Understanding Motivation and Emotion

by Johnmarshall Reeve

Book Overview

"The past 15 years have seen an explosion of useful research surrounding human motivation and emotion; new insights allow researchers to answer the perennial questions, including "What do people... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471456195
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.7" x 1.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Easy Read

Very good book, easy to understand and comprehend. Lots of examples and explanations of key concepts.

Highly recommended

I read a lot of psychology books. This book is fantastic. Johnmarshall Reeve has a genuine talent to explain delicate subjects elegantly -- and with humor. A very complete manual, totally worth the hefty tag price. Recommended to anyone interested in psychology -- a great read for parents too.

Emotions Play A Big Part in Relationships of All Kinds.

Historians explore the early experiences of Lincoln, Churchill, Einstein, Hitler, and Napoleon to find the beginnings of the motivation which shaped their careers. Attempting to learn why people do what they do in particular places and times help to understand their motivations and the consequences. Basic reality is that each and every person is living in and reacting to his environment in different ways at different times. Cyclical changes take place according to the immediate environments and the participants in this drama called life. This scholar used a 'mnemonic visual scheme' to aid the readers in selecting the approaches needed in any given situation. Some of us continue to make the mistake of reacting "in kind" a destructive devise which causes misery for all -- and total confusion for the male species, as he's never wrong. When unusual behavior of an individual arouses speculation, his changed patterns are questioned in a psychological manner. Like having a dual personality to explain the unexpected reactions to a puzzling situation, referring to desires, wishes, or impulses. I admit that on occasion I have been pushed to resort to impulsive behavior when challenged in an abusive manner. No matter what Freud proclaimed, no one can go back in time to relive his life in a different sequence and pattern. There is currently a new movie out with this silly aspect. What we are now is a product of past experiences, and this can't be changed. What can is a person's attitude (thanks WM); many attitudes taught to children as 'black and white,' 'right and wrong,' or 'good and bad' become "gray" when they become adults. It's called a double standard. Attitude is the person's probable response pattern. When he reacts in a manner not usual for him, it is declared boldly that he has a "bad attitude." Good attitude means suppressing the way a person really feels (feelings are judgments of momentary experiences, not a bad thing all-in-all). To hold an attitude about something, he must have experienced or learned about that something at an earlier point in time. These earlier responses are the "core" of his present attitudinal experience. Who's to say he is wrong? It's been proven that initial learning and early learning establish attitudes very firmly. Attitude can be altered as a result of the persuasion of some respected person of greater age or experience! Reacting emotionally involves impulsive, overly energetic attacks on some features of the immediate situation; these emotional episodes are usually disruptive while they are occurring. What scholars forget is that there was a "cause" to make one respond with so much emotion. Nothing happens without a cause. Are we to be motivated to become liars, fakes, and hypocrites in today's society, not high (rich folks') society. All of that is falseness of the worst sort. Cognitive factors appear to be indispensable elements in any formulation of emotion; distinguishing between reac