MOTIVATION & NEEDS
“Motivationrefers to factors that energize, direct, or sustain behavvior.1”
 This section of the course will deal with the needs that motivate people and the theories
of how motivation takes place.
Quest: What is the difference between a need and a want?
Need is “a state of deficiency which can be either biological …or social.2”
Hierarchy of Needs Model
 There are many needs, and one of the most helpful (although, not necessarily accurate)
ways to think about needs is by examining Abraham Maslow’s model of the hierarchy of
needs.
 Maslow proposed that people’s needs are organized in a hierarchical fashion, such that
people seek to fulfill the lower level needs first and then move on to the higher needs3.
1
Gazzaniga et al., Psychological Science (4th ed), p. 440
Gazzaniga et al., Psychological Science (4th ed), p. 441
3
This graphic is taken from the teaching materials/resources associated with Gazzaniga et al., Psychological Science
(4th ed)
2
Page 1 of 3
Quest: Are the psychological needs (belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization) really needs?
Do they meet the definition of needs?
The need to belong:
 Once physical needs are met, the most basic psychological need is the need for love and
belonging
 Researchers have proposed that people have a need to maintain a minimum number of
quality friendships.4
 Research studies show that not meeting this need has physical consequences: Having
fewer friends makes people more vulnerable to sickness5. Acceptance and rejection are
connected to the physical pain system6.
The need for esteem:
 The idea behind this need is that people want need to feel as though they are valuable
contributors7
 A closely related concept—self-efficacy, which is “the expectancy that your efforts will
lead to success8,” can also play in role in motivating people
o The degree to which one possesses self-efficacy determines how much effort
people will utilize in achieving their goals. High self-efficacy is associated with
greater effort; lower self-efficacy is associated with less effort.
Self-Actualization:
 This is the highest psychological motive in which people seek to fulfill their full
potential.
MOTIVATION THEORIES
The previous section covered what motivates us; motivation theories describe the process and
source of the motivation. Some theories explain the pursuit of some needs better than others.
NEED
Drive Theory
 Drive theory asserts that people seek
OXYGEN
to maintain a state of physiological
FOOD
balance. As examples, people do not
want to be too hot or too cold; people
WATER
do not want to be too hungry or too
full.
 The state of balance is known as homeostasis.
DRIVE
DRIVE REDUCTION
SUFFOCATION
BREATHING
HUNGER
EATING
THIRST
DRINKING
4
Baumeister & Leary (1995). The need to belong. JPSP.
Cohen et al. Sociability and susceptibility to the common cold. Psych. Sci.
6
Williams et al. (2003). Does rejection hurt? Science
7
Greenberg (2008). Understanding the vital human quest for self-esteem. Perspectives on Psych. Sci.
8
Gazzaniga et al., Psychological Science (4th ed), p. 441
5
Page 2 of 3
 When one is in a state of non-balance or non-homeostatic state, they have reached a drive
state, which refers to the internal state of tension that motivates people to seek
homeostasis (e.g., the tickle in your nose when you want to sneeze)
 Any behavior or action done to reduce the drive state and re-establish the state of
homeostasis, is known as drive reduction
Quest: Which level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs does drive theory best explain?
Incentive Theory (External Motivation)
 Incentive theory asserts behavior is motivated by external rewards or external goals.
Quest: What theoretical model or school of thought in psychology best fits this approach of
understanding motivation?
[Drive theory can be thought of as a push theory (as the internal motives push one towards some
goal), and incentive theory can be thought of as a pull theory (as the external goals pull one
toward some goal9].
Intrinsic Motivation
 Intrinsic Motivation refers to “value or pleasure removed from an apparent external
goal. Intrinsically motivated behaviors are performed for their own sake. They simply are
enjoyable.”
 Research in this area shows that rewards will reduce intrinsically motivation for those
things that are intrinsically rewarding.
Quest: Which level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs does drive theory best explain?
Quest: What’s the difference between intrinsic motivation and drive theory?
9
Weiten, Psychology (9th ed), p. 389
Page 3 of 3