Why do we do the things we do?
Defined: Factors which activate and direct behavior
Organizing Principle: Maslow’s Hierarchy
- Survival: Biological needs of water, food, safety. (Drive reduction/homeostasis)
- Water
: fluid deficit (intra and extracellular) and spontaneous drinking
- Food
: May include regulation of blood glucose and stomach full but probably . more closely related to body fat regulated by hypothalamus. Energy expenditure increased and decreased to have fat homeostasis.
: genetic/physiological, psychological, learned.
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Anorexia Nervosa
Safety: Temperature homeostasis, pain avoidance/pleasure seeking, fight/flight,
Psychological: Sexuality, belonging, love, achievement, aesthetic.
- Sexuality: Research (survey/experiment), reproductive strategy, sexual orientation
- Kinsey surveys on sexual behavior: masturbation, premarital sex, and sexual orientation
- Masters and Johnson experiments on sexual response cycle: excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution and associated sexual dysfunctions.
- Reproductive strategy includes mate preference, retention, rejection.
- Male: reproductive capacity (physical features of skin, hair, waist to hip ratio, energy, and reputation
- Female: Provisioning capacity (economic status, ornamentation; willingness to invest, expression of love and commitment; disposition, intelligent, hard working; physically larger and stronger.)
- Mate retention: women as property, sexual jealousy, same-sex competition, concealed ovulation
- Mate rejection: loss of resources, infertility, abuse, inadequate care for children
- Sexual Orientation: Primary sexual and emotional attachment
- Prevalence: 5% same sex 95% opposite sex for males, 2-3% same sex for females.
- Social attitudes: historically persecuted with some notable exceptions
- Research on orientation: (1) Orientation unrelated to psychopathology, (2) origins have little to do environmental input for most individuals. Like handedness, probably based on brain (3) resistant to change, especially for men.
- Belonging
: need for affiliation (schizoid), kin selection bias
,
anthro/ethno centrism.