1. 1
Motivation & Emotion
Dr James Neill
Centre for Applied Psychology
University of Canberra
2016
Unconscious motivation
Image source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Why_books_are_always_better_than_movies.jpg
Image source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Why_books_are_always_better_than_movies.jpg

2. 2
Unconscious
motivation
Reading:
Reeve (2015)
Ch 16
(pp. 466-495)
Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alma-Tadema_Unconscious_Rivals_1893.jpg

3. 3
Outline – Unconscious motivation
Based on Reeve (2015, p. 466)
 Psychodynamic
perspective
 Psychoanalytic →
psychodynamic
 Dual-instinct theory
 Drive → wish?
 Contemporary
psychodynamic theory
 The unconscious
 Freudian unconscious
 Adaptive unconscious
 Implicit motivation
 Priming
 Psychodynamic
perspective
 Psychoanalytic →
psychodynamic
 Dual-instinct theory
 Drive → wish?
 Contemporary
psychodynamic theory
 The unconscious
 Freudian unconscious
 Adaptive unconscious
 Implicit motivation
 Priming
 Psychodynamics
 Repression
 Suppression
 Do the Id & Ego actually
exist?
 Ego psychology
 Ego development
 Ego defense
 Ego strength
 Object relations
theory
 Criticisms
 Psychodynamics
 Repression
 Suppression
 Do the Id & Ego actually
exist?
 Ego psychology
 Ego development
 Ego defense
 Ego strength
 Object relations
theory
 Criticisms
Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autoroute_icone.svg

4. 4
Psychoanalytic → psychodynamic
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 468-470)
 Psychoanalytic: Refers to the traditional
Freudian approach to unconscious which includes
Dual-instinct theory (Eros and Thanatos)
 Psychodynamic: More general study of
unconscious psychological processes (e.g.,
prejudice, depression, thought suppression,
defense mechanisms), without necessarily
subscribing to Freudian tradition
 This lecture is about psychodynamic
unconscious motivation, but starts with
a historical perspective.
 Psychoanalytic: Refers to the traditional
Freudian approach to unconscious which includes
Dual-instinct theory (Eros and Thanatos)
 Psychodynamic: More general study of
unconscious psychological processes (e.g.,
prejudice, depression, thought suppression,
defense mechanisms), without necessarily
subscribing to Freudian tradition
 This lecture is about psychodynamic
unconscious motivation, but starts with
a historical perspective.

5. 5
Freudian psychodynamic
structural model
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Structural-Iceberg.svg

6. 6
Freud's dual-instinct theory
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 470-471)
Eros
Instinct for life
Thanatos
Instincts for death
instincts for:
●
sex
●
nurturance
●
affiliation
●
etc.
instincts for:
●
aggression toward self
(self-criticism,
depression)
●
aggression toward
others (anger,
prejudice) etc.
Psychoanalysis c. 1930
Image source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eros_bobbin_Louvre_CA1798.jpg

7. 7
Freud's drive theory
Source of drive Impetus of drive Object of drive Aim of drive
Bodily deficit
(unconscious)
Intensity of
psychological
discomfort increases
and creates anxiety
Seek object in
environment
capable
of satisfying
bodily deficit
Satisfaction
by removing the
bodily deficit
Based on Reeve (2015, Ch 2: Motivation in historical and contemporary perspectives pp. 33-34)
Image sources:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thermometer_0.svg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASample_page_from_AAC_communication_book.png

8. 8
Drive → wish
Based on Reeve (2009, pp. 394-395)
 However, unlike hunger and thirst, neither sex
nor aggression conform to a such a
physiological model of drive
 Drive theory evolved into a “wish model” - a
discrepancy theory - i.e., motivation arises
from a mismatch between “present state” and
“ideal state”
 Contemporary psychoanalysts:
 propose that psychological wishes, not instinctual
drives, regulate and direct behaviour
 focus on helping people recognise, improve upon, or
avoid problematic interpersonal relationships
 However, unlike hunger and thirst, neither sex
nor aggression conform to a such a
physiological model of drive
 Drive theory evolved into a “wish model” - a
discrepancy theory - i.e., motivation arises
from a mismatch between “present state” and
“ideal state”
 Contemporary psychoanalysts:
 propose that psychological wishes, not instinctual
drives, regulate and direct behaviour
 focus on helping people recognise, improve upon, or
avoid problematic interpersonal relationships

9. 9
Contemporary psychodynamic perspective
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 471-472)
1. The unconscious
Much of mental life is unconscious.
2. Psychodynamics
Mental processes operate in parallel with one another.
3. Ego development
Healthy development involves moving from an immature, socially
dependent personality to one that is more mature and
interdependent with others.
4. Object Relations Theory
Mental representations of self and other form in childhood that
guide the person’s later social motivations and relationships.

