crowds may weaken, while the letdown intensifies or occurs sooner
after the speech is over. This would result in the student to gradually cut down on his
public speaking activities.
We have pairs of emotions that act in opposing pairs, such as happiness and sadness,
fear and relief, pleasure and pain. When one of these is experienced, the other is
temporarily suppressed. This opposite emotion, however, is likely to re-emerge strongly
and may curtail or interact with the initial emotion. Thus activating one emotion also
activates its opposite and they interact as a linked pair.
To some extent, this can be used to explain drug use and other addictive behaviour, as
the pleasure of the high is used to suppress the pain of withdrawal.
Sometimes these two conflicting emotions may be felt at the same time as the second
emotion intrudes before the first emotion wanes. The result is a confusing combined
experience of two emotions being felt at the same time that normally are mutually
exclusive. Thus we can feel happy-sad, scared-relieved, love-hate, etc. This can be
unpleasant but as an experiential thrill it can also have a strangely enjoyable element
(and seems to be a basis of excitement).
Research
Solomon and Corbit (1974) analysed the emotions of skydivers. Beginners experienced
extreme fear in their initial jump, which turned into great relief when they landed. With
repeated jumps, the fear of jumping decreased and the post-jump pleasure increased.
Example
A person buys something to cheer themselves up but later feels guilty at having spent so
much. So they buy something else to cheer up again.
A thrill seeker goes rafting. The excitement of the journey is a mix of fear of the next
rapids and relief at having survived the last one.
To stop a person feeling one thing, stimulate the opposite emotion.
Tell people good and bad news in close succession. Then in the confusion get them to
agree to your real request.
Defending
When you are stimulated to feel one emotion, pause and think about the future: will the
opposite appear afterwards? Is this what you want?
When you feel conflicting emotions, take care not to agree to anything. Calm down
first.
2.2.8 Lazarus’s Cognitive Theory

The importance of cognitive interpretation of circumstances in determining the arousal
levels is central to Lazarus Theory. In this theory he suggests that some degree of
cognitive processing is essential before an emotional reaction, either overt or internal,
can occur.
24
Lazarus et al.(1980) proposed a theory suggesting that emotion is a cognitive function, Theories of Emotions
arising as result of appraisal of a situation. A situation may be appraised as nonthreatening
leading to positive emotional states.
The actual emotion experienced depends upon other characteristics or circumstances.
A stimulus appraised as threatening leads to direct action, such as attack, retreat or
freezing, together with physiological responses such as these which accompany negative
states, including fear, anger or depression.
If direct action is impossible, coping strategies may be employed to reappraise the
situation benignly, in order to live with the threat. These coping strategies may be simply
to redefine the threat as ‘not’ as bad as it was first perceived.
For example, why does a wife continue to live with her husband who is violent towards
her? The husband who is the stimulus is appraised as threatening, but for various reasons
the wife cannot take direct action. Probably she cannot fight back, as her husband is
stronger, she cannot run away, as she has no one and nowhere to go.
In such cases, the situation is to be reappraised and a different solution is to be found
such as staying on with the husband and losing the extreme fear and doing things that
may prevent violence etc. A different thinking pattern may also perhaps help. In other
words, the woman may start thinking that the husband may not perhaps hit her again,
and that he is very considerate the next day and so on. Living with this reappraised
threat is less problematic than fear of the outside of that situation.
This theory is primarily descriptive, but the underlying mechanisms involved in emotion
such as the relationship between cognitions, feelings and expressions of emotion are
undefined to a great extent.
Thus to sum up the cognitive theory of emotions, it may stated that as follows:
Lazarus’ cognitive-mediational theory: This is an extension of Schacter-Singer theory.
Cognitive appraisal of a situation is of primary importance in emotional states. In contrast,
Zajonc (pronounced “ZI-ANTS,” rhymes with “science”) holds that we feel first and
think later. In other words, the emotional state strongly influences the cognitive appraisal.
More recently, cognitive scientists have proposed that there may be different components
to our response to stimuli, but it is not productive to segregate them into cognitive vs.
emotional categories.

Many researchers have suggested that arousal theory could form the basis of a theory
of emotion. Arousal is a nonspecific physiological response, heightening a person’s
awareness. Mandler(1982), suggested that the interruption of ongoing thought process
or behaviour sequences is sufficient to activate the Autonomic Nervous System. This
creates s state of general physiological arousal, which is then given an emotional label,
based on the cognitive interpretation of the stimulus. This suggests that all physiological
and all emotional responses are the same and that differentiation arises solely at cognitive
level. However sadness and depression are two emotions seen as parasympathetic
responses and not simply a lack of arousal.
2.2.10 Social Theories of Emotions

