Understanding Motivation, Emotions, and Stress: A Psychological View

Understanding Motivation in Psychology

In psychology, motivation designates what prompts, guides, and directs an individual's actions. It integrates cognitive and affective aspects, increasing activation and organization of our actions. It's a common language to express oneself, often described with words rather than will or spirit of struggle.

Key Features of Motivation

1. Intentional: Targeting a specific goal the individual wants to achieve.
2. Strong and Persistent: Individuals use significant energy to reach their goals, overcoming obstacles.
3. Hierarchically Organized: Reasons can range from survival functions to personal growth.
4. Conscious or Unconscious: Motivation can be understood or unexplained.
5. Intrinsic or Extrinsic: Behavior is driven by pleasure or external factors.
6. Human Dissatisfaction: The constant desire for something new.

Types of Motivation

• Affiliation Motivation: The reason that makes us social and relate to others, varying by person and experience.
• Deficiency Motivation: Developed by Maslow, geared to meet survival needs (physiological, security, love, etc.).

Frustration and Defense Mechanisms

Frustration: An unpleasant emotional experience caused by the withdrawal of rewards, producing disappointment and anger.

Defense Mechanisms: Unconscious strategies aimed at preventing or protecting us from anxiety or frustration. Examples include: fantasy, repression, and regression.

Understanding Excitement

Excitement is a generic term describing various areas of experience.

Components of Excitement

1. Physiological Responses: Preparing the body to adapt to the environment.
2. Subjective Affective States: How we feel in a given situation.
3. Expressive Component: Communicating feelings through body language and facial gestures.

Features of Excitement

• Adaptive: Influenced by evolution, affecting both physical and expressive characteristics.
• Social: Used to adapt socially, communicate feelings, and influence the behavior of others.

Stress: Understanding and Implications

Stress: Manifests when a person faces difficult demands of behavioral conduct.

Causes of Stress

• Uncertainty
• Lack of information
• Overload of processing channels
• Misconduct skills

Implications of Stress

• Physiological Changes: Overactivity of the nervous system.
• Emotional Disturbance: Feelings of guilt, anxiety, and depression.
• Cognitive Disorder: Decreased attention to tasks.

Phases of Stress

1. Advance
2. Waiting for results
3. Assessment of cognitive coping responses