Class notes
Class notes PSYC 101: Motivation and Hierarchy of Needs
- Course
- PSYC 101
- Institution
- Boise State University
Lecture notes detailing the concept of motivation, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and the Yerkes-Dodson/Arousal Theory.
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PSYCH 101 Lecture NotesBoise State University
Motivation and Needs
Motivation: why do we do the things we do?
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Drive (or lack thereof) to complete a task or get something done
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Varies from person to person
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Biological motivations (eating, breathing, drinking, etc) to maintain homeostasis explain
more human behavior when in poverty or under threat
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When these needs are threatened, people are more motivated to go to extreme lengths
to maintain safety and homeostasis. Biological motivations can drive us to do very
irrational needs when we are extremely desperate, even overruling personal values.
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Drive reduction theory: a lot of what people do is to satisfy a biological need
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We are also motivated to do extra stuff, like artistic things or helping our community.
Abraham Maslow, a humanistic psychologist, developed a hierarchy of needs that suggests that
we need to fulfill basic needs first before moving on to extra stuff:
bottom (most basic) to top (most extra)
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Self actualization: desire to become the most that one can be, what you can give back
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Esteem: respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, freedom
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Love and belonging: friends, family, intimacy, connection
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Safety needs: security, employment, resources, health, property, wealth
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Physiological needs: air, water, food, shelter, sleep, clothing, reproduction
Yerkes-Dodson/Arousal Theory: we seek out and are motivated to achieve an optimal level of
arousal (between boredom and stress)
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When our arousal (attention and interest, challenge) is of a middle ground (between
boredom and stress), we perform better at accomplishing tasks.
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We are looking for an optimal amount of challenge so we want to try new things and feel
accomplished.
We are motivated towards tasks that allow us:
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Autonomy: we have some control over what we do.
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Value: there is an understood value that applies to us, or there is a personal connection
to our lives.
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Competence: we enjoy doing things we’re good at.
The
need to belong
motivates us because the resulting
connections make us happy and
healthy!
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