Emotion can spread rapidly through large crowds, as the massive social proof leads us
into extreme states. This explains much of crowd behaviour, where ‘normal’ people act
in ways they may later deeply regret. Social contagion effects, can also occur when 25
Emotions people believe they have been infected by a disease. As more people show the
(psychosomatic) symptoms, this is taken as proof that ‘I am bound to get it’. To give
an example, emotions take over when people are watching a football match and all of
them react as if they are almost one. If you yourself go to this match, you will also get
into the same emotional state of mind.
To wind someone up, take them to an exciting mass-audience event, from sports to
rock concerts. Whilst they are in the flow of the moment, start whooping and dancing
wildly. They may well join in. Then take a photo of them and show all your friends.
When at crowd events, by all means get swept up in the enjoyment, but keep a part of
you separate, watching for inappropriate behaviour in other people. Let it step in to
prevent you from slipping over the cliff into hysteria.
There are number of theories which concentrate only on social aspect of emotion. As
we all know there is a fundamental human need to belong to social groups. Evolution
has taught us that survival and prosperity is more likely if we live and work together.
However, to live together, we need to agree on common beliefs, values, attitudes and
behaviours that reduce in-group threats act for the common good.
We thus learn to conform to rules of other people. And the more we see others behaving
in a certain way or making particular decisions, the more we feel obliged to follow suit.
This will happen even when we are in a group of complete strangers. We will go along
with the others to avoid looking like a fool. However the forces are strongest when we
care most about respect and love from others in the group. Thus families and friends
can apply very strong normative influence in regard to emotions.
People with lower self-esteem and who crave approval of others may well be more
easily influenced this way. When a person in a group does not conform, then they may
be considered a deviant and both private and public advice may be given to them on
how to fit in. If they still do not obey norms, they will eventually be ejected and
membership of the group revoked. Many emotional expressions depend on this factor
based on various situations.
National culture also has a significant effect upon emotional expression and emotions
and people in countries like Japan, who have collectivist cultures, are far more likely to
be influenced than in more individualistic cultures, such as in the USA (although it is a
testament to the power of this effect that it still has a massive impact here). Solomon
Asch showed a group of people a line on a card and asked them to find a matching line
from a group of three lines on another card, one of which was pretty obviously the right
choice. The catch was that all except one person in the group were collaborators and
chose the wrong line. When it came to the ‘victim’s turn, guess what? In a range of
experiments, 76% of them followed suit. The presence of just one supporter reduced
this to 18%. To give an example fads and fashions lean heavily on normative social
influence. So do racial, political and other situations of persuasion. All these influence
emotional status considerably. Thus, to change a person’s emotions and behaviour, put
them in a group who (perhaps primed) clearly all exhibit the desired behaviour. Then
engineer the situation so the person must exhibit the behaviour or face potential rejection
or other social punishment. If they do not comply, ensure the group gives steadily
increasing social punishment rather than rejecting the target person immediately. When
they do comply, they should receive social reward (e.g. praise, inclusion).
This theory states that the likelihood that a person will respond to social influence in
regard to emotional expression, will increase with:
26
 Strength: how important the influencing group of people are to you. Theories of Emotions
 Immediacy: how close the group are to you (in space and time) at the time of the
influence attempt.
 Number: How many people there are in the group.
Increasing the numbers has a decreasing incremental effect (going from 2 to 3 has more
effect than going from 66 to 67). In fact beyond four or five, the effect tails off rapidly.
This is the Social Influence Model. The effect is most powerful when everyone in the
group (apart from the person being persuaded) clearly agree.
When your friends try to persuade you about something, find out who is behind it, and
who is just going along with things. Divide and conquer: set up a counter-group. Or
expose the situation for what it is. The rules that a group uses for appropriate and
inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. These rules may be explicit or
implicit.
Failure to stick to the rules can result in severe punishments, the most feared of which is
exclusion from the group. A common rule is that the some norms must frequently be
displayed; neutrality is seldom an option.
Other norms include:
 Injunctive Norms are behaviours which are perceived as being approved of by
other people.
 Descriptive Norms are perceptions of how other people are actually behaving,
whether or not these are approved of.
 Explicit Norms are written or spoken openly.
 Implicit Norms are not openly stated (but you find out when you transgress them).
 Subjective Norms: Expectations that valued others have about how we will behave.
 Personal Norms: Standards we have about our own actions.
Norms are often transmitted by non-verbal behaviour, for example with ‘dirty looks’
when people act outside the norms. They may also be transmitted through stories,
rituals and role-model behaviour. Norms have very strong influence on emotions. People
get swayed by the norms and get emotional when there is a deviance from the norm.
For instance, a common group norm amongst academics is that dress is casual (with
the underlying implication that what goes on in the mind is more important than what
goes on the body).
Think up a rule. When other people transgress it, frown. When they follow it smile.
Before long they’ll get the point and you’ll be smiling all of the time. Identify the rules
that other people are putting on you as a condition for being in their group. Do you
really want to follow these rules? Are there any which are particularly irksome? Can
you lead a revolution? Is it really worth putting up with these, or is leaving the group a
better option?
When we do not know how to behave, we copy other people. Even in regard to
emotions we tend to go by others’ emotions. Thus others act as information sources
for how to behave or what kind of emotions to express as we assume that they know
what they are doing. Also because we care a great deal about what others think about
us, this provides a safe course of action, that is at the very least, they cannot criticize us
for our actions. 27
Emotions We are more likely to use this principle when the task in question is important to us.
This leads to such effects as people ignoring public muggings and cult members being
led into bizarre and even suicidal acts. This shows how people can be swayed by
emotions.
Private acceptance occurs when we genuinely believe the other person is right. This
can lead to permanent changes in beliefs, values and behaviours. On the other hand,
public compliance occurs when we copy others because we fear ridicule or rejection if
we behave otherwise.
Informational social influence (also called social proof) occurs most often when:
 The situation is ambiguous. We have choices but do not know which to select.
 There is a crisis. We have no time to think and experiment. A decision is required
now!
 Others are experts. If we accept the authority of others, they must know better
than us.
In other words, when we are not sure of our own ability to know what to do, we will
look to others to tell us.
For permanent change, precede this by sufficient work that they trust you completely
and view you as an authority with enviable values and beliefs.
i) Averill’s social theory: According to Averill (1983), emotions are considered as
transitory social roles. A person adopts the role defined by his or culture for the
emotion being experienced.
ii) Weiner’s attributional theory: This theory suggests that we attribute causes to all
events that happen irrespective of having adequate information. Weiner sees
emotions as coming from these attributions. These may initially be good or bad
reactions, which are then refined into recognisable emotions once a cause has
been attributed to the situation.
Match the following:
A. Stimulus leads to bodily arousal first,
which is then interpreted as emotion 1. Opponent Process theory
B. Strong emotional reactions are followed
by opposite emotional reaction 2. Arousal
C. State of mental readiness for activity 3. Cannon-Bard Theory
D. Reactions coming from attributions
later are refined as emotions 4. James-Lange theory
E. The physiological reaction and the
emotion are assumed to occur
at the same time 5. Lazarus theory
F. Two factor theory 6. Schachter Singer theory
28
Theories of Emotions
2.3 LET US SUM UP
Different theories have been put forwardby various psychologists and physiologists to
explain basically about the emotion and to explain the number of events occurring
during emotions. The theories of emotions include James-Lange theory, Cannon-Bard
theory, Schachter-Singer theory, Opponent-process theory, Lazarus’s cognitive theory,
Arousal theory and Social theories of emotions. The James-Lange theory contends
that the emotion provoking stimuli induce physiological reactions and these form the
basis for subjective cognitive states called as emotions. The Cannon-Bard theory of
emotion suggests that emotion provoking events simultaneously elicit physiological
reactions and the subjective cognitive states are labeled as emotions. Another theory
known as Schachter-Singer theory suggests that when we are aroused by emotion
provoking stimuli, we search the external environment for the cause of our feelings of
arousal. The causes we select then determine the emotions we experience. According
to opponent process theory, strong emotional reactions are followed by opposite
emotional reactions.

1) What are Emotions? Describe the characteristic features of emotions.
2) Why does emotion arise?
3) What are the effects of emotions on the behaviour of the individual?
4) Discuss each theory of emotions and bring out the salient features.
5) What is the hallmark of Schachter Singer theory?
6) What are social theories of emotions?
2.5 GLOSSARY
Two factor theory of emotion : Schachter’s theory which proposes that both
physiological processes and cognitive appraisal
are implicated in the experience of emotions.
Arousal : is defined as a state of mental readiness for an
activity.
Cognitive appraisal : it is a process through which we can assess the
possible effect of a situation on our state of
wellbeing, before responding to it.

Tonu Malim & Ann Birch (1998). Introductory Psychology. Macmillan press, London.
Sandura K. Ciccarelli & Glenn E. Meyer (2007). Psychology. Pashupati printers.
Psychology. Oxford & IBH Publishing co.,
References
E.G Parameswaran, C.Beena (2002). An Invitation to Psychology. Neelkamal
Publications. 29
Emotions Daniel Goleman (1995) . Emotional Intelligence. Bantom books.
Lewis, M. & Haviland-Jones. J.M (2000) . Handbook of Emotions. (2nd ed).
NewYork: Guildford.
its effects on the students academic achievement. Unpublished thesis.
Destructive Habits. Hove: New York.
30
UNIT 3 AROUSAL LEARNING AND
PERFORMANCE
Structure
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Objectives
3.2 Physiology and Emotions
3.3 AutonomicNervous System
3.3.1 The Role of Hypothalamus
3.4 Emotion and Cognitions

3.4.1 Emotion and Arousal
3.4.2 Arousal and Learning
3.4.3 Emotions and Performance
3.5 Let Us Sum Up

3.7 Glossary
3.0 INTRODUCTION
In the previous unit you had read about various theories of emotions. In the present unit
we shall see about arousal, learning and performance. The unit focuses on mainly the
meaning of arousal and its role in learning and performance. It depicts very clearly the
link between emotions and arousal, learning and performance. In the previous unit we
have seen that emotions are strong feelings and these, at many times, act as motivating
factors in enabling an individual to perform certain acts to satisfy the needs. Before
knowing these it is very essential to know the physiological basis for emotion which
includes the anatomy and physiology of various endocrine glands and the Autonomic
nervous system and their role in emotional experience. This unit explains how the
physiological changes take place when there is arousal because of the role of endocrine
glands and autonomic nervous system.
3.1 OBJECTIVES
 Describe what arousal means;
 Explain the physiology of emotions;
 Identify the effects of emotions on arousal; and
 Analyse the relationship between emotions, learning and performance.
3.2 PHYSIOLOGY AND EMOTION

