Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology of 97 Maslow and Hierarchy of Needs- Abraham Maslow proposed that needs exist in a hierarchy, from basic biological needs to the ultimate need for self-actualization. After our basic physiological needs are satisfied, we focus on our need for safety and security. Once that is met, we then attend to needs at the next higher level, and so on. If situations change and lower-level needs are no longer met, we refocus our attention on them until they are satisfied. To Maslow, self-actualization, which represents the need to fulfill our potential, is the ultimate human motive. It motivates us to perfect ourselves mentally, artistically, emotionally, and socially, to explore activities for their intrinsic satisfaction rather than to gain esteem and belongingness, and to live deep and meaningful lives dedicated to the betterment of all people, not just ourselves. Maslow believed that most people become so focused on attaining satisfaction of the needs lower in the hierarchy (physiological needs- food, drink, safety needs- security and psychological safety, belongingness- acceptance and affection, esteem-approval and recognition, self-actualization), that they spend little time focused on becoming all they can be. Those rare people who approach self-actualization achieve a state of self-transcendence, moving beyond a focus on self to commit themselves to the welfare of others, to spiritual fulfillment, and to causes higher than themselves. Emotions- Are feeling (or affect) states that involve a pattern of cognitive, physiological, and behavioral reactions to events. Emotions prepare us to deal with the many ways in which events can impact our motives, goals, and values. Emotions have important adaptive functions. Emotions are also an important form of social communication. By providing clues about our internal states and intentions, emotions influence how other people behave toward us. Positive emotions are an important part of life satisfaction, and negative emotions foster unhappiness. Our emotional states share four common features: emotions are triggered by external or internal eliciting stimuli; emotional responses result from our appraisals of these stimuli, which give the situation its perceived meaning and significance; our bodies respond physiologically to our appraisals; and emotions include behavior tendencies, either expressive behaviors or instrumental behaviors, ways of doing something about the stimulus that evoked the emotion. Physiology of Emotions- When our feelings are stirred up, one of the first things we notice is bodily changes. Many parts of the body are involved in emotional arousal, but certain brain regions, the autonomic nervous system, and the endocrine system play especially significant roles. Face- Many parts of the body can communicate feelings, but we tend to concentrate on what the face tells us. Although we can never directly experience another person’s feelings, we often can infer that someone is angry, sad, fearful, or happy on the basis of expressive behaviors, the person’s observable emotional displays. Brain- Emotions involve important interactions between several brain areas, including the limbic system and cerebral cortex. Our physiological responses in emotion are produced by the hypothalamus, the limbic system, the cortex, and the autonomic and endocrine systems. There appear to be two systems for emotional behavior, one involving conscious processing by the cortex and the other involving unconscious processing by the amygdala. Negative emotions seem to reflect greater © 2015 Achieve Page 49