Xu-Mcgregor-2018.Pdf

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Xu-Mcgregor-2018.Pdf Psychological Inquiry An International Journal for the Advancement of Psychological Theory ISSN: 1047-840X (Print) 1532-7965 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hpli20 Motivation, Threat, and Defense: Perspective From Experimental Social Psychology Xiaowen Xu & Ian McGregor To cite this article: Xiaowen Xu & Ian McGregor (2018) Motivation, Threat, and Defense: Perspective From Experimental Social Psychology, Psychological Inquiry, 29:1, 32-37, DOI: 10.1080/1047840X.2018.1435640 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2018.1435640 Published online: 21 Mar 2018. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 19 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=hpli20 PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY 2018, VOL. 29, NO. 1, 32–37 https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2018.1435640 COMMENTARIES Motivation, Threat, and Defense: Perspective From Experimental Social Psychology Xiaowen Xua and Ian McGregorb aDepartment of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; bDepartment of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Threat and Defense in Social Psychology goals. This insight is consistent with the most recently proposed motivational process theories revolving around discrepancy Target article authors March, Gaertner, and Olson (this issue) and conflict, that parsimoniously integrate the threat and define threat as pertaining specifically to stimuli that can cause defense literature in social psychology (Jonas et al., 2014; “immediate bodily harm” (p. 3). In social psychology, however, Proulx, Inzlicht, & Harmon-Jones, 2012). Before describing the the application of the term “threat” is much broader and refers contemporary manifestation of Lewin’s insight, and how it to the presence of any stimulus or predicament that might casts doubt on the dual implicit process model (DIPM), we undermine either physical (i.e., bodily harm) or psychological review how research in experimental social psychology was well-being (i.e., self-esteem loss, relationship rejection or ostra- similarly drawn, from the 1980s through the 2000s, to the idea cism, loss of control, cognitive dissonance, etc.; see Jonas et al., that there might be different threat-processing systems for sur- 2014, for a recent review). In the decades of social psychological vival-based versus merely negative stimuli. research on threat, the main criterion to determine whether a After the flurry of attention to how conflict was related to stimulus was threatening has been its capacity to elicit seem- threat, beginning with work by Lewin and Festinger through to ingly irrational defensive responses. That is, if a stimulus results the 1970s, research on threat and defense in the 1980s to 2000s in an irrational response that appears to provide some form of began to gravitate back to ideas reminiscent of the old ego- defense against a deficit or vulnerability highlighted by the defense and compensation view, that threats are particularly stimulus, then the stimulus is considered to be an experiential threatening when they undermine some form of critical, general threat. intrapsychic resource. Along these lines, the notion of “fluid This guiding assumption echoes psychodynamic notions of compensation” often came up in these general resource theories, ego-defensiveness in response to anxiety-provoking experiences as increasing evidence suggested that the defenses for various (Freud, 1967;Horney,1945). Support for the experiential, nonra- threats need not be in the same domain as the threat itself tional nature of threat and defense processing has come from evi- (Allport, 1943; Heine, Proulx, & Vohs, 2006; Horney, 1950; dence showing that participants generally are unaware that their Randles, Inzlicht, Proulx, Tullett, & Heine, 2015; Steele, 1988). A defensive responses are due to the anxiety-provoking stimulus multitude of theories proposed different forms of general and that their defensive responses diminish if given the chance to resources as the critical psychological resource to account for misattribute the source of their anxiety (Kay, Moscovitch, & the apparent, interchangeable diversity of threats and compen- Laurin, 2010; Proulx & Heine, 2008; Zanna & Cooper, 1974). satory defenses, for example, symbolic immortality (Greenberg, This defensiveness criterion toward threat was most fully Solomon, & Pyszczynski, 1997), self-esteem (Tesser, 2000), integrated into social psychology with Festinger’s(1957) cogni- meaning (Heine et al., 2006; Peterson, 1999), control (Kay, tive dissonance reduction findings, showing that people become Gaucher, Napier, Callan, & Laurin, 2008), certainty (McGregor, more extreme and self-serving in their opinions after experi- Zanna, Holmes, & Spencer, 2001; Van den Bos, 2009), and so mentally engineered cognitive conflicts. This work was an on. The premises of these models were highly similar, intuitive, extension of the work by Festinger’s advisor, Kurt Lewin and reminiscent of the old ego-defense ideas. The main area of (1935), whose work showed that goal conflicts cause defensively disagreement was identifying the precise motivational resource extreme reactions, for example, authoritarianism, aggression, that people were motivated to defend so reflexively. Was it self- and flight to fantasy. Lewin’s(1935) main insight was that goal esteem, meaning, control, certainty, or was it a more directly conflicts (or what he referred to as conflicting fields of force) survival-related concern that motivated defenses? result in anxious arousal (what he referred to as tension) that can lead people to go to defensive