Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology of 97 gonadotropins, into the bloodstream. Sex hormones have organizational effects that direct the development of male and female sex characteristics. Sex hormones also have activational effects that stimulate sexual desire and behavior. Psychological Influences- Environmental stimuli affect sexual desire. Viewing sexual violence reinforces men’s belief in rape myths and generally increases men’s aggression toward women. Sexual orientation involves dimensions of self-identity, sexual attraction, and actual sexual behavior. Scientists still do not completely understand the basis for sexual orientation. Psychological factors can not only trigger sexual arousal but also inhibit it. Sexual dysfunction refers to chronic impaired sexual functioning that distresses a person. It may result from injuries, diseases, and drug effects, but in some cases it may be psychological. Anyone who doubts culture’s power to shape human behavior need only examine sexual customs around the globe; and the psychological meaning of sex itself depends on cultural contexts. Achievement- The need for achievement is a positive desire to accomplish tasks and compete successfully with standards of excellence. High need achievers have a strong motive for success and relatively low fear of failure. They tend to seek moderately difficult tasks that are challenging but attainable. Low need achievers are more likely to choose easy tasks, where success is assured, or very difficult tasks, where success is expected. Achievement Goal Theory- Focuses on the manner in which success is defined both by the individual and within the achievement situation itself. At the individual level, achievement goal theorists are interested in the achievement goal orientation that people have. They differentiate between a mastery orientation, in which the focus is on personal improvement, giving maximum effort, and perfecting new skills, and an ego orientation, in which the goal is to outperform others (hopefully, with as little effort as possible). At the situational level, the theory focuses on the motivational climate that encourages or rewards either a mastery approach or an ego approach. Achievement Goal Orientations- Another way to understand achievement motivation is to examine the goals that people seek to attain in task situations. Mastery approach goals focus on the desire to master a task and learn new knowledge and skills. Ego approach goals reflect a competitive orientation that focuses on outperforming other people. Avoidance- On the avoidance side, mastery avoidance goals reflect a fear of not performing up to one’s own standards. Ego-avoidance goals center on avoiding being outperformed by others. Compared with ego-involving environments, mastery-involving motivational climates foster more positive psychological and performance outcomes. Motivational goals may conflict with one another. Approach-approach conflict occurs when a person has to select between two attractive alternatives, whereas avoidance-avoidance conflict involves choosing between two undesirable alternatives. Approach-avoidance conflict occurs when we are attracted to and repelled by the same goal. Self-efficacy-The belief that one is capable of carrying out the specific behaviors needed to attain one’s goals. When people are successful and when they attribute their success to their own competencies, their self-efficacy increases and assists then in subsequent goal-directed efforts. © 2015 Achieve Page 48