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

VI. MotivationTo Allport, an adequate theory of motif moldiness consider the nonion that motives change as nation ripen and also that people be incite by present drives and wants. Allport believed that to the proudest degree people are motivated by present drives rather than by past til nowts and are aware of what they are doing and have some concord of why they are doing it.A. Reactive and Proactive Theories of MotivationAdult fashion is both labile and proactive, and an adequate theory of motivation must be able to explain both. An adequate theory of in-personity, Allport con functi whizd ,must allow for proactive behavior. It must view people as consciously acting on their milieu in a manner that it permits growth toward psychological health. A comprehensive examination theory must not only include an explanation of reactive theories, but must also those proactive theories that stress change and growth. In other words, Allport argued for a psychology that, on one han d, studies behavioral patterns and oecumenic laws (the subject matter of traditional psychology) and on the other hand, growth and individuality.Allport insisted that a useful theory of personality rests on the assumption that people not only react to their surroundings but also shape their environment and cause it to react to them. He criticized psychoanalysis and animal-based learning theories as world reactive because they saw people as being motivated by needs to reduce tension and to react to their environment. Personality is a ontogenesis system, allowing new elements to constantly enter into and change the person.B. useful AutonomyAllports most distinctive and controversial concept is his theory of practicable autonomy, it is Allports explanation for the myriad forgiving motives that seemingly are not lineed for by hedonistic or drive reduction principles, which holds that some (but not all) human motives are in operation(p)ly independent from the original motive res ponsible for a particular behavior.Motives that are not functionally autonomous include those that are responsible for reflex actions, basic drives, and pathological behaviors. If a motive is functionally autonomous, it is the explanation for behavior, and one need not to look beyond it for secluded or primary causes. Functional autonomy represents a theory of changing rather than unchanging motives and is the capstone of Allports idea on motivation.1. Perseverative Functional AutonomyAllport recognized two levels of functional autonomy. Perseverative functional autonomy is the style of certain basic behaviors to continue in the absence of reinforcement. Allport borrowed the word pertinacity which is the tendency of an impression to leave an influence on subsequent experiences. Perseverative functional autonomy is build in animals as well as gentleman and is based on simple neurological principles. Addictive behaviors are examples of perseverative functional autonomy.2. Propri ate Functional AutonomyThe other level is propriate functional autonomy it is the insure system of motivation that confers unity on personality, which refers to self-sustaining motives that are cogitate to the proprium. Examples of propriate functionally autonomous behaviors include pursuing interests that one holds dear and important.3. monetary standard for Functional Autonomy Present motives are functionally autonomous to the finale that they seek new goals. That is, functionally autonomous behaviors will continue even after the motivation behind those behaviors change.4. ProcessesThat Are Not Functionally free Allport listed eight changees that are not functionally autonomous (1) Biological drives, (eating, breathing and sleeping)(2) Motives directly linked to the reduction of basic drives, (3) Reflexes actions (eye blink)(4) Constitutional equipment (physique, intelligence, and temperament) (5) Habits in the process of being formed, (6) Patterns of behavior that require primary reinforcement, (7) Sublimations that are linked to acerbic childhood experiences, and (8) Certain neurotic or pathological symptoms. Allport suggested a meter for differentiating between a functionally autonomous compulsion and one that is not. For example, compulsions that weed be eliminated through therapy or behavior modification are not functionally autonomous, whereas those that are extremely resistant to therapy are self- sustaining and thus functionally autonomous.C. Conscious and Unconscious MotivationAlthough Allport emphasized conscious motivation more(prenominal) than any other personality theorist, he did not completely condone the possible influence of unconscious motives. Pathological behaviors are a great deal motivated by unconscious drives, but healthy individuals are ordinarily consciously in control of their behavior.VIII. The Study of the IndividualBecause psychology has historically dealt with ecumenical laws and characteristics that people have i n common, Allport strongly felt that psychology should capture and use research methods that guide the individual rather than groups. To balance the rife normative or group approach, he suggested that psychologists employ methods that study the motivational and stylistic behaviors of one person.A. Morphogenic ScienceAllport distinguished between two scientific approaches Traditional psychology relies on nomothetic experience, 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 at heart the single case, but Allport used morphogenic procedures because the term idiographic was so often misused, misunderstood and misspelled. Morphogenic procedures refer to patterned properties of the whole organism and allows for intraperson comparisons Allport accepted self-reports, such as diaries, at face value.B. The Diaries of Marion TaylorDuring the late 1930s, Allport and his wife be came acquainted with personal documents, including diaries, of a woman they called Marion Taylor. Although the Allports analyzed much of this information, they never published anaccount of Marion Taylors story. Their work with Marion Taylor probably helped them organize and publish a succor case- the story of Jenny Gove Masterson, another pseudonym.C. Letters from JennyA ill-judged time later, the Allports analyzed and published a series of letters they had sure from an older women named Jenny. These letters constitute Allports best-known example of morphogenic science in that they reveal one persons pattern of behavior. 2 of Allports students, Alfred Baldwin and Jeffrey Paige, used a personal structure analysis and cypher analysis, respectively, whereas Allport used a commonsense approach to discern Jennys personality structure as revealed by her letters. All three approaches yielded alike results, suggesting that morphogenic studies may be reliable.IX. Related ResearchAllpor t believed that a deep ghostlike commitment was a mark of a mature person, but he also saw that many regular churchgoers did not have a mature ghostlike orientation course and were capable of deep racial and well-disposed prejudice. In other words, he saw a curvilinear family relationship between church attendance and prejudice.A. The religious Orientation ScaleThis sixth sense led Allport to develop and use the Religious Orientation Scale to judge both an inhering orientation and an extrinsic orientation toward organized religion. Allport and Ross (1967) found that people with an extrinsic orientation toward religion tend to be quite prejudiced, whereas those with an inhering orientation tend to be low on racial and accessible prejudice. A review of later studies (Trimble, 1997) found that prejudice is positively connect to an extrinsic religious orientation but unrelated to an intrinsic religious orientation.INTRINSIC ghostlike ORIENTATION refers to motivation arising from goals set forth by the religious tradition itself, and is assumed to have an otherly, nonmundane, even self- denying quality religion is regarded as a master motive whereas other needs, strong as they may be, are regarded as of less ultimate significance. EXTRINSIC RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION refers to a flagrantly utilitarian motivation underlying religious behaviors the individual endorses religious beliefs and attitudes or engages in religious acts only to the finale that they might aid in achieving mundane goals such as tint comforted and protected or acquiring social status and approval.B. Religious Orientation and Psychological Health Research by Ralph Hood (1970) and others (Hansen, Vandenberg, & Patterson, 1995 Kosek, 1999 Maltby, 1999) has found that people who score high 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 extremely religious p eople have strong psychological health, whereas others suffer from a variety of psychological disorders. The principal 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 poor psychological health.