extremes for relief. Lewin took relatively vague psychodynamic ideas about ego defense Terror Management Theory and translated them into motivation and goal-related language and operationalizations that were testable in the lab. From his One of the most prominent theories in the threat and defense perspective, all threats were motivational threats that essentially literature—terror management theory (TMT; Greenberg et al., involved one (or more) salient goal(s) being blocked by other 1997)—argued for a position similar to that being made by the CONTACT Xiaowen Xu [email protected] Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G3, Canada. © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC COMMENTARIES 33 target authors about implicit 1 (i1). TMT states that threats outcomes as mortality salience, and that these outcomes were related to mortality and death are especially fundamental and mediated by the extent to which the participants felt uncertain consequential, as we are evolutionarily motivated by their rele- (McGregor et al., 2001). Van den Bos and colleagues (2005), vance to survival. More than 35 years of research in TMT have similarly, found that writing about personal uncertainties of found that priming mortality salience (via writing manipula- high personal importance caused defensive moral affirmation tion, subliminal stimulus presentation, incidental exposure, and hostility responses similar to those aroused by mortality etc.) elicited greater defensive responses than reminders of salience. Perhaps critically, in both the personal uncertainty other negative, aversive experiences (e.g., physical injury or and mortality salience conditions, the defensive responses were pain, worries about upcoming exams). Mortality salience can mediated by experienced aversive uncertainty (Van den Bos lead to a variety of defensive responses, including increased et al., 2005).1 aggression, higher punishment for moral transgressions, greater Similarly, research on experimentally induced perceptual biases toward in-group worldviews, and increased self- conflicts and discrepancies also suggests that mortality con- enhancement on worldview relevant dimensions (see Burke, cerns may not be particularly special in terms of threat process- Martens, & Faucher, 2010, for a review). A second line of rele- ing. Even simple absurdities, uncanny stimuli, and nonsense vant TMT research showed that when people’s worldviews are word-pairings can cause similar defensive reactions as to mor- threatened, thoughts related to death became uniquely salient, tality salience, presumably because such discrepancies create an compared to other negative and unpleasant thoughts (see unexpected juxtaposition of a previously familiar and predict- Hayes, Schimel, Arndt, & Faucher, 2010, for review). Thus, able environment, which may then hinder goal pursuit (Proulx based on these findings, TMT researchers argue that there is a & Heine, 2008, 2009; Proulx, Heine, & Vohs, 2010; Randles, module specifically emphasizing survival that has a particularly Proulx, & Heine, 2011). For example, repeated exposure to powerful (implicit) effect on attention, judgment, motivation, semantic conflicts (e.g., a series of nonsense word pairings like and behavior. quickly and blueberry being presented together) caused the As such, TMT could accordingly be seen as a mature same amount of moral outrage as mortality salience and was research program on the cognitive, conative, and behavioral mediated by the same kind of distress that mediates mortality consequences of i1 processing. Early research on TMT did not salience effects (Randles et al., 2011). involve neural and physiological measures. Arguments for an i1 system were thus primarily based on (defensive) cognitive, conative, and behavioral
Recommended publications
  • Intrinsic Motivation to Learn: the Nexus Between Psychological Health and Academic Success
    91 Intrinsic Motivation to Learn: The Nexus between Psychological Health and Academic Success John Mark Froiland, PhD, Emily Oros, PhD, Liana Smith, B.S., & Tyrell Hirchert, B.A., University of Northern Colorado Intrinsic motivation (IM) to learn, if cultivated, can lead to many academic and social/emotional improvements among K-12 students. This article discusses intrinsic motivation to learn as it relates to Self Determination Theory and the trouble with relying solely on extrinsic motivators. The academic benefits of IM in the specific subject areas of reading and mathematics are reviewed, as well as various psychological benefits (e.g., enhanced persistence, prosocial behavior and happiness). Science-based methods of fostering IM in students are considered, especially enhancing children’s environments through elevating teacher and parental autonomy support. Suggestions for integrating intrinsic motivation with behavioral interventions are also provided. KEYWORDS: Academic engagement; intrinsic motivation; elementary school students; high school students; parenting style; behavior change Teachers frequently struggle to motivate their students (Brophy, 2008; Froiland, 2010) and most students lose intrinsic motivation to learn each year as they move from first grade to high school (Lepper, Corpus & Iyengar, 2005). Intrinsic motivation to learn entails engaging in learning opportunities because they are seen as enjoyable, interesting, or relevant to meeting one’s core psychological needs (Ryan & Deci, 2000). According to self-determination theory, all people seek to satisfy three inherent psychological needs: the need for developing competence, the need for relatedness (creating meaningful connections with others), and the need for autonomy (perceiving that one is able to initiate and regulate one’s own actions).