Our emotional reactions and the changes happening both internally and externally due
to emotions are because of the Endocrine glands and the Autonomic nervous system.
So it is very essential to understand the functions of hormones and the Autonomic
nervous system (ANS). This will help us to know the physiological changes that take 31
Emotions place in our body. When there is Arousal it brings about the changes in our behaviour.
Let us look into these details.
The Ductless Glands: In our body there are a number of glands which maintain and
stimulate the normal process of growth and development. Physiology deals with all
these in detail. In psychology we are more concerned with some of the glands called as
ductless glands. The interplay of these ductless glands is largely responsible for the
physiological changes connected with experiences of emotion. These glands are called
as ductless glands because they have no ducts or pipes. Their secretion is directly
poured into the blood stream. They are also called as endocrine glands. These secretions
are called as hormones. These hormones have the power to accelerate or retard the
activity of the body and its organs. The increased physical energy available during an
emotion is due to these hormones which are secreted at an accelerated rate while under
certain emotions. These endocrine glands are: the thyroid, the parathyroid, Adrenal, the
Gonads, the Pituitary and the Pancreas. The figure below presents the different glands
in different areas of our body. (Refer to www.justintra.net/nepa/what.php)
Fig. 1
A proper balance of the secretions from different glands is necessary to ensure good
physical and mental health. Though we consider each of these glands separately, it
should be remembered that these endocrine glands are highly interdependent. There is
constant interaction amongst these glands.
The thyroid gland: This is located at the base of the neck and the hormone secreted by
this gland is called thyroxin. Thyroxin is essential for the metabolism of the body. If this
hormone is not adequate, the amount of oxygen consumed becomes less and metabolism
gets affected. When thyroid is active to an abnormal extent the individual becomes
restless, irritable and unstable. If the gland is destroyed the individual becomes sluggish
and forgetful. Malfunctioning of this gland during early childhood will affect physical
growth and development as well as intelligence. These glands thus influence
32
temperamental, emotional and intellectual characteristics of an individual.
The parathyroid gland: These are still smaller glands lying near the neck close to the Arousal Learning and
Performance
thyroids. They are four in number. These are known to control assimilation of calcium.
They have also important functions with regard to emotions. If parathyroids are defective,
the individual becomes restless and emotionally unstable. It might be noted that similar
restlessness is produced by excess of thyroxin, the hormone of thyroid gland. Thus we
find thyroid and parathyroids are opposed to each other in their function. Hence for
normal health, appropriate balance between the two will be necessary.
The adrenal glands: These are the little glands located near the kidneys. Each adrenal
gland has two parts, an outer covering called cortex and the inner part called the medulla.
Each part has its own function and hormone. The medulla or the inner area secretes the
hormone called ‘adrenalin’. Adrenalin is a very potent hormone having various effects
on our general physiological working. If a small quantity is injected into the blood it can
produce changes like strong rapid heart beat, delay in the activities in the stomach and
intestines, release of extra sugar from the liver, retarding muscular fatigue etc. Thus we
find that the accelerated activity and increased physical strength and stamina during
some emotional experiences are due to extra discharge of adrenalin.
The hormone secreted by outer part of the cortex of the adrenal gland is called ‘cortin’.
Absence of this hormone results in death. It helps in sustained muscular activity. Some
of the psychological characteristics resulting from want of cortin produces pronounced
masculine characteristics in women like change in voice, growth of beard, etc.
The Gonads: The gonads are the basic sex organs forming the ovary in female and
testes in males. The primary function is to produce the reproductive cells viz., ovum and
the spermatozoa. These glands are also responsible for general developmental process
of the individual. These gonads begin to function only at the time of puberty, during
which they promote the development of sex organs and sex characteristics. Most of the
personality characteristics resulting from over-sexuality depend upon these hormones.
The pituitary gland: The pituitary gland is situated at the bottom of the brain. It is also
called as the master gland because it controls most of the other glands. Part of the
pituitary gland produces hormones which stimulate all the other glands. These glands
actually depend on the pituitary gland for their normal development and normal
functioning. The other part of pituitary gland controls to a large extent the process of
physical growth.
The Pancreas: It is situated near adrenals and produces the hormone called insulin
which helps in burning of sugar to produce energy. Failure of pancreas causes the
disease Diabetes and an excess of insulin will produce anxiety, restlessness and mental
distress.
We have so far emphasised the role of endocrine glands in producing certain
psychological characteristics and also physiological changes connected with emotions.
It should be kept in mind that the form of any one particular psychological characteristics
as restlessness, or under sexuality, one cannot make the diagnosis that a particular
gland is not functioning. The outward expressions of these psychological characteristics
and physiological changes also depend in case of humans, to a large extent on various
social and cultural factors.
The endocrine glands are closely related with functioning of autonomic nervous system
and Hypothalamus. Hence it is also very essential to understand autonomic nervous
system and the Hypothalamus.
33
Emotions
3.3 AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
The ANS is a part of central nervous system but has autonomy of its own. The autonomic
nervous system is controlled more by hypothalamus and the cerebral cortex. It is directly
involved in our emotional life. As said earlier, that one of the characteristics of emotion
is that, if we bring the cerebral cortex into action and reason out things, the emotion
tends to disappear. Thus it can be seen that emotions are related to the interbrain rather
than the cerebrum.
The ANS has its own important functions to perform. The ANS has its own nerves that
are connected to various glands and internal organs such as heart, lungs, liver, stomach,
kidneys, etc. The autonomic nervous system has got two functional divisions called as
parasympathetic and sympathetic division. Both these divisions are connected with all
the internal organs and glands. The parasympathetic division controls the glandular
activities that are needed for the health of the organism. These include nutrition, oxidation
promoting growth, sex functions etc.
In the normal state all these biological functions are controlled and promoted by
parasympathetic part of the ANS. The sympathetic division comes into activity when
the individual is in a state of danger or emergency. The extra energy which is needed in
a dangerous situation is released and controlled by this sympathetic system through the
relevant endocrine glands. When the sympathetic division is active the parasympathetic
functions are withheld or suspended. This happens because they perform the opposed
functions. For example, when there is danger it is more important to overcome that
than to digest one’s food or attend to some other biological need.
The threat to the very existence of the organism should be attended to at first. In recent
years some psychologists have noticed that individuals differ in this differential functioning.
Some individuals tend towards more of sympathetic functioning and some towards
parasympathetic functioning.
Fig. 2
34 (Source: http://www.google.com/images?sa=3&q=Fig.+3.4%28i%29%3A+Yerkes)
3.3.1 The Role of Hypothalamus Arousal Learning and
Performance
The hypothalamus is considered to play an important role with regard to the experiencing
of emotion. This was first noticed when it was found that the individuals with injured
hypothalamus became incapable of having emotions. They were characterised by an
apathy. Subsequently experiment were also conducted with animals conforming this
result. The experiments, however, have not fully explained the nature of the part played
by the hypothalamus. The available results show that the overt behavioural expressions
during emotion are activated by the hypothalamus. The conscious experience of feeling
of emotion and the important aspect of emotional experience, viz., its being directed
towards some particular goal or situation, have not been in any manner explained by
these experiments conducted on animals. When hypothalamus is electrically stimulated
in animals, they undergo some psychological changes and bodily expressions similar to
those obtained in actual emotional experience. But many observers have noticed a kind
of unreality about it, because taking the whole context into account, the animal’s
behaviour seemed artificial and significantly different from that of an animal undergoing
a real emotion.
3.4 EMOTION AND COGNITION

How thoughts are shaped by feelings and feelings are shaped by thoughts.
The findings of many different studies indicate that our current moods do indeed influence
many aspects of cognition. It has been found that our moods, or affective states as they
are often termed (Isen, 1987), strongly influence our perception of ambiguous stimuli.
In general we perceive and evaluate these stimuli more favorably when we are in a
good mood than when we are in a negative one.
The positive and negative moods exert a strong influence on memory. In general,
information consistent with our current mood is easier to remember than information
inconsistent with it. Positive and negative affect have also been found to influence the
way in which information is organised in memory. For example, when we are in good
mood we tend to learn better as we have good memory. Similarly in bad state of mood
there is a negative effect on memory and hence there will be lot of forgetting happening
obstructing the learning process.
3.4.1 Emotion and Arousal

