Teacher: Prerna Singh

ISC PSYCHOLOGY

XI PSYCHOLOGY
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CHAPTER: MOTIVATION
UNIT 4

Q. What is meant by motivation? [1]

Answer.
The term motivation is derived from the Latin word ‘movere’ meaning ‘to move’.
Thus motivation is regarded as something which prompts, compels and energizes an individual to act
or behave in a particular fashion at a particular time for attaining some specific goal or purpose.

Q. What are the motives? [1]

Answer.
A motive is a force (learned or innate) which works within the individual to persuade, or inspire him to
satisfy his basic needs or to attain specific goals.

Q. What is a need? [1]

Answer.
Need is an excess or deficiency of something in the body. Every human being strives for the satisfaction
of his basic needs.

Q. What are instincts? [1]

Answer.
Instincts are innate, inborn and unlearned tendencies. They do not require any sort of previous
experience or training. It enables the organism to perceive and pay attention to certain specific things, to
drive the person to do some task or be aroused.

Q. What are biological needs? Explain and give examples. [5]

Answer.
All our bodily or organic needs are termed as biological needs. They are classified under four categories:
1. The fundamental needs for our survival and existence like oxygen, water and food.
2. Needs for maintaining equilibrium in our body. Eg. Need for having an even internal body
temperature.
3. Need for the satisfaction of sex urges.
4. Needs that are associated with the demands of our success.

Q. What is meant by homeostasis? [1]

Answer.
The term was coined by W.B. Cannon. He suggested that our body system constantly works toward an
optimum level of functioning maintaining a normal state of balance between input and output. This
maintenance of an overall physiological balance is homeostasis.
Teacher: Prerna Singh

Q. What are unconscious motives? [1]

Answer.
In psychoanalytic theory, the wishes, aims, impulses and drives of which the self is not aware are known
as unconscious motives. Examples are slips of the tongue, dreams and purposive accidents. Eros (life
instinct) and Thanatos (death instinct) also govern the behaviour.

Q. What is meant by intrinsic motivation? [1]

Answer.
Intrinsic motivation refers to individuals engaging in activities or tasks purely for the sake of personal
interest or enjoyment, and not because of an external award.

Q. Explain the different theories of motivation. [5]/[7]

a. Pull theory
b. Push theory
c. Optimum Arousal Theory
d. Expectancy Theory

Answer.
a. Push Theory: It states that there is a driving state. There is a goal directed behaviour, initiated
by the driving state for the attainment of a goal. When the goal is reached, there is a reduction of
the drawing state and subject satisfaction. After a time, the driving state builds up against the
push behaviour again. Behaviour is pushed towards goal by the driving states within the
person.
b. Pull Theory: It states that the goal objects pull behavior towards them. The goal objects which
motivate behavior are known as incentives. An important aspect is that the individuals expect
pleasure from the attainment of positive incentives.
c. Optimum Arousal Theory: This theory states that we are motivated to have a balanced state of
arousal. If the state of arousal is very high or very low, then we try to balance it by taking it
around or pushing it up.
d. Expectancy Theory: The theory was given by Vroom. It states that a person behaves the way
they do because they are motivated to select that behaviour ahead of others because of what they
expect the result of that behaviour to be.

Q. Draw and explain the graphic representation of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy. [5]

Answer.

● In 1954, Abraham Maslow proposed that motivational behaviour may satisfy many needs.
Teacher: Prerna Singh

● Human needs arrange themselves in a hierarchy. The appearance of one need generally depends
on the satisfaction of another.
● Physiological needs: These things include the things that are vital to our survival. Eg. food,
water, air.
● Security needs: People want control and order in their lives. The need for safety and security
contributes largely to behaviors at this level. Eg. financial security, health and wellness.
● Belongingness needs: The need for emotional relationships drives human behaviors. Eg. family,
romantic attachments, friendships.
● Esteem needs: At this point, it becomes increasingly important to gain the respect and
appreciation of others. People have a need to accomplish things and then have their efforts
recognized.
● Self-actualization needs: People have to achieve their full potential as human beings. Self-
actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, and interested in fulfilling
their potential.