    [Show full text]
  • Motivation, Its Types, and Its Impacts in Language Learning
    International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 3 No. 24 [Special Issue – December 2012] Motivation, Its Types, and Its Impacts in Language Learning Dr. Tengku Sepora Tengku Mahadi Associate Professor School of Languages, Literacies and Translation Universiti Sains Malaysia Malaysia Sepideh Moghaddas Jafari, PhD Student School of Languages, Literacies and Translation Universiti Sains Malaysia Malaysia Abstract Given the fact that teachers are now expected to be informed enough to be able to pilot their teaching towards the varying requirements of different classroom learners, this study is proposed to shed light on what it takes to have (establish and manage) an effective and successful language classroom in terms of learners motivation. This study is designed to investigate the impact of motivation in the context of language learning. To reach the aim of this study, some of the main subjects, topics, and points which can be related to the goal of article are introduced and explained. Afterwards, they are followed by a brief discussion and some beneficial implications and suggestions for the teachers and lecturers. Introduction In the recent period of education, concerning language teaching and learning a momentous transfer and change has occurred; in the sense that an enormous focus has gone towards learner and learning rather than teacher and teaching. Nowadays, indeed, it is an important target for the teachers to make their students less dependent on teachers and more autonomous on themselves (O̓ Malley and Chamot , 1995). In fact, learner self-sufficiency is corresponding to contemporary ideas about the active association and interest of learners, importance of learner- centered approaches, as well as sovereignty of learners from teachers (Littlewood, 1996).
    [Show full text]
  • 24.09F11 Handout 6: Behaviorism
    Handout 6: Behaviorism Motivation The Newcomers arrive and live among us. They are humanoid in form, although their skin is tinged with green, and their inner structure is nothing like ours. In fact -- the skin aside -- as far as outward appearances go the Newcomers are astonishingly like us. In short, they behave as we behave. At any rate -- not to beg any questions -- they move their bodies and emit sounds just as we do. There are the usual social tensions, of course. A rabble-rousing human politician raises the question: what if the Newcomers have no minds at all? What if they lack, not just conscious experience, but beliefs, desires, hopes, expectations, intentions, and the rest? If we do think they have minds, aren't we just guessing? The Leader of the Newcomers speaks: I am a Newcomer. Hath not a Newcomer eyes? Hath not a Newcomer hands, limbs, dimensions? Fed with the same food, hit with the same weapons, subject to the same irritation of our sensory surfaces, do we not behave just as humans? If you prick us, do we not cry out? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you ask us, do we not answer? And if you have minds, do we not also? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. How could the politician's suggestion possibly be correct? Note that the crucial behaviorist thought isn't simply that we have excellent evidence that the Newcomers have minds. Rather, it is anyone who behaves just as the Newcomers behave is absolutely guaranteed to have a mind (cf.
    [Show full text]
  • (010) LEARNING & MOTIVATION Fall 2016 COURSE INSTRUCTOR
    SYLLABUS PSYCHOLOGY 312 (010) LEARNING & MOTIVATION Fall 2016 COURSE INSTRUCTOR: Mark E. Stanton, Ph.D. Office: Wolf Hall, Room 132A Phone: 831-0175 Email: [email protected] Office hours: By appointment TEACHING ASSISTANT Nick Heroux Office: Wolf Hall, Room 132 Phone: 831-0687 Email: [email protected] Office hours: By appointment PREREQUISITES: You must have successfully completed Psyc100 (General Psychology), Psyc207 (Research Methods) and Psyc209 (Measurement and Statistics), or equivalent, in order to enroll in this course. This is a departmental requirement. No exceptions. TEXTBOOK: Michael Domjan, The Principles of Learning and Behavior¸7th Edition, 2015, Wadsworth. COURSE OVERVIEW: This course covers learning and motivation as an empirical, theoretical, and applied science in psychology and neuroscience. To earn credit for the course, you must master the material in the textbook and complete in-class assignments. To excel in the course, you must complete seminars that deal with select topics in greater depth. Lectures and in-class assignments are offered to the entire class. Seminar enrollment is limited to five seminars of 8 students each (see calendar). Enrollment is first-come-first- served based on class rank and a cumulative grade of at least 70% (determined by exam performance and in-class assignments). Students can complete up to two seminars. There are no class lectures on days when seminars are being held. More information about seminar enrollment, course structure and requirements appears below. LEARNING GOALS: The learning goals are to make students knowledgeable of the phenomena and theories in the field, to acquire fluency in the “language” and analytical thinking used by professionals in this field, and to develop skills in written and oral communication.
