Human Motivational Systems Research Articles

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AL-MAKKI AND AL-GHAZALI ON SPIRITUAL DIMENSION OF RAJA’ (HOPE) APPROACH IN TREATING DRUG ADDICTS

Drug abuse is a global alarming concern that affects the world community, including Malaysia with the significant numbers increasing day by days. Drugs were scientifically proven as a damaging substance to brain functionality, which controls social behaviour, reward systems, and human motivational systems. Drug dependency has impacted severely for individuals and society. However, drug addicts are constantly looking for drugs, knowing the fact that the substances are affecting them for a prolonged period. As a response, drugs have been banned in Islam considering their impact on humanity. Thus, several interventions were initiated as a preventative mechanism to address the issue properly. Several types of approaches have been carried including pharmacological, psychological, and psychodynamic treatments to overcome the problem of drug abuse. Therefore, this study seeks to find an alternative treatment for drug addiction based on the religiosity and spirituality approach of the Islamic dimension. This study also intends to evaluate the differences between Al-Makki's views regarding raja' as compared to al-Ghazali. This study is qualitative in nature and therefore, it depends much on in-depth textual analysis. The data was analytically studied from the relevant works of al-Ghazali and Abu Talib al-Makki and later were compared to develop the concept of raja' as suggested by Islam. The finding shows that both figures have extensively discussed the prevalent concept of raja’ as a salutary employment of hope of the soul. It is also suggested that al-Ghazali' ideas was highly influenced by al-Makki, however, he strategizes the concept in an extensive arrangement. Al-Makki emphasizes raja' or hope as the powerful desire of a human being upon requesting something from Allah. The fundamental elements of hope, especially inner meaning, and inner action, can be regarded as a spiritual model for a drug addict considering these spiritual insights are still applicable in modern Muslim society. Hope is believed to be spiritual motivating factors for them to stop the addiction with the help of medication and support from surrounding. This implies that spirituality dimension is a complimentary to a holistic treatment of most illness especially in dealing with addiction. Thus, is it suggested for a structured models to be made based on the concept of raja’ for future study.

Compulsion to consume highly processed foods: addiction or 'para-addiction'.

Compulsion to consume highly processed foods: addiction or 'para-addiction'.

PSYCHOLOGICAL NATURE AND STRUCTURE OF MOTIVATION

The aim of this study is to provide theoretical rationale for integrative model of motivation as a unified structure that ensures achieving different types of results of human activity. The methodology of this study includes induction and deduction methods, scientific literature analysis, as well as comparative analysis. There have been defined the notions of «motive», «need» and «motivation», in particular, we have identified major differences and similarities between these concepts as well as their points of contact. The motives have been classified into conscious and unconscious with subsequent justification of such division. The article discusses the difference between external and internal motivation and proves the particular effectiveness of the latter. There has been analyzed the structure of the human motivational system encompassing all its components such as interests, needs, values, attitudes, beliefs, stereotypes, etc. We have identified the basis of motivational system, which determines personality's orientation and its peripheral parts. There has been conducted a comparative analysis of major motivation theories, which explain the structure and significance of human needs, their relationship with motivation to act. For example, we found out that K. Alderfer's ERG paradigm corresponds to A. Maslow's hierarchy of needs paradigm in regards to the main groups of needs. However, most theories of motivation use different criteria for distinguishing needs which makes it more difficult to compare them. For instance, D. McClelland's acquired needs paradigm is based on identifying the needs for power and complicity, while Porter-Lauler model is based on analysing concepts of expectations and justice within the motivational system of an individual. However, all authors seem to agree on one thing: motivation is a complex system-based integrative psychostructure that encourages a person to perform various types of activities. Thus, we can conclude that despite various explanations of the concepts of «motive» and «motivation», different criteria for distinguishing needs and interpreting their impact on motivation, human motivational system is a holistic unified structure that affects human behaviour in a specific way.

Individual differences in fundamental social motives.

