Unit 2️⃣ Part 3️⃣ Flashcards
(18 cards)
What are the motives?
Motives are Internal states that activate and direct behaviour toward specific goals.
- They differ from each other both in type, and in quantity and intensity according to different moments. (e.g., hunger, thirst)
- They generate states of need or tension within the person, who seeks to reduce that tension.. E.g., motive of hunger makes the person look for food, think of food, cloud with ambiguous shape = food, etc..
Why in the “intrapsychic domain”?
- Motives as needs and urges
- Motives can be unconscious (The person may not quite know what they want)
- Trust in projective techniques
People and motives
- People differ from each other in the type and strength of their motives.
- These differences are measurable.
- These differences cause or are associated with important life outcomes (e.g., Successful business, good relationships…).
- Differences among people in the relative number of various motives is stable over time.
- The reasons may provide answers to: Why do people do what they do?
Who is Henry Murray?
He is a doctor who learned psychoanalysis with Carl Jung*. (And after this learning, he devotes his life to psychology)
During World War II, he left Harvard and occupied a position in the “Office of strategic services” the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency. There he did research on the selection of secret agents and later published some of his findings and theories in several groundbreaking books.
some of Murray’s primary contributions revolved around discussing various topics such as “need”, “press”, and “apperception” in the development of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).
What is a Need?
The need is defined by Murray as a concept very similar to the psychoanalytic impulse: “potentiality or readiness to respond in a certain way under certain given circumstances.”
* They organize perception and guide us to see what we want (or what we need).
* They refer to states of tension: Satisfying the need, relieves the tension. The process of reducing tension would be what the person would find satisfying, not tension per se. (e.g., going on a roller coaster, horror film…)
* He proposed a list of basic needs.
* Each person, different hierarchy.
* Dynamic interaction among needs. (e.g., Person with high need for dominance, but with high or low need for affiliation)
Each need is associated with?
Each need (e.g., need for affiliation) is associated with:
1. A specific desire or intention. (e.g., desire to have and maintain social relationships).
2. A concrete set of emotions. (e.g., sympathy, hapiness…)
3. Specific action tendencies .(e.g., accepting people, spending time with others, making efforts to maintain relationships)
4. They can be described with names such as the traits. (e.g., Associated traits: loyalty, cordiality, kindness, benevolence…)
What is Press?
The term comes from Henry Murray’s theory of personality, where he described “press” as anything in the environment that affects a person’s needs, motivations, or emotions.
In psychology, “press” refers to external influences or environmental factors that create pressure or demands on an individual, influencing their behavior and personality.
Which type of Press do we have?
We have two types of press:
- Alpha Press: The actual, objective reality of a situation (e.g., a strict teacher giving difficult exams).
- Beta press: How a person perceives and interprets a situation (e.g., one student sees the teacher as motivating, while another sees them as unfair).
This distinction of Press is important because individuals interpret and respond to their environment based on their own perceptions.
What is Apperception for Murray?
Murray calls apperception the act of interpreting the environment and perceiving the meaning of what is happening. This process is crucial in understanding how individual perceive and respond to the world around them.
What is the Thematic Apperception Test?
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a psychological test used to understand a person’s thoughts, emotions, and underlying motives.
How it Works:
* The person is shown ambiguous pictures (images that can be interpreted in different ways).
* They are asked to create a story about what is happening in the picture, including:
* What led up to the situation?
* What is happening now?
* How will the story end?
* The psychologist analyzes these stories to uncover hidden emotions, desires, and personality traits.
Purpose:
The TAT helps to reveal unconscious thoughts and motivations that the person might not be aware of or might not openly express. It is often used in clinical psychology, personality assessment, and research.
Example:
If a person sees a picture of someone sitting alone and says, “He looks sad because no one wants to talk to him,” it might suggest feelings of loneliness or rejection.
Which are the three big motives?
- Achievement;
- Power;
- Intimacy.
What is the need for achievement (nAch)?