    [Show full text]
  • Motivational Enhancement Therapy: an Effective Approach for Counseling Unmotivated Adolescents
    Article 8 Motivational Enhancement Therapy: An Effective Approach for Counseling Unmotivated Adolescents Glenn W. Lambie and Shari Sias Many adolescents whom counselors regularly the counselor pushes to resolve the problem, the worse counsel are ambivalent and unmotivated to behavioral the situation becomes (Lambie, 2004). Not surprisingly, change. Adolescents are frequently sent for services not a confrontational style of counseling tends to produce of their own volition, but rather by a concerned parent/ resistance in adolescents (Miller & Rollnick, 2002) who guardian or other adult. Many of the traditional feel their personal freedom is threatened; therefore, they counseling theories and approaches were developed for become defensive and use defense mechanisms such motivated adults. Additionally, research has indicated as anger, confrontation, and denial, which all may be that when most people begin counseling they are not perceived as resistance. The harder a counselor pushes, ready to take action to change (Isenhart, 1994), although the more energy an adolescent is going to exert to push the majority of counseling models are constructed for back, confirming Newton’s third law of motion: for working with clients who are ready to take action to every force there is an equal and opposite counterforce change (Prochaska, DiClemente, & Norcross, 1992). (Cowen & Presbury, 2000). Thus when adolescents feel Stereotypical descriptions of adolescents, such as that they are choosing to do something for their own being moody, narcissistic, resistant, and challenging, self-interest, their motivation can be intense (Lambie, and having social and interpersonal problems, are 2004). Consequently, counselors should avoid using similar to generalizations of another difficult statements that belittle, label, order, prescribe, lecture, population, clients with substance abuse issues (Lambie, give mixed messages, or takeover the problem (McCoy, 2004).
    [Show full text]
  • Latham (2007, Work Motivation) -- Ch3, the Emergence of Theory.Pdf
    1950-1975 The Emergence of Theory Introduction Research in the early part of the 1950s did not differ appreciably from the research of the four preceding decades. Attitude surveys continued to be the primary method of data collection for 1/0 psychologists in their study of motivation. Behaviorism was at its zenith in experimen­ tal psychology with B. F. Skinner (1953) as its articulate champion. Research with animals continued to show the importance of antecedent stimuli and external consequences on behavior. Ryan and Smith (1954) argued against 1/0 psychology adopting the prevailing motivational paradigms of experimental and clinical psy­ chology. To translate worker goals into Watson's (1925) terms of stim­ uli and responses, they said, was not only useless but misleading since it implies that the laws that govern these stimuli and responses in experi­ mental laboratory paradigms are the same as those that hold for all other stimuli and responses in everyday situations. They took issue with Hull's (1928) and Spence's (1948) research on the primary drives of animals because to postulate some simple mechanism by which new activities come to be attractive to the organism make it difficult, if not impossible, they said, to demonstrate that a particular activity in the work setting arises through biological determinism. 1 As for Freud, Ryan and Smith noted wryly that his evidence that the individual is unaware of his real wish is likely due only to the fact that the individual does not 'Hull and Spence were interested in the biological determinants that activate consummatory and protective behavior.
