• Review pp. 244–248 of Psychology and Your Life. What are the five different approaches to motivation? Choose one of the approaches and explain how it affects motivation.

Over here we will discuss the five different approaches to motivation. They are instincts, drive reduction approaches to motivation, drive, homeostasis, and arousal approaches to motivation.
Drive reduction approach involves the proper evaluation of a person to find out the things that motivate him the most and the ones that do not motivate him at all. In this method we calculate the personal determination that a person possesses to complete a task that he/she does not physically or mentally want to accomplish. There is always a reason behind everything that a person does. Take for example the case of half of the people around you. They do what they do either to pay their bills, or to have some time to burn, or just cause they find fun in doing that. So drive reduction approach basically aims at finding out that thing that motivates a person and then making him realize how the chores that he/she is doing would help him get that thing. Seems like the only time a person does not need to be motivated to start a task, is one that he or she does not mind doing or better yet have fun with a task.

• Review Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs located at the following link: http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pcp_94178_psych_axia/lbp8e_11374/lbp8e_11374.html. Explain Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Does this hierarchy make sense to you? Explain why or why not. Which need to you find most challenging and why?

Most of you would have heard about the Maslow’s hierarchy of motivational needs. Even though it is a universally accepted and proven law, I believe that a few levels in it can be interchanged. Even though the first two levels completely make sense to me, that a person need physical needs like food water and clothing before anything else and that would be the first thing that he would get motivated to. Also that once he/she has attained those needs he would go for social security. But above that love and belongingness seems in a sticky wicket to me. I believe that love and belongingness can be a motivation for a safe and secure environment, so it could be interchangeable here. I also have this feeling that it can also be interchanged with esteem. The famous proverb love oneself in order to love others comes to mind here. Is it necessary for one to have self worth before loving another or vice versa? I guess nobody has an accurate answer to that question. Self-actualization is the top level. Once one has met with all the basic needs, has had a sufficient amount of security and has learned to love him and others he would go for self actualization. But not all people would hold on to this model. I guess everybody has different sets of needs and so there motivation can also be quite different. So I guess this chart is different for different individuals.

• Based on Figure 1 on p. 268 of Psychology and Your Life, list the five main emotions. Choose one positive and one negative emotion to discuss related to being a student. Provide one example of how these emotions may affect your performance in class.

There is a reason why we believe that student life is the best part of one’s life. And that reason is contentment. Yes, don’t be mistaken it is because a student is content after doing his assignment on time or scoring good in tests that he believes in himself. He is also able to interact with other students and complete group tasks because he is content with himself and has great deal of self belief. The student most likely will be content will the outcome of his or her grade or score, from the assigned assignment or project.
While it has its positives there are major drawbacks to student life as well. The last thing that a person would want to do is to bring in fear into his/her student life. Once a student starts fearing the daily assignments that he gets and the thought of what will happen if he/she is not able to complete the assignments or the fear of punishment than there is nothing good about the student life.
Worry affects an individual in class, by having the person sometimes double or triple check his or her own work to make sure that the assignment is correct

• What are the biological factors that motivate human sexual behavior?

Biological factors that motivate human sexual behavior depend on whether you are male or female. For male sex hormones, androgens start being excreted during puberty. These hormones promote body hair to grow and the voice to deepen. Androgens also increase the sex drive in adolescent boys. The hormone is constantly created and excreted which allows a man to be capable of, and interested in, sex at all times; therefore they are not dependent on a biological cycle. Females work differently. At puberty the ovaries start producing estrogen and progesterone, which are sex hormones. Unlike males, the two hormones are not constant and follow a natural cycle. The biggest production happens during ovulation. Although female sex hormone levels are the highest at the time of ovulation females are normally receptive to sex throughout that cycle. According to the text nonhuman animals have a different motivation for sexual behavior. Female animals are only receptive during limited periods in a year and sexual behavior is more natural not needing much prompting by others.

• Watch the Motivation and Emotion – Interactive Tutorial located at the following link: http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pcp_94123_psych_axia/lesson_07/select.htm.
Describe the three main types of needs. Identify four of the 10 suggestions for living a happier life.

The first type of need is need for achievement. This need is strongly related to success in school and careers. These people tend to be wealthy and successful but are not always because they're achievement level depends per person. The second need is need for affiliation. These people have a high need for approval and will strive for acceptance. They may dress; walk and talk like peers and thrive on the opinions of their friends. They also make good team players. The third need is need for power. These types value prestige, status and control.

Achievement and power needs are vastly different. While the need for achievement is feed the soul and the need for power feeds the ego. Someone who needs to achieve will most likely make a lateral job move because they will see that even moving to a new job that is really no different in duties or status will eventually be more lucrative and wise in the long run. Those who need power will see this lateral job change as a loss of power. They also put more value on personal objects while those in achievement need the fulfillment of accomplishment.

Four out of the ten strategies for happiness are take control of your time. You need to find time for you and only you. Mom, wife, husband, friend, sister, etc., no matter the title you are still you and you need to make an appointment for yourself to be you. Seek work and leisure activities that engage your skills. Make that I time something you enjoy doing and do well. Join the movement. Get your body exercising and help create endorphin's to make you happy. Keep a gratitude journal. Writing down your thoughts and feelings is a great way to release stress and come to terms with natural feelings.