We all feel emotions on an ongoing basis. At times we get into such a state of arousal
that our bodies experience heightened physiological activity and extremes of emotion.
This can be both powerful and dangerous, both for ourselves and for others.
States of arousal can be positive or negative and may include any of these such as fear,
anger, curiosity and love, which are felt with an overpowering intensity that drives us to
act, often in an unthinking way.
Emotional arousal is considered as a process, which means it happens as a sequence
over time. The first step here is that arousal often happens through a trigger, which
appears through one of our senses. Thus, for example, arousal can happen through:
 Touch: A punch, kiss or caress
 Vision: Seeing something shocking or desirable
 Hearing: A sudden noise or somebody saying something
 Smell: An evocative odour that triggers powerful memories
35
 Taste: Of wonderful or disgusting food
Emotions Arousal typically happens when the body releases chemicals into the brain that act to
stimulate emotions, reduce cortical functioning. When the cortical functioning is reduced,
to that extent the persons’s conscious control is also reduced. Thus the entire body
gets the maximum energy input from various sources and thus becomes ready to act
against the stimuli that is creating the imbalance.
In situations of negative stress, we enter the fight or flight state, when primitive responses
designed to keep us alive are kicked into motion.
In sexual arousal, our bodies prepare themselves for sexual intercourse and our brains
go into overdrive in a state of intense desire for completion of this most basic of acts.
In other states of stimulation, people report feelings of ‘being more alive’, as senses
become more acute and the skin prickles in excitement.
For many people being aroused is a pleasurable state that plays to basic needs for
stimulation.
Even negative states such as fear and anger have their benefits. Angry people report
feeling all-powerful, perhaps harking back to neonatal states of infantile omnipotence.
Fearful people also may access early memories of being subsequently comforted. Fear
is also a common factor in many hobbies, especially extreme sports, where people do
things deliberately to become aroused, from skiing to watching horror movies.
In states of depression, the opposite occurs and the person may be unable to feel any
sense of arousal, interest and engagement with the world.
By understanding the process by which people become aroused, one can gain control
of whether and how arousal happens. The first place to start with this is one’s own self.
If the person becomes emotionally aroused, then the possibility of the person losing
some control over thinking and other cognitivie functions become high. This is often not
a good thing, so learning self-control can be a critical skill.
The next step is to understand how others become aroused and learning to control that
process, from activating triggers to managing the emotions.
Arousal has been defined as a ‘state of mental readiness for activity’. Arousal is mediated
in the CNS through the reticular formation. Low arousal may be manifest by a drowsy
or bored state, indicating a low level of activity in the reticular formation and the areas
of the cortex to which it projects. High arousal states, excitement, panic or hysteria, are
the behavioural equivalents of high neural arousal. Arousal is nonspecific and can be
assumed to apply to many forms of motivation. Arousal theory suggests that animals,
including humans, are constantly seeking an optimum level of arousal. Extremes of
arousal produces stress and a corresponding decrement in performance (Yerkes- Dodson
law). Performance increases up to an optimum level of arousal. If arousal continues
to increase, performance declines. Stress may occur. The figure below present s the
detail. (Taken from Dodson + law & btnG =Search+images
36
Arousal Learning and
Performance
Fig. 3
http://www.google.com/images?sa=3&q=Fig.+3.4%28i%29%3A+Yerkes-+ )
A higher level of arousal is necessary for a simple, boring task, while slightly lower level
of arousal for more complex task. Arousal level vary between individuals. You may
have noticed this phenomenon yourself: if you become too highly stressed before an
exam, perhaps because you are desperate to do well, your performance is likely to be
lower than you would expect of yourself. The nonspecific idea of arousal would suggest
that all stimuli would produce the same pattern of arousal; in real life, researchers have
not found this to be so. As a model of stress, the concept of arousal has limited use.
Research has found that different tasks require different levels of arousal for optimal
performance. For example, difficult or intellectually demanding tasks may require a
lower level of arousal (to facilitate concentration), whereas tasks demanding stamina or
persistence may be performed better with higher levels of arousal (to increase motivation).
For example, Why do you do those things which you like very well and which is your
passion? The answer to this question is very simple. Anyone would say that the
performance is because of interest within you. It is exactly right because the strong
feeling in this case is the amount of liking towards that particular thing energizes the
person by arousal effect to perform much better.
3.4.2 Arousal and Learning

It is a known fact that performance of any individual is directly based upon the learning
of that individual. For example, a student performs well when his learning had been of
a good standard. If the student did not learn the task which he/she has to perform then
definitely their performance will be poor as performance is based on learning.
Man learns many things because of his superior intelligence and the power of retention
and recall. Factors of arousal which can be in the form of strong motives also enables
the individual to learn. For example, if a child has love towards parents then the child
learns to do those things very easily by learning them to do very quickly. Similarly if the
child had not been aroused, he may feel bored and hence would learn the task rather
later than the child who has been aroused optimally.
To give an example, we may say that because of passion towards driving a car, the
individual pays more attention and energy to learn what he wants and satisfies his desires.
An angry person wanting to take revenge on the other person learns the necessary
things much quickly to satisfy his goal when compared to another person who does not
have any emotional involvement in learning the same task. 37
Emotions 3.4.3 Emotions and Performance
Emotions act as a very important tool in helping in the performance of an individual.
Things which are normally done at a very low pace are done at a much faster rate in
individuals who are under some emotional arousal. For example, a person may run
faster than ever before at the site of a snake or a tiger because of the emotion called
fear is experienced by him. An angry man for example can defeat a mighty man
because of his extra energy due to his emotion called anger. However, if the arousal is
too high then the performance of the individual will get adversely affected. For example,
a student who is too tensed and very anxious about the exam may not be able to
concentrate properly on preparation, forgoes sleep and food because of fear and thus
the performance gets adversely affected.
A certain amount of arousal can be a motivator towards change obtained through
learning. But too much or too little will be acting against the learner. Too little arousal
has an inner effect on learner impeding learning process and too much arousal has an
arousal effect impeding learning and performance in an individual. Thus it can be
stated that optimal learning and optimal performance depends on optimal level of arousal.
1) What is the effect of high arousal level of an individual on their performance on a
particular task?
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
2) What does Yerkes- Dodson law state?
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
3) How are emotions and performance related?
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
3.5 LET US SUM UP

Arousal is a state of mental readiness for activity. During this state the various endocrine
glands function accordingly in releasing their hormones which act as the cause for bringing
various internal and external changes in the body of an individual. The changes in ANS
comprising of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system brings about changes
in making an individual to act according to the stimulus experienced. According to
Yerkes- Dodson law, the Performance increases up to an optimum level of arousal ; if
arousal continues to increase, performance declines. Optimal learning and optimal
performance depends on optimal level of arousal.