10. 10
Contemporary views on the unconscious
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 472-477)
Adaptive
unconscious
Implicit
motivation
Freudian
unconscious
Sets goals,
makes
judgements,
and initiates
action.
Automatically
appraises the
environment.
Automatically
attends to
emotionally
linked
environmental
events.

11. 11
Priming
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 477-478)
 Procedure that invokes an implicit
response following exposure
outside conscious awareness
 Activate mental representation of a
behaviour outside of awareness,
preparing a person to enact
behaviour consistent with that
mental representation.
 Procedure that invokes an implicit
response following exposure
outside conscious awareness
 Activate mental representation of a
behaviour outside of awareness,
preparing a person to enact
behaviour consistent with that
mental representation.

12. 12
Psychological priming –
Bang goes the theory
Video: (~6 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRAKt0GakJM

13. 13
How your unconscious mind rules
your behaviour
Leonard Mlodinow at TEDxReset 2013
Video: (~15 mins)
https://youtu.be/vcJm-y7UnLY?t=165

14. 14
Psychodynamics
Based on Reeve (2015, p. 479)
The clashing of psychological forces
“The mind is an arena,
a sort of tumbling-
ground for the struggle
of antagonistic
impulses.”
- Freud, 1917
“The mind is an arena,
a sort of tumbling-
ground for the struggle
of antagonistic
impulses.”
- Freud, 1917
Image source:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sigmund_Freud_Bobble_Head_Wackelkopf.JPG

15. 15
Psychodynamics
Based on Reeve (2015, p. 479)
The clashing of psychological forces
Idea
Desire
Excitation
Cathexis
(sexual desire)
Counter-idea
Repression
Inhibition
Anti-cathexis
(guilt)
Ego Id
Unconscious
counter-will
Conscious volition
(Will)

16. 16
Illustration of psychodynamics:
Repression
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 479-480)
 Repression is the central concept of
psychodynamics (Freud, 1917).
 The unconscious is seen as an overcrowded
apartment where motivations reside, wanting to
come into the public world.
 But repression is the security guard turning down
most motivations' requests to enter the public
world.
 Repression is the process of forgetting by ways
that are unconscious, unintentional, and automatic.
 Repression is Ego’s counterforce to the Id’s
demanding desires.
 Repression is the central concept of
psychodynamics (Freud, 1917).
 The unconscious is seen as an overcrowded
apartment where motivations reside, wanting to
come into the public world.
 But repression is the security guard turning down
most motivations' requests to enter the public
world.
 Repression is the process of forgetting by ways
that are unconscious, unintentional, and automatic.
 Repression is Ego’s counterforce to the Id’s
demanding desires.

17. 17
Illustration of psychodynamics:
Suppression
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 480-482)
 Thought can't be stopped per se, but it can be
suppressed.
 Suppression is process of removing a thought from
attention by ways that are conscious, intentional,
and deliberate.
 However, suppression tends to produce rebound
effects – i.e., even greater occurrence of the
unwanted thought (unconscious processes tend to
push the thought back into consciousness).
 Therefore, it makes more sense, as a suppression
strategy, to accept the thought into consciousness.
 Thought can't be stopped per se, but it can be
suppressed.
 Suppression is process of removing a thought from
attention by ways that are conscious, intentional,
and deliberate.
 However, suppression tends to produce rebound
effects – i.e., even greater occurrence of the
unwanted thought (unconscious processes tend to
push the thought back into consciousness).
 Therefore, it makes more sense, as a suppression
strategy, to accept the thought into consciousness.

18. 18
Do the Id and the Ego actually exist?
Based on Reeve (2015, p. 482)
• Hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, …
• Pleasure-unpleasure brain centers.
The limbic system makes for a pretty fair Id:
• Learning, memory, decision-making, intellectual problem-solving
• Executive control center that perceived the world and learns to adapt to it.
The neocortex makes for a pretty fair Ego:
• Interrelationships show how one structure affects another
(e.g., how the amygdala excites and inhibits the neocortex).
Intricately interrelated neural pathways and
structures of the limbic system and neocortex

19. 19
Ego psychology
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 482-483)
Ego development
Symbiotic Impulsive
Self-
protective
Conformist Conscientious Autonomous
(Loevinger, 1976)
 Id provides instinctual psychic energy from birth
 Ego develops over time through experimentation
and learning about what actually works in the real
world.
 Id provides instinctual psychic energy from birth
 Ego develops over time through experimentation
and learning about what actually works in the real
world.

20. 20
Motivational importance of
ego development
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 483-484)
The Ego develops to
empower the person
to interact more
effectively and
proactively with its
surroundings.
The Ego develops to
defend against
anxiety.

