Motivation, or the lack of it, powers our lives. For many years, motivation was considered purely biological, Instinct Theory being one of the major ideas.

Mental health problems can strike anyone. They have a habit of creeping up on you and if left untreated can very quickly become serious.

Child development is probably the most studied area in psychology. After all understanding the influences the make us who we are is the essence of psychology.

When To reach Out?

Most cases can be dealt with and will improve with treatment. Your mental health is precious so look out for it. If you get to the point of feeling so low that you start thinking about death or taking you own life, seek help immediately.

Depression Explained

There as many sufferers of anxiety disorders globally as there are depressive disorders. The two groups cross over with many suffering from a combination of disorders (technical term is comorbidity).

Addiction

Addiction depends on your mental state. There are different ways that addiction can occur. There are three main reasons highlighted by research in the field. he first is psychopathology resulting in mental illness.

healthy children development

Child Development Theories

Arnold Gesell developed the Maturational Theory. While critics have found areas to criticize this theory it is still held in high esteem and used as a gauge for infant development. Basically, the theory states that a child grows and develops in measured phases that are sequential and very much predictable. The rates at which an individual child moves through theses phases are prone to genetic and environmental influences but are very much a product of millions of years of evolution. Gesell spent 50 years studying child behavior working out of Yale.

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I, like most modern psychologists, don’t adhere to one theory. We have a rich foundation of knowledge based on an expanding field. Science never stands still and it would be an arrogant doctor that stated a certainty in the world of psychology. Dr. Marie E. Moore Psy.D.

Does Money really Change Our Personality?

Colin and Christine Weir won a staggering amount in 2011. $250 million is enough in any body’s eyes. The couple soon gained a reputation for being generous. A young girl suffering from cerebral palsy got a chunk of cash as did a young artist. They gave their house to a teenage mother and set up the Weir Charitable Trust to help their community.

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psychology about external influence

OUTSIDE INFLUENCE - OR IS IT OUR MINDS?

Extrinsic motivation, or intrinsic motivation, externally driven, or internally driven. These theories are now getting into the thought process of motivation. Extrinsic motivation is not necessarily another person pushing your buttons, but it is an outside influence.

Be it reward based or an obligation, or even avoiding a negative impact, extrinsic motivation does not come from you. Intrinsic motivation comes from your internal pleasure seeking. This could be a sense of achievement or satisfaction, or maybe the release of endorphins when working out at the gym.

The same activity can be for both intrinsic and extrinsic reasons for different people. Take the example of working out at the gym. Gill has been told by her physician that she needs to take vigorous exercise to reduce her weight.

The motivation for her is extrinsic, her health will suffer if she does not exercise. Tim loves to pump iron, he gets a buzz from it. He has no other reason than it gives him pleasure. This is an example of purely intrinsic motivation. There may well be other benefits for Tim but these are not the reasons he goes to the gym.

OUR BODIES DECIDE WHEN WHERE AND HOW

The great Freud, father of psycho analysis, theorized we had two main instincts, Eros and Thanatos or the life instinct and the death instinct.

Others since have added many more to that list. In layman's terms we react to outside stimulus in a hard wired manner. For example, if a bucket of water is thrown at your face you duck or if you trip you put out your hands to save yourself.

Next we come to Drive Reduction Theory, developed by Clark Hull and Kenneth Spence in the early 40’s. This is another classic theory that suggests all motivation stems from biological or physiological needs.

For example, if your body is in need of water you become thirsty. That feeling of thirst drives you to seek out a drink. Ergo, the motivation was biological, the same goes with hunger and keeping warm.

Arousal Theory is an expansion on the previous theories of biological motivation. We all have individual levels of excitement or states of arousal according to this theory. Our bodies need to be at the correct level so if we are of the type that has a higher need for excitement then we go motor racing. If we are at the lower end of the scale then maybe we go ice skating instead. This theory revolves around the need for hormones like dopamine, serotonin and adrenaline.