    [Show full text]
  • Motives and the Unconscious 52
    Albert Ellis 48. Skinner, B. F. "Critique of Psychoanalytic Concepts and Theories," Scienti/fo -----ANTONY FLEW------ Monthly, 79 : 300-5 ( 1954). 49. Skinner, .B. F. Science and Human Behavior. New York: Macmillan, 1953. 50. Spiker, C. C., aud B. R. McCandless. "The Concept of Intelligcnoc and the Philosophy of Science," Psychological Review, 61: 25 5-66 ( 1954). 51. Sullivan, H. S. Conceptions of Modem Psychiatzy. Washington: William Alan­ son White Psyc11iatric Foundation, 1947. Motives and the Unconscious 52. T olman, E. C. Purposive Behavior in Animals and Men. New York: Appleton­ Century, 1932. 53. Tolman, E. C . "Discussion," foumai of Personality, 18:48-50 (1949). There is, for instance, a lack of trained clarifiers, who might properly co-ordinate t11e various propositions with each other or try to eliminate the inequities ot language in psychoanalysis. Ernst Kris (24) I I WANT to do two main things: first, to reformulate, to explain, and, as far as is then necessary, to defend a thesis about the logical status of the discovery of the unconscious mind; and second, to point one or two morals which are implicit in this thesis. It is one salvaged from a controversy which began in the journal, Aualysis, in which it was in­ adequately and inaccurately formulated, and unfortunately entangled with various curiously misguided side issues (33, 7, 12, 28, 29, 34, 18, and 9). But for the present, without any refinements of qualification, it is simply that the kernel of Freud's discovery was this: if you are prepared so to extend such notions as motive, inteution, purpose, wish, and desire that it becomes proper to speak of motives and so forth which are not known to, and the behavior resulting from which is not under the immediate control of, the person who harbors them, then you can interpret (and even guide) far more of human behavior in terms of concepts of this sort than any sophisticated adult had previously real­ ized.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Interventions to Positively Impact
    1 Utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Interventions to Positively Impact Academic Achievement in Middle School Students Brett Zyromski Southern Illinois University Carbondale Arline Edwards Joseph North Carolina State University Utilizing Cognitive Behavioral 2 Abstract Empirical research suggests a correlation between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) interventions and increased academic achievement of students in middle schools. An argument was presented for utilizing CBT intervention within the delivery system of comprehensive school counseling programs in middle schools; specifically in individual counseling, small group counseling, and classroom guidance lessons. Practical examples and resources were provided to assist school counselors in implementing CBT interventions to help students control cognitive thought processes and positively impact academic achievement. Utilizing Cognitive Behavioral 3 Utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Interventions to Positively Impact Academic Achievement in Middle School Students A professional school counselors’ role is to remove barriers to students’ success; enhancing students’ learning environments and supporting students’ academic achievement (American School Counseling Association, 2005). The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) (2005) recommends school counselors implement a comprehensive school counseling program that “leads to increased student(s) achievement” (p. 11) and “supports the school’s academic mission” (p. 15) by calling attention “to situations within the schools that defeat,
    [Show full text]
  • INTRINSIC MOTIVATION Psychological and Neuroscientific Perspectives
    INTRINSIC MOTIVATION Psychological and Neuroscientific Perspectives Bachelor Degree Project in Cognitive Neuroscience Level C, 15 ECTS Spring term 2012 Pauli Saari Supervisor: Pilleriin Sikka Examiner: Judith Annett Intrinsic Motivation: Psychological and Neuroscientific Perspectives Submitted by Pauli Saari to the University of Skövde as a final year project towards the degree of B.Sc. in the School of Humanities and Informatics. The project has been supervised by Pilleriin Sikka. 120520 I hereby certify that all material in this final year project which is not my own work has been identified and that no work is included for which a degree has already been conferred on me. Signature: ___________________________________________ Intrinsic Motivation 3 Abstract The aim of this essay is to give an overview of the topic of intrinsic motivation based on psychological and neuroimaging research. More specifically, the objective is to give an overview of the various benefits of intrinsic motivation, discuss its relationship to extrinsic rewards, and review the existing neuroimaging research that has explicitly explored intrinsic motivation. A positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and persistence, conceptual learning, creativity and both hedonic as well as eudaimonic well-being has been demonstrated. A wealth of studies has shown that extrinsic rewards undermine intrinsic motivation, while the validity of these findings has been debated. Initial neuroimaging studies concerning the neural basis of intrinsic motivation have been conducted, showing unique activations in the intrinsic motivation conditions in e.g. the anterior precuneus and the right insular cortex. Conceptual and methodological problems have been discussed, and it is suggested that the neuroscientific findings mentioned above can be interpreted in terms of the neural distinction between wanting and liking, rather than in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and that psychological research can draw on neuroscientific findings in order to make its research more precise.
