Motivation and Emotion

Motivation is a process of initiating, guiding, and maintaining actions to fulfill physiological or psychological needs or desires. For example, feeling …

The motivational cycle is a psychological framework that explains how individuals are driven to fulfill their needs, achieve goals, and restore …

Hunger and thirst are two basic physiological drives that guide survival behaviors in humans and animals. Hunger is triggered when the brain detects …

Sleep, sex, and pain avoidance are key physiological motives that shape human and animal behavior. Sleep, regulated by the hypothalamus and brainstem, …

Power motivation and achievement motivation are two key social motives identified by psychologist David McClelland. Power motivation refers to the desire …

Affiliation motivation is the innate need to connect with others and belong to a social group and is crucial for maintaining relationships and overall …

Instinct theory suggests that humans have innate instincts that drive their behavior and decision-making. Similar to how animals rely on instincts for …

Clark Hull introduced the drive-reduction theory, often called the push theory of motivation. This theory explains how biological drives such as hunger or …

Incentive theory, or the pull theory of motivation, suggests that behavior is explained by the external stimulus and its rewarding properties, such as …

The optimal arousal theory is based on the Yerkes-Dodson law, formulated by Robert Yerkes and John Dodson. This law illustrates the relationship between …

Abraham Maslow's theory of motivation is organized as a hierarchy of needs, where lower-level needs must be satisfied before pursuing higher …

Self-determination theory, pioneered by Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, focuses on three fundamental organismic needs: autonomy, competence, and …

The physiology of emotions involves complex interactions between the autonomic nervous system, brain structures, hormones, and neurotransmitters. The …

Emotional expression refers to how people show their feelings through spoken words and non-verbal actions. This includes facial expressions, body …

Emotional labeling refers to the cognitive process of identifying and naming emotions such as anger, fear, happiness, or sadness. Emotional labeling is …

The James-Lange theory of emotion, proposed by William James and Carl Lange in the late 19th century, asserts that emotions are the result of …

The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion was developed by physiologists Walter Cannon and Philip Bard to explain the relationship between emotions and …

Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer proposed the two-factor theory of emotion, which emphasizes the interplay between physiological arousal and cognitive …

Richard Lazarus's cognitive mediational theory emphasizes the role of cognitive interpretation or appraisal. This appraisal mediates between the …

Charles Darwin argued that facial expressions evolved to communicate intentions like threat or fear and are universal across species, not …