1) Explain the role of emotion on learning and performance.
2) How does arousal affect performance?
38
3) Explain the role of endocrine gland ad ANS in emotions.
4) Discuss the physiology of emotions. Arousal Learning and
Performance
5) How are emotions related to cognitions?
6) Discuss the role of autonomic nervous system inn emotions.
3.7 GLOSSARY
Arousal : state of mental readiness for activity.
Endocrine glands : Glands that are ductless and directly pouring their
harmones into blood.
Adrenal gland Adrenal gland : One of a pair of small glands, each of which sits
on top of one of the kidneys. The adrenal is made
up of an outer wall (the cortex) and an inner
portion (the medulla).
The adrenal glands produce hormones that help
control the heart rate, blood pressure, the way
the body uses food, and other vital functions. The
adrenal cortex secretes steroid (cortisone-
related) hormones and mineralocortoids that
regulate the levels of minerals such as sodium
and potassium in the blood.
Thyroid gland Thyroid gland : A gland that makes and stores hormones that
help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body
temperature, and the rate at which food is
converted into energy.
Thyroid hormones are essential for the function
of every cell in the body. They help regulate
growth and the rate of chemical reactions
(metabolism) in the body. Thyroid hormones also
help children grow and develop.
The thyroid gland is located in the lower part of
the neck, below the Adam’s apple, wrapped
around the trachea (windpipe). It has the shape
of a butterfly: two wings (lobes) attached to one
another by a middle part.
3.8 SUGGESGTED READINGS AND REFERENCES

Sandura K. Ciccarelli & Glenn E. Meyer (2007). Psychology. Pashupati printers.
psychology. Oxford & IBH Publishing co.,328-355.
References
Publications.
Lewis, M. & Haviland-Jones. J.M (2000). Handbook of Emotions. (2nd ed).
NewYork: Guildford.
Destructive Habits. Hove:New York. 39
UNIT 4 MANAGEMENT OF EMOTIONS
AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS
Structure
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Objectives
4.2 Emotional Intelligence
4.3 Emotional Competency
4.4 Management of Emotions
4.5 Emotions and Psychological Status
4.6 Let Us Sum Up
4.8 Glossary
4.0 INTRODUCTION
The nearest and dearest emotion to many people is happiness which is a state of well-
being and contentment that is much to be desired. According to Mayers and colleagues
(2000), happiness is the key to many things enabling the perception of the world as a
safer place, healthier and more satisfying lives, and perception also that one has the
ability to make decisions more easily.
Emotions play a very vital role in every individual’s life. They add colour to our lives and
without emotions there is no meaning to our lives. Life becomes boring and monotonous
without presence of emotions. It makes life beautiful and also lively but at the same time
the same emotions can make life even worst and miserable by making them commit
worst of the crimes. It is very essential for an individual to understand the importance of
emotions in our lives and the role they play making our lives happy and joyful and also
in making our lives miserable and sad. The modern concept of emotions focuses on
emotional competency and emotional intelligence. Having knowledge of emotional
intelligence and enhancing ones own emotional competency levels to become emotionally
competent helps in contributing towards maintaining good psychological status.
4.1 OBJECTIVES
After completing this unit you will be able to:
 Explain the importance of emotions on psychological health;
 Define and describe emotional intelligence;
 Explain emotional competency;
 Discriminate between emotional intelligence and emotional competency; and
 Identify strategies in the management of emotions and its influence on psychological
40 status.
Management of Emotions
4.2 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE and Psychological Status
The modern concept of emotions focuses on Emotional competency and emotional

intelligence. The term emotional intelligence has been widely used by many people. It
was first brought into focus that intelligence is not just the general ability but has three
different levels of functioning i.e., abstract intelligence, mechanical intelligence and
social intelligence. Later Gardner(1983), has brought about the concept of multiple
intelligence. Mayer and Solovey(1990) had coined the term “Emotional Intelligence”,
being aware of the previous work on non-cognitive aspects of intelligence. They
described emotional intelligence as a form of social intelligence. In the early 1990’s
Daniel Goleman became aware of Salovey and Mayer’s work and eventually led into
the study in his book “Emotional Intelligence”. Goleman has tried to make a distinction
between emotional intelligence and emotional competencies. It is referred in relation to
emotions. The merging of emotion and intelligence as a cognitive ability under the caption
of ‘Emotional intelligence’ was proposed by a Yale Psychologist (Salovey, Woolery,
&Mayer, 1990) of university of New Hampshire. Emotional intelligence may be more
clearly distinguished from general intelligence as involving the manipulation of emotions
and emotional content.
Emotional intelligence determines our potential for learning the practical skills based on
the five elements: self awareness, motivation, self regulation, empathy and adeptness in
relationships. Emotional intelligence involves striking a balance between emotion and
reason in which neither is completely in control. Emotionally intelligent people know
when it is right to control their emotions and when it is right to be controlled by them.
Emotional intelligence also involves the ability to read other people’s emotions correctly.
4.3 EMOTIONAL COMPETENCY

Emotional Competency is “A learned capability based on emotional intelligence that
results in outstanding performance at work (Cary & Goleman, 2005 ). Emotional
Competencies are job skills that can, and indeed must be learned. An underlying
Emotional Intelligence is necessary, though not sufficient, to manifest competency in
any one of the four Emotional Intelligence domains, or clusters. Although our emotional
intelligence determines our potential for learning the practical skills that underlie the four
Emotional Intelligence clusters, our emotional competency shows how much of that
potential we have realised by learning and mastering skills and translating these skills
into coping strategies of practical life. Emotional Competency is “A learned capability
based on emotional intelligence that results in outstanding performance at work. Let us
take an example, Let us say that an individual travelling in the bus accidentally stamps
another man’s leg and immediately says sorry for that. But the other person whose leg
was stamped could not control the anger because of pain and starts shouting at the
person and makes a fuss of that. If we take this person into consideration who had
stamped, even though knowing that the other person is provoking to fight, he simply
ignores and continues to move on his way by handling the situation intelligently without
being effected.
Emotional competency thus is an efficiency to deal effectively with several dissociable
but related processes. It is a blending of five competencies (Coleman, 1970):
i) Adequate Depth of Feeling: It is feeling capable with all reality assumptions
associated with effective judgment and personality integration ensuring vigorous
participation in living. Example: Having very slight impact of day to day events on
oneself.
41
Emotions ii) Adequate Expression and Control of Emotions: It is to accept emotions and
have adequate control over them marked by adequate emotional expressiveness
based on fulsome expression and control of emotions. To give an example of this
we can say that a person does not lose control at all even on major life incidents.
iii) Ability to Function with Emotions: It refers to the ability of an individual not to
get affected by emotional situations. He maintains adequate mode of functioning
in performing daily routine actions properly. For example, even in the conditions
of feelings like fear, anxiety, anger the individual will be able to take decisions and
does his job properly.
iv) Ability to cope with Problem Emotions: It is to have understanding of the role
of sensitivity and the detrimental effects of problem emotions and resist their harmful
effects. To give an example, it may be stated that the fear of strange circumstances
does not remain or linger onin the individual.
v) Encouragement of positive Emotions: It is to have a high proportion of positive
emotions, which show a constructive influence in the dynamics of behaviour to
ensure a meaningful and fairly well integrated life. To take an example, let us say
that an individual never misses an opportunity to be happy.
An individual is said to be emotionally competent when they possess competent ways
of handing the emotions as described in the above components of emotions.
4.4 MANAGEMENT OF EMOTIONS