    [Show full text]
  • The Historical Context of Motivation and Analysis Theories Individual Motivation
    International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 3 No. 18; October 2013 The Historical Context of Motivation and Analysis Theories Individual Motivation Behnaz Pakdel PhD Student Baku State University Azerbaijan Abstract The concept of motivation is always considered in human societies especially for researchers and experts of education. Especially, in recent decades, many theorists and researchers in Educational Psychology have been put validity and particular role for motivational and psychological patterns on educational behaviors. So, at this article, we explain historical process of concept of motivation; compare it to goal and then providing the process of social, psychological and educational motivations as a classification of motivations for to analyze the correctness of the theories about individual motivations. Keywords: Motivation, Goal, Cognitive guidelines, Individual motivations. Introduction Motivation is an intrinsic phenomenon that is affected by four factors: Situation (environment and external stimulus), Temperament (state and organism internal state), Goal (purpose of behavior and attitude) and Tool (tools to reach the target). People are motivated for achieving to the goals, necessities and instincts. Academic achievement has a special importance for seekers of science and students. With this motivation, people are motivated enough for successful completion of a task, gaining to a goal or access to a certain degree from competence in their job until they gain enough success in learning and academic achievement (13: p66). Hence, can be said motivation shows reasons for their behaviors and indicate why they act in a certain way. Motivated behavior is an energetic, oriented and continued behavior (15: p45). From educational point of view, motivation is a polyhedral structure which is associated with learning and academic achievement (13: p67).
    [Show full text]
  • Client Motivation and Engagement in Transdiagnostic Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Predictors and Outcomes
    Cognitive Therapy and Research (2019) 43:819–833 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-019-10014-1 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Client Motivation and Engagement in Transdiagnostic Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Predictors and Outcomes Isabella Marker1 · Chloe A. Salvaris1 · Emma M. Thompson1 · Thomas Tolliday1 · Peter J. Norton1,2 Published online: 22 February 2019 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract Client motivation is regarded as a key factor in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders. To date, client motivation has only been measured during individual-CBT, with little known about the predictive capacity of motivation in group settings. The current study aimed to explore the role of client motivation in group-CBT. Measuring motivation dur- ing individual-CBT has proven somewhat difficult with many self-report measures providing weak and inconsistent results. For this reason observational measures of motivation, such as rating client change (CT) language during CBT, have been trialled with some success. The current study aimed to measure motivation using an observational coding system of CT and counter change talk (CCT) during two components of group CBT: cognitive restructuring and exposure sessions. The study explored the predictive capacity of CT and CCT in determining treatment outcomes, and baseline characteristics that predicted in session CT and CCT. Results indicated that CT and CCT predicted different treatment outcomes depending on the stage of therapy. CT and CCT predicted symptom severity at post-treatment and slope of improvement in cognitive restructuring sessions. During exposure sessions only CCT was predictive of poorer treatment outcomes but CT determined client attendance and treatment drop out.
    [Show full text]
  • Motivation & Emotion
    General Psychology Notes - Motivation & Emotion These are general notes designed to assist students who are regularly attending class and reading assigned material: they are supplemental rather than exhaustive and reflect general concepts. I. Motivation - the influences that account for the initiation, direction, intensity, and persistence of behavior. A. Sources of Motivation 1. Biological factors - food, water, sex, and temperature regulation 2. Emotional factors - panic, fear, anger, love, and hatred 3. Cognitive factors - perceptions, beliefs, and expectations 4. Social factors - parents, teachers, siblings, friends, and media B. Theories of Motivation 1. Instinct Theory - innate biological instincts guide behavior * instinct - a complete pattern of behavior that occurs without learning in every member of the species (Fixed Action Patterns). 2. Drive Reduction Theory - behavior is guided by biological needs and learned ways of reducing drives arising from those needs. * homeostasis - physiological systems kept in balance (equilibrium) by making adjustments in response to change. * 2 drives - primary (biological needs) secondary (learned) 3. Arousal - people seek to maintain an optimal level of physiological arousal, which differs from person to person. Maximum performance occurs at optimal arousal levels. * increase arousal when it is too low ( seek excitement when bored) General Psychology Note – Motivation & Emotion Page 1 * decrease when it is too high (relaxation when over-stimulated) 4. Incentive - behavior guided by the lure of rewards and the threat of punishment. Cognitive factors influence expectations of the value of various rewards and the likelihood of attaining them. 5. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - human behavior influenced by needs or motives that can be ranked. Needs at a lower level must be partially satisfied before people can be motivated by higher-level goals * deficiency needs * meta-needs (growth) II.
    [Show full text]