21. 21
Ego defense
Based on Figure 14.1, Reeve (2015, pp. 484-487)
Ego Defenses
Reality
anxiety
Moral
anxiety
Id
demands
Environmental
demands
Superego
demands
Extent of anxiety
Extent of ego development
Ego
Neurotic
anxiety

22. Mature defense mechanisms → better life adjustment
Based on Reeve (2015, Figure 16.3, p. 487). Source: From Adaptation to Life (p. 87, by Vaillant, 1977: Little, Brown & Company. Copyright 1977 by George E. Vaillant.

23. Adaptive defense mechanisms
→ less depression as a result of life stress
Based on Figure 16.4, Reeve (2015, p. 488)

24. 24
Ego effectance
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 487-488)
Effectance
motivation
Willingness to exercise
emerging and existing
skills and capabilities
Inevitable
effects on or
changes in the
environment
Voluntary attempts
to produce intentional,
goal-directed
changes in the
environment
When successful, sense
of competence increases
White’s model of effectance motivation
 Individual's competence in dealing with environmental
challenges, demands, and opportunities.
 Individual's competence in dealing with environmental
challenges, demands, and opportunities.

25. 25
Object relations theory
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 488-492)
 People relate to objects (others) to satisfy their
emotional and psychological need for relatedness.
 Early representations of relations with caregivers
influence subsequent relations with others.
 The quality of anyone’s mental representation of
relationships can be characterised by:
 Unconscious tone: Benevolent vs malevolent
 Capacity for emotional involvement:
Selfishness/narcissism vs. mutual concern
 Mutuality of autonomy with others: Objects
perceived as autonomous present no risk to the
integrity and autonomy of perceiver
 People relate to objects (others) to satisfy their
emotional and psychological need for relatedness.
 Early representations of relations with caregivers
influence subsequent relations with others.
 The quality of anyone’s mental representation of
relationships can be characterised by:
 Unconscious tone: Benevolent vs malevolent
 Capacity for emotional involvement:
Selfishness/narcissism vs. mutual concern
 Mutuality of autonomy with others: Objects
perceived as autonomous present no risk to the
integrity and autonomy of perceiver

26. One woman’s representation of her
relationships with men
Based on Reeve (2015, p. 491); Source: From “Social Cognition and Object Relations,” by D. Westen, 1991, Psychological Bulletin, 109,
pp. 429-455. Copyright 1991 by American Psychological Corporation.

27. 27
Criticisms of the psychodynamic perspective
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 492-493)
Many of Freud’s concepts are not scientifically testable.
Motivational concepts arose from case studies of disturbed individuals.
Many points about human motivation and emotion was simply wrong.
(e.g., Freud’s theory of superego formation; Fisher & Greenberg, 1977)
Methods of data collection.
Psychoanalytic theory is woeful as a predictive device.
Many of Freud’s concepts are not scientifically testable.
Motivational concepts arose from case studies of disturbed
individuals.
Many points about human motivation and emotion was simply
wrong. (e.g., Freud’s theory of superego formation; Fisher & Greenberg, 1977)
Methods of data collection.
Psychoanalytic theory is woeful as a predictive device.

28. 28
Summary
Based on Reeve (2015, pp. 493-495)
 Freud: Biologically-based motivation model based on
two instinctual drives – sex and aggression – which
supply the body with its physical and mental energy
 Contemporary psychoanalysts emphasise
psychological wishes (rather than biological drives)
and cognitive information processing
 Four postulates:
 Much of mental life is unconscious
 Mental processes operate in parallel
 Ego development → ego maturity
 Mental representations in childhood → guide adult
social motivations
 Freud: Biologically-based motivation model based on
two instinctual drives – sex and aggression – which
supply the body with its physical and mental energy
 Contemporary psychoanalysts emphasise
psychological wishes (rather than biological drives)
and cognitive information processing
 Four postulates:
 Much of mental life is unconscious
 Mental processes operate in parallel
 Ego development → ego maturity
 Mental representations in childhood → guide adult
social motivations

29. 29
 Individual differences
Growth psychology (Ch 15)
 Summary & conclusion (Ch 17)
Upcoming lectures

30. 30
References
 Freud, S. (1917 [Original work published
1905]). Wit and its relation to the
unconscious. Retrieved from
http://www.bartleby.com/279/
 Reeve, J. (2009). Understanding motivation
and emotion (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
 Reeve, J. (2015). Understanding motivation
and emotion (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
 Freud, S. (1917 [Original work published
1905]). Wit and its relation to the
unconscious. Retrieved from
http://www.bartleby.com/279/
 Reeve, J. (2009). Understanding motivation
and emotion (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
 Reeve, J. (2015). Understanding motivation
and emotion (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Note: Image credits are in the slide notes

31. 31
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