To handle emotions and manage emotions effectively, it is very essential to know about
emotions, which involve the meaning of emotions and biological basis of emotions, the
nature of emotions, types of emotions and effects of emotions on health of an individual.
The most important aspect of managing emotions primarily focuses on the emotional
intelligence of the individual and to become emotionally competent.
Some of the common means of handling emotions include:
 Identify the emotion which you are feeling at the moment.
Example: if you had a fight with your friend then it is very important to know how
you are feeling at that point of time. Ask yourself whether you are angry with your
friend or sad for the thing which had happened.
 Accepting the emotions without denying them.
Example: If you are angry or jealous or sad, then let yourself know that you are
jealous etc., and say to yourself that you are angry or jealous rather than denying
by not accepting.
 Not hanging on too much by thinking excessively about the unpleasant emotions if
being experienced.
Example: If you are sad because of the thing which happened, then do not keep
thinking about it again and again all the time keeping away all the things which you
have to do. Try to do something which diverts your mind from the thought that
makes you feel sad by remembering the incident.
 Sharing the feelings with some one whom you trust rather than piling up them
within one self.
42
Example: It is very essential to vent out your feelings to the right person whether it Management of Emotions
and Psychological Status
is your friend, partner or parents on whom you have confidence. You feel lightened
and released. This does not allow the emotions to get piled up within yourself
leading to frustration and stress which may further lead to mental disturbances.
 Expressing out your emotions when you experience them.
Example: When you experience sadness express your feeling by letting the other
person know how you are feeling or weep so as to get relief from your emotion. If
being happy share your happiness to express either in words or acts. Do not
express too much of your emotions or too less of them. Express them appropriately.
 Cultivate regular habits of exercising, taking good diet. A good diet and exercises
keeps you both physically and mentally healthy.
 Think optimistically always and do not forget to laugh. Always think positively.
This keeps you charged and motivates you to do your deeds.
 Change the things which you can change. Things which we can change need to be
worked out and implemented for bringing changes. Ex. If I want to secure good
percentage of marks, then I need to work hard by motivating myself.
 Identify the things which you can change and which you cannot change by knowing
the difference between these two. Life and death are not in our hands and there
are few things which happen in our lives are not in our control and cannot change
them. Those things only have to be accepted.
 Listening to happy and joyful songs and avoiding being isolating when being sad or
low.
4.5 EMOTIONS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS

It has been pointed out in the earlier section that emotions are accompanied by physical
changes in the body. This can be reduction in salivation, that is the mouth becomes dry,
there is a reduction in salivation, increase in skin perspiration, that is the person becomes
almost wet with perspiration, and there is sudden energy flow due to the secretion of
epinephrine or adrenaline. There is also another type of energy flow which is called as
the ch’i that flows through the acupuncture meridians in the body. This felt energy flow
(the initial arousal) is the emotion, whether pleasant or unpleasant. It may be triggered
by a cognition (seeing or remembering) or by a facial expression (frowning or smiling).
When no energy flow is triggered, there is no emotion.
Joy as an emotion, for example, is a very pleasant emotion and we feel so relaxed
when we experience that emotion. This joy emotion can be left as it is without any
interference or processing, unless it in someway or the other makes a person incapable
of experiencing joy or the individual resists that joyous emotion for some reason. Yhis
has to be exploired and we have to make sure that this negative aspect is remove d and
the individual is able to experience that joyn emotion.
Let us say a young child sees a snake. She has been previously told about poisonous
snakes and their dangers. She presently believes (cognizes) that she is in mortal danger.
The whole body prepares to flee, triggering the release of adrenalin (and ch’i), and she
runs to a safe place. Already safe, the child now directs her attention to, or is distracted
by, other things, and she ignores the flow of energy that is still ongoing. Somebody
converses with her about an entirely different topic, and her mind is distracted from the
fear experience. The flow of the energy is stopped, thus freezing it somewhere in the 43
Emotions system. This frozen energy stays there as a block or congestion until released. It may
stay there for 10 days, 10 years or a lifetime. Remember when we undergo a similar
experience once again in life, we may draw upon from this frozen energy and use the
same to overcome the fear or the concerned strong emotion.
Next time the child sees a snake, the biologic system sends out the fight-or-flight
energy or ch’i response, pushing or putting pressure on the frozen energy that clogs the
system. This triggers the trapped energy, which is felt as an unpleasant energy movement
in the body. It is strongly or weakly felt depending upon the quantity of frozen energy
triggered. This felt energy is the fear. The biologic response of fight-or-flight that is
accompanied by a rush of adrenaline or ch’i does not constitute fear itself. It is the
triggering of this frozen energy that is felt as fear. This triggered energy is felt as a
hardening in the pit of the stomach, or as a sinking feeling, or a weakening flow of
energy in the extremities. It may be felt as a tingling sensation or warmth. When strong
enough, it causes numbness, or even stiffness of the muscles.
When the body has no energy blocks or congestions during times of tension or crisis or
danger, the natural energy flows and is felt as heightened alertness or preparedness, like
a table tennis player’s heightened state while playing, but which is not felt as fear.
In a person who experiences fear, it means that some prior unpleasant experience has
accumulated a reservoir of energy in certain specific parts of the body that has not
flowed properly when it was aroused. It is this congestion of energy that is stimulated
by the cognition of the threat. Emotional pain therefore is the presence of this energy
congestion that is triggered by a memory, a situation, or a stimulus. When this congestion
dissipates or is released, the emotional pain disappears.
This understanding of the nature of emotional arousal is based on hundreds of processing
sessions with people whose fears or anger or resentment disappeared after the congested
energy has been allowed to flow or be released. Such release normally occurs within
thirty minutes, although in a minority of cases it takes much longer.
We will now look into the nature of unpleasant emotions, and understand why self-
awareness processing is able to resolve many emotional burdens very quickly.
Basic and Derivative Emotions
Unpleasant or painful emotions are of various kinds. Some examples are: hurt,
resentment, anger, irritation, rage, fury, wrath, worry, fear, guilt, envy, jealousy, sadness,
depression, gloom, melancholy, loneliness, anxiety, panic, shame, embarrassment,
exasperation, annoyance, anguish, distress, aversion, disgust, remorse, regret, despair.
While there are many types of unpleasant emotions, there are only a few basic or
primary emotions. The other emotions are derivatives of these basic emotions. Knowing
how to handle root emotions will enable us to deal effectively with the secondary
derivative emotions.
There are six basic negative emotions, as far as we can presently determine. They are
fear, anger, hurt, aversion, dejection, and guilt. These basic emotions are not reducible
into one another. This list is not meant to be final and does not, for our purpose, include
the positive emotions, such as joy, since we are presently only concerned about effective
management of emotions that are obstructive to human growth and maturity.
1) Fear
Fear is a biological reaction that has been embedded into our system for self-preservation.
44
We share it with animals. In human beings, however, the fear reaction develops into
deeper levels of complexity and subtlety that engender a wide variety of downstream Management of Emotions
secondary emotions.
Research among infants shows that there are only two natural fears: fear of loud sounds,
and fear of falling. All other fears are acquired: fear of snakes, dark, strangers, heights,
people, etc. Fear is a major cause of human unhappiness and is a serious obstacle to
our growth. So much so, that the self-transformation process devotes special attention
to it.
The following are the secondary derivative emotions of fear:
Worry is a mechanism of our psyche that prompts us to do something. The prompting
energy is fear – usually fear of some consequence. Because it is fear, the person tends
to avoid thinking about it. Thus worry tends to perpetuate itself in a circular way – the
fear causes non-action, and non-action further causes worry. We will devote an entire
chapter on this important negative emotion and how to deal with it.
Anxiety is a fear whose object is nonspecific or vague, whereas worry is about something
specific and identified. Anxiety is the result of repeated unprocessed fears that have
accumulated in one’s subconscious. It has become a vague feeling about an impending
misfortune but which cannot be dealt with because it is unspecified. To resolve it, it
must first be converted to specific worries, and then one can apply the guidelines on
how to handle worry.
Panic is an overwhelming fear that makes the person confused and unclear about what
to do. This is the accumulated result of many fears, worries and anxieties that have not
been resolved and not been handled well. It sometimes results in panic attacks, those
inexplicable feelings that may not have any immediate cause but which just manifests in
the person.
Phobias are fear-reactions that are (a) out of proportion to the actual danger, such as
jumping and shrieking at the sight of a rat or cockroach, or (b) irrational, such as
trembling when seeing the photo of a spider.
Trauma is a psychological “wound” that can still cause distress in a person. Strictly
speaking, acquired fears are really traumas in varying degrees of intensity. But a trauma
becomes pathological when it causes periodic distress such as nightmares, intense
reactions to anything that reminds one of it, or it severely disturbs one’s daily life and
work. .
Envy is a more complex emotion, since it’s a mixture of a number of things: low self-
esteem, resentment, and fear. We don’t envy the successes or achievements of those
whom we can identify with, that is, those whom we love and care for. Their achievements
are vicariously ours too. On the other hand, the achievements of those whom we cannot
identify with, particularly those whom we resent, are felt as threats to our own self-
esteem.
Embarrassment involves a “loss of face” and being confused and perplexed at the same
time. The embarrassment may not have been caused by anyone, as when one slips and
falls down “disgracefully.” Hence there is no cause for anger toward anyone (except
perhaps oneself). The action is withdrawal and hiding, not wanting to face people. At its
root is the fear of what people might think or say. Shame is a similar feeling.
Fear not only engenders secondary or derivative emotions, but also certain psychological
states or personality characteristics:
45
Emotions Insecurity is a subtle and chronic psychological state of being unable to cope. It is
rooted in fear, and is somewhat different from the felt flow of emotions like anxiety or
panic. It is the outcome of the subconscious accumulation of fears. A person is hardly
aware of the feelings connected with insecurity, but will nevertheless behave according
to these fears. When the various forms of fear are resolved through self-awareness
processing, however, the sense of insecurity disappears.
Low Self-esteem is another state of being that is characterised by poor self-regard,
insecurity, the desire to be loved and appreciated. It is no longer an emotion, but an
attitude or psychological state. But it is rooted in distressful experiences that have not
been properly processed, and which have sunk deeply into the subconscious.
2) Anger
Anger has biological roots. It is manifested in the aroused state of body that is ready to
fight or attack. Physical and etheric (ch’i) energy is summoned from one’s reserves,
and discharged into the system to respond to the emergency. Animals would bare their
teeth, their backs arched, hair bristling, and displaying fierceness of form.
Among humans, anger has acquired a level of complexity and subtlety that it is no
longer a question of fighting with teeth and claws. Social norms have come in to check
the outward expression of such an arousal, resulting in constant suppression and the
building of another kind of congestion within the system.
Anger does not start as anger. It is preceded by irritation. But irritation in turn does not
start with irritation. It is preceded by a subtle feeling of discomfort or displeasure that
often goes unnoticed. And because the discomfort is unnoticed, it is unresolved and it
tends to build up into irritation or anger while the stimulus for the discomfort continues
to remain present.
When anger is unresolved and continues to build up, it becomes rage or fury. At that
state the person is no longer in control. He has reached a state of mental incapacitation
and his behaviour will now be controlled by his rage rather than by reason. There is a
tendency toward violence, and if he holds a weapon, he can injure or kill another
person whom he cares for.
There are degrees of anger, but discomfort is not one of them. One can feel a discomfort
without being angry. Below are some of the derivatives of anger:
Frustration is the feeling of not being able to do something about an undesirable state. It
is usually accompanied by irritation and anger, and leads to aggression.
Irritation is a mild level of displeasure about a person or a situation that is accompanied
by impatience or anger.
Rage is a violent and uncontrolled anger. It is the result of accumulated anger and is like
the eruption of a volcano.
Wrath is strong anger accompanied by malevolence or sometimes by hatred. It is
manifested as a feeling of righteous indignation.
3) Hurt
Being hurt is usually not one of the basic emotions listed by psychologists. But our
observations in self-awareness processing indicates that it is an emotional reaction
different from the others. It is not a form of fear, neither is it anger nor frustration. Being
hurt is a feeling wherein one’s self-worth or self-esteem seems to have been assaulted.
46
It is a psychological reaction that differs from anger and fear, which are more closely Management of Emotions
rooted to their biological origins. But it may be analogous to the biological drive toward
self-preservation and survival, except that in this case it is the preservation of the
psychological ego, the sense of self-hood.
The energy response in hurt is one of withdrawal, and its physical focal point is in the
chest area. It is a “sinking” feeling, at times like a “stabbing” feeling in the chest around
the heart area.
When one is hurt, as when a husband or a wife says or does something that took one
for granted, or ignored one, there may or may not be anger. When the hurt is not
accompanied by anger, the person may just sulk, or withdraw, and feel the hurt alone.
It is like being wounded, and the wound needs time to heal.
But oftentimes being hurt is accompanied by a feeling of being a victim of injustice,
hence it is at times accompanied with indignation and resentment.
Feeling insulted is a feeling of being degraded by others. The reaction is usually anger.
Self-pity is self-indulgent lingering upon one’s hurts and sorrows.
Depression can arise from such self-pity.
Resentment is hurt mixed with irritation or anger. We may be angry at a certain dictator,
but we do not resent him unless we have been personally affected or hurt.
Hatred is an intense level of resentment. In this case, there is anger, not simply irritation.
4) Dejection
This group of emotions is somewhat difficult to classify, but it is characterised by lowness
of spirit, diminution of strength. It can be caused by the loss of something or someone,
or loss of hope, or a separation from one’s object of desire.
Sadness is characterised by a low energy level, a lack of motivation and interest, a loss
of zest. It is more of a mood, and may not be caused by a loss of something.
Depression is a state of despondency accompanied by self-depreciation, low energy,
and feeling of inadequacy. There are two kinds: (a) the normal depression that is a
temporary low point which eventually dissipates in time, and (b) the neurotic or psychotic
depression that is deep, long-lasting and sometimes suicidal.
Despair is a loss of hope, and is somewhat different from sadness, but shares the same
lowness of energy.
Grief, as a word, is used in somewhat different senses. Often it is used to describe a
bitter sense of loss of a loved one, which would fall under this class of emotion (dejection).
But the word is sometimes used to refer to bitter remorse, which will make it fall under
the category of Guilt.
5) Aversion
Aversion is intense desire to avoid something. It is repugnance or revulsion; a strong
dislike or distaste for something. Aversion is different from fear, although there are
features that make them similar. For example, aversion to caterpillars may involve the
unpleasant feeling as if it is crawling on one’s arm. The unpleasant feeling usually evolves
into a fear of caterpillars. Aversion to slimy things or to dung may not evolve into a fear.
Disgust for certain foods can be experienced as nauseating or queasy feeling. 47
Emotions 6) Guilt
Guilt is a feeling that results from one’s perceived violation of a particular moral code or
principle.
Remorse describes a more intense feeling of distress due to guilt.
Emotions and Energy Movements
Each of the six basic emotions has corresponding locations in terms of the movement
and congestion of the ch’i energy in one’s physico-etheric system.
1) Fear of an impending event is often felt as a movement or congestion of energy at
the pit of the stomach or solar plexus. It may be felt as “butterflies in the stomach”
or as a hard ball. When actually faced with a threat (height, snake, etc.), the
reaction is often felt in the limbs, such as trembling, weakening, or freezing.
2) Anger is almost always felt in the head, although it may be followed by pain in
other parts such as the back.
3) Hurt is felt in the chest, usually on the left side, about two inches to the left of the
breastbone. It can be a stabbing pain, or a hard congealed ball in that area. The
person feels a heaviness on the chest that makes breathing more difficult.
4) Dejection or sadness involves a weakened feeling, a lack of psychic and physical
energy. Depression, which is the extreme form of dejection, is conducive to thoughts
of suicide.
5) Aversion, when not associated with fear, is felt as nausea or other forms of unpleasant
sensations (such as standing hairs at the thoughts of caterpillars crawling on one’s
skin).
6) Guilt is also in the chest, but in the center, at the lower part of the breastbone. It is
also felt as a heaviness.
In all these reactions, we note that there is an energy disharmony or congestion or
withdrawal. Restoring the natural flow of energy in the affected areas and throughout
the system will effectively remove the distress.
While this statement may appear to be a simplistic approach to such serious disorders
as traumas and phobias or depression, it is well to verify the statement first through
experimentation before conveniently brushing it aside without investigation. Years of
experience have repeatedly affirmed the effectiveness of this approach in helping relieve
individuals of their emotional pains.
Expression vs. Release
Occasionally we read of books that advise the expression of an emotion such as anger
as a way of releasing it. Thus, I once read that in one Japanese factory, the company
provided a room with a pillow tied to a post, with the drawing of a face. When a
worker is angry or frustrated at his supervisor, he can go into this room and punch the
pillow as a way of venting his anger.
Does this method solve the problem of frustration or anger? We think not. It may
temporarily release dangerous pent up energy, but it does not solve the basic frustration
or anger within.
Expressions of hostility do not necessarily diminish it. In fact, research shows that
48
expression can intensify hostility. In one study, 100 laid-off engineers were interviewed. Management of Emotions
Some of them were asked questions that allowed them to vent off their hostility. When
the entire group was given a questionnaire regarding their attitude toward the company,
it was found that those who vented their anger showed more hostility than those who
did not.
Self-awareness processing is a nonviolent approach to releasing the stored energy. The
energy that is released resolve the emotional distress or pain permanently. While in itself
it does not solve the external conflict that caused the internal distress, the release of the
congested energy removes the push-button reactions that tend to blind the person to
objective reality.
Emotions thus help us in a number of ways such as:
1) by alerting us when basic needs are not met,
2) enable us in making decisions by being as a source of information,
3) help in communication to others about the feelings.
The mental status of every individual is maintained at optimum levels both psychologically
and physiologically when emotions are handled appropriately. Generally it is observed
that many individuals are facing sadness or unhappiness which further leads them into in
depression mainly because of lack of knowledge and awareness about managing
emotions in their lives.
There are certain emotions like fear, anger, jealousy, hatred, envy etc., which have
negative effects on us. These emotions if not expressed appropriately or not handled
properly leads to physiological diseases like increased blood pressure, stress ulcers,
gastrointestinal disorders, cardiac disorders, cancer etc and various other psychosomatic
disorders. Ex. excess anxiety or fear causes stress ulcers, hypertension. This sort of
physiological disturbances also changes the psychological status of individuals causing
them depression or anxiety disorders and also bringing changes in their personality.
Emotions, whether pleasant or unpleasant, always sustains activity which either maintains
or enhances the organism. Incongruent and devaluating experiences are perceived to
be threats which arouses anxiety and forces the self to take some defensive measures.
Immature persons not capable to defend against these threats, fail to foresee the probable
consequence of the actions, which result in disintegration and catastrophic psychological
break-downs (Schachter, 1964).
Learning about emotional intelligence and becoming emotionally competent enables
every individual to overcome emotional problems and to help lead a emotionally stable
life. If we have good philosophy in our lives, then we do think in a healthier way which
keeps us mentally healthy.
1) What is emotional competency? Discuss the factors that can help identify
emotional competency in a person.
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................... 49
Emotions
2) What is emotional intelligence?
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
3) What are the methods to handle emotions within oneself?
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................
4.6 LET US SUM UP

