Psy/230 Checkpoint: Motivation Theories

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CheckPoint: Motivation Theories Samantha J. Horn PSY/230 11 May 2012 Diane Pascoe Motivation Theories When speaking of motivation there are three main views that are discussed: Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, and Diversity; each possessing its own unique characteristics. I favor the diversity view the most because it allows for flexibility. Humans are diverse, and all are different in unique ways. The diversity view argues that humans do things and are motivated by different things. Some may be motivated by money or power, while others are motivated by emotion and well-being. Henry Murray suggested that humans live in past experiences and expectations of the future to achieve needs and desires. In addition, he believed humans possessed two main types of needs. The first is viscerogenic, which are physiological needs such as air and water. Second, psychogenic, “such as the need for autonomy, achievement, affiliation, dominance, play, order, and so on.” (Pinel, J.P.J. 2008. p. 280). Also, needs often interact with dispositional traits such as extroversion and introversion. The dispositional trait will reflect how the person uses behavior to fulfill a need. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) was created to help measure the needs for power, intimacy, and achievement in regards to motivation. The motivational view I agree with the least is the psychoanalytic view. “The psychoanalytic view of human motivation suggests that behavior is ultimately determined by unconscious sexual and aggressive drives and by the complex intrapsychic conflicts that arise in daily life.” (Pinel, J.P.J. 2008. p. 299). Freud had some beliefs that I believe have been outdated and further researched since his time. Freud proposed there were two main instincts or drives: Life (sexual) and death (aggression). Since real life behaviors do not always allow for us to act on
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