Motivation has long been recognized as an important component of how people both differ from, and are similar to, each other. The current research applies the biologically grounded fundamental social motives framework, which assumes that human motivational systems are functionally shaped to manage the major costs and benefits of social life, to understand individual differences in social motives. Using the Fundamental Social Motives Inventory, we explore the relations among the different fundamental social motives of Self-Protection, Disease Avoidance, Affiliation, Status, Mate Seeking, Mate Retention, and Kin Care; the relationships of the fundamental social motives to other individual difference and personality measures including the Big Five personality traits; the extent to which fundamental social motives are linked to recent life experiences; and the extent to which life history variables (e.g., age, sex, childhood environment) predict individual differences in the fundamental social motives. Results suggest that the fundamental social motives are a powerful lens through which to examine individual differences: They are grounded in theory, have explanatory value beyond that of the Big Five personality traits, and vary meaningfully with a number of life history variables. A fundamental social motives approach provides a generative framework for considering the meaning and implications of individual differences in social motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record

Self-described Attitudes and Difficulties Perceived in Mexican Police Officers

Policing involves inter-subjective mechanisms needed to infer the violation of social values or to motivate pro- social actions. These mechanisms can be observed in the attitudes and problems that officers believe influence their work performance, but this first-person approach is not considered in recent police reforms in Mexico. We present an ethno- graphic examination and a psychometric evaluation with the objective of identifying attitudes and perceptions that a group of municipal police officers in Mexico formed about themselves and their institution, as well as the difficulties in their day-to-day role. Some of the fundamental qualities for being a police officer imply attitudes of risk and cooperation linked to human motivational systems denoting the welfare of others. The concepts of social welfare and cooperation can be used as ethical and motivational mechanisms during training. Social intersubjectivity is relevant since officers have legitimate permission to use coercion as a means of social justice and order. It becomes necessary to have institutional supervision, as well as training in interpersonal skills, and regulation of adverse states, which can be elicited by the apparent inconsis- tency between the use of coercion and the promotion of order and justice.

Cooperação, competição e individualismo em uma perspectiva sócio-cultural construtivista

In the present article we argue for the need to develop a conceptual and theorical approach to the study of social motivation, particularly focusing upon the issue of cooperation, competition and individualism. The perspective herein adopted takes into account sociocultural, affective and cognitive dimensions of human social interdependence. We discuss the multiple and diverse components of human motivational system from a systemic and holist viewpoint that emphasizes the contextual and interactive dimensions of developmental processes of value co-constructions, as well as specific patterns of social interactions. The article highlights the need to investigate the topic from a sociocultural constructivist perspective, addressing the methodological issues and, especially, stressing the urge of scientific psychology to contribute to contemporary society by providing a better understanding of processes implied in the development of cooperative, competitive and individualist values.

Evolutionary psychopathology: why isn't the mind designed better than it is?

This paper outlines some of the basic issues in evolutionary thinking when applied to psychopathology. It aims to give some background and context to the papers that follow. Particular attention is given to the way evolution is constrained by previous design features, the importance of trade offs between advantages and disadvantages of different traits, the way social dilemmas and conflicts have shaped the evolution of human motivational systems, and the psychology that supports them. The paper concludes with a plea to avoid thinking of evolutionary approaches as a reductionist science, when the focus needs to be on the way evolution theory informs the study of the social-biological interface.

Human neuroethology of emotion

Ploog, Detlev: Human Neuroethology of Emotion. Prog. Neuro-Psychopharma-col. & Biol. Psychiat. 1989, 13 (Suppl):S15–S22 1. 1. Based on ethological theory, the question of what is the difference between human and nonhuman primate emotionality is investigated. 2. 2. The anatomical basis for this difference is the greater number of neurons in the anterior thalamic nuclei in humans than in monkeys and apes. This may represent an increased differentiation of the limbic message being sent to the cortex. 3. 3. Only humans can report about experiences and subjective feelings in certain motivational states. The two most general states are wakefulness and sleep. The subjective aspect of (desynchronized) sleep is dreaming. The causal relationship between dreaming and certain lower brain stem mechanisms is analysed. 4. 4. Whereas the motor system is usually blocked during desynchronized sleep, there are individuals who voice their emotions and speak while sleeping. As there are essential differences in the substrates for the voluntary control of the voice in the human and nonhuman primates there are essential differences in the voluntary control of emotions. 5. 5. Similar to the motor matching theory of speech perception a motor matching process of affect perception is suggested. 6. 6. The evolutionary change in the human motivational system is thought to be one of several prerequisites for the evolution of language.