It is Desire to do better, to be successful and to feel competent.
1. Individuals with high levels of nAch are more motivated by challenges of moderate difficulty (Not impossible situations in which they can excel). Low in nAch easier challenges.
2. They enjoy tasks for which they are personally responsible for the outcome.
3. They prefer tasks for which there are feedback available on their performance.
What is the need for power (nPow)?
It is the Desire to have an impact on others.
- High nPow, is related to the need for control, influence, impress and be recognized by others.
- It correlates with faster recognition of other people’s expressions.
- It correlates positively with having more arguments with others, being elected as a delegate, taking more risks in betting…
- Worse frustration management or increased frustration (stress) when facing challenges that may block to their power.
What is the need for intimacy (nInt)?
It is the Desire to have strong and satisfying relationships with others.
- Preference or recurrent disposition for a warm, close and communicative interaction with others.
- People with high nInt spend more time thinking about their relationships with others, report more pleasant emotions being with other people, smile, laugh and make more eye contact, start conversations more frequently.
- Difference with extraversion regarding the quality or intimacy of relationships, (intimate) topics in conversations rather than parties and talking with many people…
- Related to good overall adjutsment (Satisfying work and life, good coping with stress…).
What is the Motive to Self-Actualize?
It is a tradition that emphasizes awareness of needs, choices, and personal
responsibility with the goal or purpose of creating a meaningful and fulfilling
life. It focuses on the human need to grow and the achievement of one’s full potential. (Very positive view compared to the primitive and impulsive of psychoanalysis). Based on the need to grow, to become who one wants to be, the Self-actualization
Who was Abraham Maslow?
Maslow was a psychologist who introduced the idea that people have different levels of needs that motivate them. His most famous idea is the Hierarchy of Needs, which explains what people need to live a fulfilling life.
Key Ideas:
* He created the concept of self-actualization, which means reaching your full potential.
* His theory was based on ideas rather than strict scientific research, but some studies support his principles.
* He believed that people must fulfill basic needs first before focusing on higher needs.
* Lower needs (like food and safety) are more urgent than higher needs (like personal growth or creativity).
Which are the level of Maslow’s Hierarchy pyramid?
Abraham Maslow created a pyramid of human needs to explain what motivates people. His theory says that we must satisfy basic needs before we can focus on higher ones.
The 5 Levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
1. Physiological Needs – The most basic needs for survival, like food, water, air, sleep, and shelter.
2. Safety Needs – Feeling safe and secure, including physical safety, job security, financial stability, and health.
3. Love & Belonging – The need for relationships, friendships, love, and social connections.
4. Esteem Needs – The need for respect, confidence, achievement, and recognition from others.
5. Self-Actualization – The highest level, where a person reaches their full potential, follows their dreams, and seeks personal growth.
💡 Key Idea: Lower needs (like food and safety) must be met first before moving up to higher needs (like personal growth and creativity).
Who is Carl Roger?
Carl Rogers was a psychologist who focused on helping people become their best selves. He believed that personality develops based on how close we are to achieving our life goals.
Key Ideas of His Theory:
🔹 Personality Development
* Grows throughout life, not just in childhood.
* Early experiences matter, especially if we receive unconditional positive regard (being accepted no matter what).
* Anxiety is a sign that something in our life doesn’t match who we believe we are.
🔹 Client-Centered Therapy
* Focuses on helping a person become a “Fully Functioning Person” (someone who trusts themselves, accepts their emotions, and takes responsibility for their life).
* Anxiety happens when our experiences don’t match our self-image.
* Example: A student who always got top grades in high school but struggles in college may feel lost and anxious.
* A healthy response: Accepting that grades don’t define intelligence.
* An unhealthy response: Blaming the teacher or only choosing easy subjects to avoid failure.
🔹 How His Therapy Works
* The therapist does NOT tell the client what to do. Instead, they create a safe and accepting environment so the client can figure things out on their own.
* Uses empathy and unconditional acceptance to help people grow.