Emotions to many people is happiness which is a state of well-being and contentment
that is much to be desired. It is very essential for an individual to understand the
importance of emotions in our lives and the role they play making our lives happy and
joyful and also in making our lives miserable and sad. The modern concept of emotions
focuses on emotional competency and emotional intelligence. Having knowledge of
emotional intelligence and enhancing ones own emotional competency levels to become
emotionally competent helps in contributing towards maintaining good psychological
status. Emotional intelligence determines our potential for learning the practical skills
based on the five elements: self awareness, motivation, self regulation, empathy and
adeptness in relationships.
Emotional intelligence involves striking a balance between emotion and reason in which
neither is completely in control. Emotional Competency is “A learned capability based
on emotional intelligence that results in outstanding performance at work (Cary &
Goleman, 2005 ). Emotional competency is an efficiency to deal effectively with several
dissociable but related processes is a blending of five competencies (Coleman, 1970):
Adequate Depth of Feeling, Adequate Expression and Control of Emotions, Ability to
Function with Emotions, Ability to cope with Problem Emotions and Encouragement of
positive Emotions. Immature persons not capable to defend against these threats, fail to
foresee the probable consequence of the actions, which result in disintegration and
catastrophic psychological break-downs.

1) How do emotional imbalance affect the psycholgiical and physioliogical state of an
individual?
2) What are positive emotions?
3) What is emotional intelligence? How will you differentiate between emotional
intelligence and emotional competency.
4) What strategies do we adopt to manage emotions?
50
Management of Emotions
4.8 GLOSSARY and Psychological Status
Psychosomatic disorders : physiological diseases occurring because of

Psychological factors.
Emotional intelligence : Emotional intelligence determines our potential
for learning the practical skills based on the five
elements: self –awareness, motivation, self –
regulation, empathy and adeptness in
relationships.
Emotional competency : A learned capability based on emotional
intelligence that results in outstanding
performance at work.

Sandura K. Ciccarelli & Glenn E. Meyer (2007). Psychology. Pashupati Printers.
Psychology. Oxford & IBH Publishing co.,328-355.
References
Publications.
Daniel Goleman (1995) . Emotional Intelligence. Bantom books.
Lewis, M. & Haviland-Jones. J.M (2000). Handbook of Emotions. (2nd ed).
NewYork: Guildford.
its effects on the students academic achievement. Unpublished thesis.
Destructive Habits. Hove:New York.
51

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Block-1 Introduction.

1.3 Basic Issues in Motivation

1.4 Concept of Emotion

1.5 Basic Issues in Emotion

1.6 Let Us Sum Up

1.2 CONCEPT OF MOTIVATION

and relationships are all externally motivated needs. Achievement, advancement,

1.2.1 Intrinsic Motivation

1.2.3 Models of Behaviour Change

1.2.4 Unconscious Motivation

1.3 BASIC ISSUES IN MOTIVATION

1.3.1 Aggressive Motivation

1.3.2 Achievement Motivation

1.4 CONCEPT OF EMOTION

1.4.1 Unconscious Ideas

1.5 BASIC ISSUES IN EMOTION

1.5.2 Factors that Cause Emotions

1.5.3 Factors that Cause Thoughts

1.5.4 Emotions and Unconscious Thoughts

1.6 LET US SUM UP

something. It comes from outside of the performer. Motivation is seen as a process

1.7 UNIT END QUESTIONS

1.8 SUGGESTED READINGS

2.3 Theories of Motivation

2.4 Types of Motivation

2.5 Definition and Meaning of Emotion

2.6 Emotion and Feeling

2.2 DEFINITION AND MEANING OF MOTIVATION

2.2.1 Characteristics of Motivation

2.2.2 Categories of Motives

2) Understanding: to belong, people are motivated to create an accurate-enough

2.3 THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

acquisitiveness escape mating rivalry submission

2.3.2 Drive Reduction Theory

2.3.3 Arousal Theory

2.3.4 Incentive Theory

2.3.5 Rotter’s Expectancy Value Theory

2.3.6 Psychological Explanations of Motivation

2.3.7 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

2.4 TYPES OF MOTIVATION

2.5 DEFINITION AND MEANING OF EMOTION

2.5.1 Elements of Emotion

2.5.2 Characteristics of Emotion

2.5.3 Theories of Emotion

2.5.4 Non-Verbal Expression of Emotion

2.7 LET US SUM UP

2.8 UNIT END QUESTIONS

2.9 SUGGESTED READINGS

3.6 Theories of Motivation

3.7 Stimulus Motives

3.8 Let Us Sum Up

3.2 NEEDS, DRIVES AND MOTIVES

36  Appropriate basic and cross-cultural education.

3.3.1 Need Model

3.3.2 Murray’s Need

3.3.3 Psychogenic Needs

Dominance: Controlling others.

3.3.4 Kano’s Needs

3.3.5 Glasser’s Five Needs