MCAT Flashcards: Motivation, Emotion, and Stress

MCAT Summary: Motivation, Emotion, and Stress

Motivation, emotion, and stress are integral components of human behavior and are extensively covered in the MCAT. Understanding these concepts provides insights into why we act the way we do, how we experience emotions, and how we cope with stress.

Motivation is the driving force behind our actions, and several theories explain the different aspects of motivation:

1. Instinct Theory of Motivation: This theory posits that people are driven to do certain behaviors based on evolutionarily programmed instincts. These are innate, fixed patterns of behavior in response to stimuli.
2. Arousal Theory: According to this theory, people perform actions to maintain an optimal level of arousal. The Yerkes-Dodson law supports this by stating that performance is best at intermediate levels of arousal and worst at extremely high or low levels.
3. Drive Reduction Theory: This theory suggests that motivation is based on the goal of eliminating uncomfortable states. Drives are internal states of tension that activate behaviors focused on goals.
4. Incentive Theory: Behavior is motivated not by need or arousal but by the desire to pursue rewards and avoid punishments. This theory emphasizes the role of external stimuli in motivating behavior.
5. Opponent-Process Theory: This theory explains continuous drug use. It states that when a person takes a drug, the body counteracts the drug’s effects by changing its physiology. This leads to withdrawal symptoms that create a motivation to take more of the drug.
6. Needs-Based Theories: These include Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which proposes that people are motivated by a hierarchy of needs, starting with basic physiological needs and progressing to self-actualization.

Motivation can also be categorized into:

• Extrinsic Motivation: Driven by external rewards or avoiding punishment.
• Intrinsic Motivation: Driven by internal factors like interest or enjoyment in the task itself.

Emotion

Emotions are complex responses involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience. There are three main theories of emotion:

1. James-Lange Theory: Suggests that a stimulus first causes physiological arousal, which then leads to the conscious experience of emotion.
2. Cannon-Bard Theory: Proposes that the cognitive and physiological components of emotion occur simultaneously and independently, leading to the behavioral component of emotion or action.
3. Schachter-Singer Theory (Two-Factor Theory): States that both physiological arousal and cognitive appraisal are necessary for the experience of emotion. According to this theory, we experience physiological arousal first then we identify the reason for this arousal to label the emotion.

The Brain and Emotion

Different brain regions are involved in processing emotions:

• Amygdala: Controls the implicit memory system and is crucial for emotional responses, particularly fear.
• Thalamus: Functions as a sensory relay station, directing information to the appropriate areas of the brain.
• Hypothalamus: Regulates autonomic nervous system responses associated with emotions.
• Prefrontal Cortex: Involved in decision-making and moderating social behavior. The left prefrontal cortex is associated with positive emotions, while the right is linked to negative emotions.
• Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex: Plays a substantial role in decision-making and controlling emotional responses from the amygdala.

Stress

Stress is the body's response to challenging or threatening situations and can be categorized into:

• Eustress: Positive stress that motivates and focuses energy.
• Distress: Negative stress that can cause anxiety or concern.

General Adaptation Syndrome

Describes the body's short-term and long-term reactions to stress and includes three stages:

1. Alarm Stage: The initial stress reaction, activating the sympathetic nervous system and releasing stress hormones like cortisol.
2. Resistance Stage: The body adapts to the stressor, continuing to release hormones to keep the sympathetic nervous system engaged.
3. Exhaustion Stage: Prolonged stress leads to depletion of the body's resources, resulting in decreased resistance to stress and potential health problems.

Factors Influencing Stress and Coping Mechanisms

The body's response to stress involves the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which controls the release of cortisol. Effective coping mechanisms are essential for managing stress and include problem-focused strategies (tackling the problem directly) and emotion-focused strategies (managing emotional responses).

Understanding motivation, emotion, and stress is crucial for medical students as these concepts are foundational in understanding human behavior, mental health, and therapeutic interventions.