Allport’s Motivation, Functional Autonomy and Study of the Individual Essay

VI. wantTo whollyport, an qualified surmise of motivation essential consider the notion that fountains change as mickle get and excessively that mess argon do by point drives and wants. Allport believed that most peck ar motivated by present drives instead than by past events and atomic number 18 aware of what they are doing and have some understanding of why they are doing it.A. Reactive and Proactive Theories of needAdult port is some(prenominal) activated and proactive, and an adequate theory of motivation moldiness be able to explain both. An adequate theory of disposition, Allport con plyed , essentialiness allow for proactive behavior. It must view people as consciously acting on their environs in a manner that it permits growth toward mental health. A comprehensive theory must not only include an account statement of reactive theories, further must also those proactive theories that stress change and growth. In some another(prenominal) terms, All port argued for a psychology that, on virtuoso hand, studies behavioral descriptors and superior general laws (the relegate matter of traditional psychology) and on the other hand, growth and individuality.Allport insisted that a using upful theory of own(prenominal)ity rests on the assumption that people not only react to their surround only if also shape their environment and cause it to react to them. He criticized analysis and animal- base learning theories as universe reactive because they saw people as being motivated by needs to get down tension and to react to their environment. Personality is a growing system, allowing unexampled elements to constantly figure into and change the person.B. practicable shore partAllports most distinctive and controversial idea is his theory of operational self-sufficiency, it is Allports account for the myriad human motives that seemingly are not accounted for by hedonistic or drive reduction principles, which holds that som e (but not all) human motives are useablely breakaway from the original motive responsible for(p) for a particular behavior.Motives that are not functionally main(a) include those that are responsible for reflex actions, rudimentary drives, and pathological behaviors. If a motive is functionally autonomous, it is the explanation for behavior, and adept need not to look beyond it for hidden or primary causes. utilitarian autonomy represents a theory of ever-changing rather than unchanging motives and is the capstone of Allports idea on motivation.1. Perseverative Functional shore leaveAllport recognized two levels of functional autonomy. Perseverative functional autonomy is the tendency of certain basic behaviors to cover up in the absence of reinforcement. Allport borrowed the word perseveration which is the tendency of an impression to leave an influence on subsequent experiences. Perseverative functional autonomy is lay out in animals as well as humans and is based on sim ple neurological principles. habit-forming behaviors are examples of perseverative functional autonomy.2. Propriate Functional AutonomyThe other level is propriate functional autonomy it is the master system of motivation that confers mavin on personality, which refers to self-sustaining motives that are link up to the proprium. Examples of propriate functionally autonomous behaviors include move interests that one holds dear and important.3. Criterion for Functional Autonomy Present motives are functionally autonomous to the accomplishment that they seek new goals. That is, functionally autonomous behaviors will continue even after the motivation slow those behaviors change.4. ProcessesThat Are Not Functionally free Allport listed eight processes that are not functionally autonomous (1) Biological drives, (eating, breathing and sleeping)(2) Motives promptly cogitate to the reduction of basic drives, (3) Reflexes actions (eye blink)(4) inherent equipment (physique, intellig ence, and temperament) (5) Habits in the process of being formed, (6) Patterns of behavior that require primary reinforcement, (7) Sublimations that are linked to unpleasant childhood experiences, and (8) Certain psychoneurotic or pathological symptoms. Allport suggested a measure for differentiating between a functionally autonomous compulsion and one that is not. For example, compulsions that can be eliminated through therapy or behavior pass are not functionally autonomous, whereas those that are extremely resistant to therapy are self- sustaining and thereof functionally autonomous.C. Conscious and Unconscious motifAlthough Allport emphasized conscious motivation more than than any other personality theorist, he did not completely overlook the viable influence of unconscious(p) motives. Pathological behaviors are often motivated by unconscious drives, but healthy individuals are usually consciously in control of their behavior.VIII. The correction of the IndividualBecau se psychology has historically dealt with general laws and characteristics that people have in common, Allport strongly felt that psychology should develop and use research methods that postu recently the individual rather than groups. To balance the predominant normative or group progression, he suggested that psychologists employ methods that study the motivational and stylistic behaviors of one person.A. Morphogenic loreAllport distinguished between two scientific approaches Traditional psychology relies on nomothetic science, which seeks general laws from a study of groups of people, and idiographic which refers to that which is peculiar to the single case or study patterns of traits within the single case, but Allport used morphogenic procedures because the term idiographic was so often misused, misunderstood and misspelled. Morphogenic procedures refer to pattern properties of the whole organism and allows for intraperson comparisons Allport accepted self-reports, much(p renominal) as diaries, at face value.B. The Diaries of Marion TaylorDuring the late 1930s, Allport and his wife became acquainted with personal documents, including diaries, of a woman they called Marion Taylor. Although the Allports analyzed much of this information, they neer published anaccount of Marion Taylors story. Their contrive with Marion Taylor probably helped them organize and publish a second case- the story of Jenny Gove Masterson, another(prenominal) pseudonym.C. Letters from JennyA small time later, the Allports analyzed and published a series of letters they had received from an old women named Jenny. These letters constitute Allports best-known example of morphogenic science in that they proclaim one persons pattern of behavior. Two of Allports students, Alfred Baldwin and Jeffrey Paige, used a personal structure analysis and grammatical constituent analysis, respectively, whereas Allport used a commonsense approach to discern Jennys personality structure as revealed by her letters. All three approaches yielded similar results, suggesting that morphogenic studies may be reliable.IX. Related ResearchAllport believed that a indistinct unearthly commitment was a crown of thorns of a mature person, but he also saw that many level(p) churchgoers did not have a mature religious predilection and were capable of stocky racial and cordial prejudice. In other words, he saw a curvilinear relationship between church attending and prejudice.A. The religious Orientation ScaleThis acuteness led Allport to develop and use the Religious Orientation Scale to assess both an intrinsic orientation and an outside orientation toward godliness. Allport and Ross (1967) prepare that people with an extrinsic orientation toward religion tend to be quite prejudiced, whereas those with an intrinsic orientation tend to be low on racial and friendly prejudice. A review of later studies (Trimble, 1997) found that prejudice is positively related to an e xtrinsic religious orientation but unrelated to an intrinsic religious orientation.INTRINSIC spectral ORIENTATION refers to motivation arising from goals set aside by the religious tradition itself, and is fancied to have an otherly, non unremarkable, even self- denying quality religion is regarded as a master motive whereas other needs, strong as they may be, are regarded as of less net significance. EXTRINSIC RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION refers to a flagrantly utilitarian motivation key religious behaviors the individual endorses religious beliefs and attitudes or engages in religious acts only to the extent that they might aid in achieving mundane goals such as feeling comfort and protected or acquiring social status and approval.B. Religious Orientation and psychological Health Research by Ralph crown (1970) and others (Hansen, Vandenberg, & Patterson, 1995 Kosek, 1999 Maltby, 1999) has found that people who score graduate(prenominal) on the Intrinsic scale of the ROS tend to have overall better personal functioning than those who score high on the Extrinsic scale. In general, these studies have found that some highly religious people have strong psychological health, whereas others get down from a variety of psychological disorders. The header difference between the two groups is one of intrinsic or extrinsic religious orientation that is, people with an intrinsic orientation tend to be psychologically healthy, but those with an extrinsic orientation suffer from scummy psychological health.