Motivational Psychology: Aristotles Theory of Motivation - Assignment Example

MOTIVATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY Chapter # 2: Aristotle’s theory of motivation Aristotle’s theory of motivation is about the change of behavior via motivation. He presented four causes that can cause changes in behavior and feel a person motivated to do something. These causes were final, formal, material and efficient. These causes can drive a person motivated to bring some change in his behavior and decisions and accomplish a certain goal which can satisfy the cause behind it. When a person feels a formal feeling about something, his brain gets stimulated to make a final decision about fulfilling the need of that feeling. (skeen, 2003)In order to accomplish that, that person sets some materialistic activity to efficiently accomplish the need. In such a way, all four causes can be accomplished by a motivated person. It depends on a person if he gets motivated by one/few or all of the causes. Aristotle emphasizes on relation between these four causes and considered them strong reasons for inducing change in someone’s behavior or decisions. Socrates’ Hedonism Hedonism theory is established on two variables i.e. fun or boredom. It states that a task, activity is worth doing if it brings fun otherwise there is no use of doing that. Socrates also presents the similar idea by taking two variables into consideration i.e. pleasure and pain. He states that a person is motivated to do something if he comes to know about the feelings and intensity of pain and pleasure in doing something. (Reshotko, 2009) If pleasure exceeds pain, he will be motivated to do it and if pain exceeds pleasure, he will not be motivated to do it. The two variables established by Socrates are the drivers of motivational feelings in a person. Factors to increase motivation According to Aristotle, the presence of his defined causes can increase motivation in a person. (Rieber, 1981) For example, for eating, there is/are some feeling of hunger (formal), decision of eating something (final), satisfaction (efficient), craving (material) which can cause a person to feel motivated to eat. According to Socrates, there should be pleasure feeling in a person to do something by his own motivation. In case when a person feels pleasure in doing something, his motivation to do it becomes increased. For example, when a person seeks pleasure in helping others, he will be motivated to do it. Factors decrease motivation According to Aristotle, if there is none of the cause present in a person, he will not be motivated to do something. The absence of all causes final, formal, material and efficient will decrease his motivation level. For example, when a person commits suicide, his all causes that can motivate him towards life become vanished, the absence of all causes make him feel demotivated to live and commit suicide. (Deckers, 2014) According to Socrates, when a person seeks intensity of pain greater than intensity of pleasure in doing something, he feels demotivated. (Wagner, 2001) For example, if a woman perceives more pain in delivering a baby than the pleasure which she would get from motherhood; she will not plan a baby. Her motivation level is low because of her perception of more pain than pleasure in planning and delivering a baby. Similarity of theories Aristotle and Socrates are similar in stating the pleasure or pain presence in doing something. When Aristotle says that the final cause is to make a person decide something to eat, he will be motivated to eat. That would mean he has agreed to take pain or pleasure from that act just like Socrates’ viewpoint. Difference of theories Aristotle and Socrates differ when Socrates states only pleasure and pain as factors of motivation while Aristotle also include the material cause as a motivational factor in doing something. For example, taking the example of suicide, a person will not attempt suicide if he seeks more pleasure in living than dying. But from Aristotle’s point of view, a person will not commit suicide because of his materialistic affiliation with worldly things rather than pleasure of living a life. Relevancy and usefulness of theories in modern times The theory presented by Aristotle is relevant in today’s life. In the modern world, every person does triggered by a specific cause. Nobody do anything without a cause behind his motivation to do something. They are useful for applying in today’s world when we want to assess as to what might be the cause behind any person action. Socrates’ theory is not relevant to today’s modern world. Today is the world of materialistic affiliations and worldly reasons. People hardly do something on their own choice. They are almost always influenced by some external or internal factors that motivate them to do something. Pleasure and pain are not considered as a criterion for being motivational factors. CHAPTER 13 Summary and key results of study Verduen, Bernat and co researchers conducted a study on a specific sample for a purpose of recording their emotions by their facial expressions, physical behavior, and bodily language and arousal expressions. They were shown some pictures in which intensity of positivity and negativity very high. They were also shown neutral pictures that probably could not arise any feeling in anybody. As a result of their research, they found that there is a temporary emotion arises in every person which is for a short span of time. People feel negative and positive feelings in their respective intensity for a short period of time. Methods of research study The methods used by research study were appropriate. Showing pictures are a very good technique that can record instant reaction of a person. As pictures were unknown and never displayed before to participants of research, the method helped the researchers to collect their responses in an original way. Justification of conclusion The conclusion is justified because of its high relevancy with the real scenarios of life. When a person feels angry, his face becomes red, when he is happy he smiles and when he is sad, his eyes become tearful and a sense of sorrow hovers over his personality. (Knutson, 1996) These simple yet true conclusions are right in the assessment of human beings feelings and emotions. These are our common observations too in which we feel in the way that participants have felt. I think there could not be a better alternate expression of conclusion than this because language is clear which concept to be delivered coherent and easy to understand. I think it is the best way to explain results. (Deckers, 2014) Application of findings Area of life: yes the application can be on any area of life. For example, when we lose a loved one, we cry and our eyes become tearful. When we feel happy, we smile and feel happiness. When we see something scary, we feel fear and we usually frown. (Paul)So these findings can be applied to any area of finding. A situation: the findings can be applied to any situation that involves emotions and feelings of a person. The findings can be applied on different situations such as when a mother sees her child achieving something, she smiles and feels happy. (Aleix Martinez, 2012) This common example is a very good application of findings of the study. An unexamined population: yes, these findings can be applied in an unexamined population. Emotions are present in everybody (URSULA HESS, 1990) so any unexamined population can get applied of the findings of the study. Limitations of study There are two main limitations of the study: 1. The study is limited to number of emotions only while there are numerous emotions in a person. 2. Although explanation of findings is in a very good way, explanation size is limited and leaves the need for more descriptive explanations. If I had to make changes in the study findings, I would have worked on the above mentioned limitations. In such a way, my work would be on more emotions and more explanation of findings. References 1. Aleix Martinez, S. D. (2012). A Model of the Perception of Facial Expressions of Emotion byHumans: Research Overview and Perspectives. Journal of Machine Learning Research, 2(12). 2. Deckers, L. (2014). Motivation: Biological, Psychological, and Environmental (4rth ed.). 3. Knutson, B. (1996). FACIAL EXPRESSIONS OF EMOTION INFLUENCE INTERPERSONAL TRAIT INFERENCES. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 20(3). 4. Paul, D. a. (n.d.). FACIAL EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS. Guilford expression. 5. Reshotko, N. (2009). Socratic Virtue: Making the Best of the Neither-Good-Nor-Bad. Cambridge University Press. 6. Rieber, L. P. (1981). Animation, Incidental Learning, and Continuing Motivation . Journal of educational psychology, 83(3), 318-323. 7. skeen, J. (2003). Discovering Human Happiness: Choice Theory Psychology, Aristotelian Contemplation, and Traherne’s Felicity. Quodlibet Journal, 2(3). 8. URSULA HESS, R. E. (1990). Differentiating emotion elicited and deliberate emotional facial expressions . European Journal of Social Psychology, 20, 369-385. 9. Wagner, E. (2001). Essays on Platos Psychology. Lexington Books. 10. Deckers, L. (2014). Motivation: Biological, Psychological, and Environmental (4rth ed.). Read More