Q. What is the name of the need theory given by Maslow? [1]

Answer.
Need Hierarchy Theory

Q. What are social motives? [1]

Answer.
These are complex forms of motives mainly resulting from the individual’s interaction with his/her social
environment. They are mostly learned or acquired.

Q. Explain the different social motives. [5]/[7]

Answer.
● Need for Power: It is an ability of a person to produce intended effects on the behavior and
emotions of another person. The various goals of power motivation are to influence, control,
persuade, lead, and charm others and most importantly to enhance one’s own reputation in the
eyes of other people. David McClelland described four general ways of expression of the power
motive. First, people do things to gain a feeling of power from sources outside themselves.
Second, power can also be felt from sources within us and may be expressed by building up the
body and mastering urges and impulses. Third, people do things as individuals to have an impact
on others. Fourth, people do things as members of organizations to have an impact on others as
in the case of the leader of a political party.
● Need for Achievement: It refers to the desire of a person to meet standards of excellence. It is
an individual’s desire for sufficient accomplishment, mastering of skills, control, or high
standards. It includes intense, prolonged and repeated efforts to accomplish something difficult.
Persons high on achievement motivation tend to prefer tasks that are moderately difficult and
challenging. They have a stronger-than-average desire for feedback on their performance, that is
to know how they are doing, so that they can adjust their goals to meet the challenge.
● Need for Aggression: Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to
another person. Someone may act aggressively as response to pain or fear, while someone else
may use aggression to achieve another goal, like taking another person’s money. Dollar and
Miller gave the frustration-aggression hypothesis. It states that frustration produces aggression.
Aggression is often “pulled” from without rather than “pushed” or driven from within by
irresistible, perhaps inherited tendencies. Another social factor that often plays a role in
aggression is direct provocation from another person. Verbal insults or physical actions
interpreted as aggressive in nature often lead the party on the receiving end to reciprocate, with
the results that a powerful aggression–counter aggression spiral develops. A large body of
Teacher: Prerna Singh

evidence indicates that exposure to violence in the media—television, movies, and so on—has
been found to increase aggression on the part of viewers. some research findings suggest that
sex hormones, especially the male hormone testosterone, may play a role in aggression.

Q. What is meant by frustration? [1]

Answer.
Frustration occurs when an anticipated desirable goal is not attained and the motive is blocked.

Q. Explain the different types of conflicts between motives with examples. [5]

Answer.
Conflict occurs whenever a person must choose between contradictory needs, desires, motives, or
demands.

● Approach- approach (+ +) conflict: it is a conflict between two positive goals which are
equally attractive at the same time. For eg. to choose to eat either ice-cream or pizza. Such
conflicts are usually resolved either by satisfying first one goal and then the other or by choosing
one of the goals and giving up on the other which is less positive. The person may be happy with
the choice he made or face regret.
● Avoidance-avoidance (- -) conflict: it involves two negative goals. Both the goals appear
unattractive and the person is repelled by both of them but must choose one of them. Eg. not
wanting to attend lectures and neither wanting to get in the defaulter’s list.
● Approach-avoidance (+ -) conflict: The individual is faced with a goal which has both positive
and negative values. So he is both attracted to and repelled by the goal. It is a difficult conflict to
resolve. Eg. being attracted to a job because the salary is good but it also doesn’t guarantee peace
of mind and job satisfaction.
● Multiple Approach- avoidance (++ - -): Several goals with positives and negatives are
involved. To resolve, the relative strength of all positives and negatives involved need to be
weighed. For eg. a lady getting married, the positive aspect being getting a life partner and
getting security and stability in life; the negative aspect being leaving the job and not being able
to adjust in a new job.