Chapter 9 Introduction

256

9

Motivation and Emotion

image
© Hero Images/Getty Images

SURVEY THE

CHAPTER

Motivational Concepts

Drives and Incentives

Arousal Theory

A Hierarchy of Needs

Hunger

The Physiology of Hunger

The Psychology of Hunger

Obesity and Weight Control

The Need to Belong

The Benefits of Belonging

The Pain of Being Shut Out

Connecting and Social Networking

Emotion: Arousal, Behavior, and Cognition

Historical Emotion Theories

Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory: Arousal + Label = Emotion

Zajonc, LeDoux, and Lazarus: Emotion and the Two-Track Brain

Embodied Emotion

The Basic Emotions

Emotions and the Autonomic Nervous System

The Physiology of Emotions

THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT: Lie Detection

Expressed and Experienced Emotion

Detecting Emotion in Others

Culture and Emotion

The Effects of Facial Expressions

257

How well I [DM] remember asking my first discussion question in a new introductory psychology class. Several hands rose, along with one left foot. The foot belonged to Chris Klein, who was the unlikeliest person to have made it to that class. At birth, Chris suffered oxygen deprivation that required 40 minutes of CPR. “One doctor wanted to let him go,” recalls his mother.

The result was severe cerebral palsy. With damage to the brain area that controls muscle movement, Chris is unable to control his constantly moving hands. He cannot feed, dress, or care for himself. And he cannot speak. But what Chris can control are his keen mind and his left foot. With that blessed foot, he controls the joystick on his motorized wheelchair. Using his left big toe, he can type sentences, which his communication system can store, send, or speak. And Chris has motivation—lots of motivation.

When Chris was a high school student in suburban Chicago, three teachers doubted he would be able to leave home for college. Yet he persisted, and, with much support, came to my college called Hope. Five years later, as his left foot drove him across the stage to receive his diploma, his admiring classmates gave him a spontaneous standing ovation.

Today, Chris is an inspirational speaker for schools, churches, and community events, giving “a voice to those that have none, and a helping hand to those with disabilities.” He is writing a book, Lessons from the Big Toe. And he has found love and married.

Few of us face Chris Klein’s challenges. But we all seek to direct our energy in ways that will produce satisfaction and success. We are moved by our feelings along the way, and we inspire them in others. We are pushed by biological motives, such as hunger, and by social ones, such as the need to belong. Chris Klein’s strong will to live, learn, and love highlights the close ties between our own motivations and emotions, which energize, direct, and enrich our lives.