An Evolutionary Theory of Human Motivation

Bernard, Larry C.; Mills, Michael E.; Swenson, Leland C.; Walsh, Rod

doi:10.3200/mono.131.2.129-184

Cited by 105 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 124 publications

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“…Along with compassion there are many human motives including self-protection (harm-avoidance), sexual (finding a mate and reproducing), and caring-based motives (5, 12, 13). All motives have two basic processes, which when applied to compassion include (1) having a motive-appropriate signal detection (input) to suffering (i.e., sensitivity and awareness of distress) and (2) having a behavior–output repertoire that allows appropriate responsiveness to suffering (i.e., taking action to alleviate and prevent suffering).…”

Section: Compassionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Current and Future Role of Heart Rate Variability for Assessing and Training Compassion

Kirby

Doty

Petrocchi

et al. 2017

Front. Public Health

120

123

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The evolution of mammalian caregiving involving hormones, such as oxytocin, vasopressin, and the myelinated vagal nerve as part of the ventral parasympathetic system, enables humans to connect, co-regulate each other’s emotions and create prosociality. Compassion-based interventions draw upon a number of specific exercises and strategies to stimulate these physiological processes and create conditions of “interpersonal safeness,” thereby helping people engage with, alleviate, and prevent suffering. Hence, compassion-based approaches are connected with our evolved caring motivation and attachment and our general affiliative systems that help regulate distress. Physiologically, they are connected to activity of the vagus nerve and corresponding adaptive heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is an important physiological marker for overall health, and the body–mind connection. Therefore, there is significant value of training compassion to increase HRV and training HRV to facilitate compassion. Despite the significance of compassion in alleviating and preventing suffering, there remain difficulties in its precise assessment. HRV offers a useful form of measurement to assess and train compassion. Specific examples of what exercises can facilitate HRV and how to measure HRV will be described. This paper argues that the field of compassion science needs to move toward including HRV as a primary outcome measure in its future assessment and training, due to its connection to vagal regulatory activity, and its link to overall health and well-being.

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Section: Compassionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Current and Future Role of Heart Rate Variability for Assessing and Training Compassion

Kirby

Doty

Petrocchi

et al. 2017

Front. Public Health

120

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Having discussed the Darwinian roots of several functional areas of interest to consumer scholars, I next turn to four key basal evolutionary motives that are at the genesis of many consumption acts: survival, reproduction, kin selection, and reciprocal altruism (Saad, 2007a, chapter 3; Saad, 2011b, chapters 2–5) (For additional discussions of the evolutionary roots of motivation, see Bernard, Mills, Swenson, and Walsh (2005), and Kenrick, Griskevicius, Neuberg, and Schaller (2010)).…”

Section: The Evolutionary Roots Of Functional Areas In Cbmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary consumption

Saad

2013

J Consum Psychol

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An overview of the field of evolutionary consumption is provided. Brief summaries of disciplines within the evolutionary behavioral sciences that preceded evolutionary psychology (EP) are first offered. This is followed by a discussion of important EP principles including the domain‐specificity of the human mind, and the difference between ultimate and proximate scientific explanations. The evolutionary bases of memory, attitude formation/change, emotions, perception (our five senses), personality, and decision making are addressed next, along with specific links to consumer research. Next, I demonstrate how numerous consumer acts could be classified into one of four basal Darwinian modules: survival, reproduction (mating), kin selection, and reciprocal altruism. The paper continues with an exploration of the evolutionary roots of cultural products (e.g., song lyrics) and Darwinian happiness (along with the evolutionary etiology of maladaptive phenomena such as pathological gambling and compulsive buying). I conclude with a discussion of key epistemological benefits of Darwinizing consumer research including greater consilience, increased interdisciplinarity, and an ethos of methodological pluralism.

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“…This viewpoint is reflected in in evolutionary psychology suggesting that our survival as a species is the broadest, most fundamental motivation for human behaviour generally (Cole, 2011(Cole, , pp. 1226(Cole, -1227; see also Bernard et al, 2005). According to Eccles and Wigfield (2002, p. 110), modern theories of motivation focus on the relation of beliefs, values, and goals with action.…”

Section: Approaches To Motivation Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expectancy‐value beliefs and information needs as motivators for task‐based information seeking

Savolainen

2012

Journal of Documentation

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Expectancy-value beliefs and information needs as motivators for task-based information seekingTo appear in Journal of Documentation 68, 2012 AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this article is to elaborate the picture of the motivators for information seeking by comparing the conceptualizations of task-based information need and expectancy-value theories. Design/ methodology/ approach -The article is a conceptual analysis of major articles characterizing task-based information needs and expectancy-value theories developed in psychology since the 1950s. Findings -The conceptualizations of task-based information need approach the motivators for information seeking in terms of the informational requirements posed by tasks at hand. However, the ways in which such needs trigger and drive information seeking have not specified in detail. Expectancy-value theories provide a more elaborate picture of motivational factors by focusing on actor´s beliefs about the probability of success in information seeking and the perceived value of the outcome of this activity. Research limitations/ implications -The findings are based on the comparison of two research approaches only. Originality/value -So far, information scientists have largely ignored the psychological theories of motivation. The study demonstrates the potential of such approaches by discussing an established psychological theory. The findings indicate that such theories hold a good potential to elaborate the models of task-based information seeking in particular.

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An Evolutionary Theory of Human Motivation

Cited by 105 publications

References 124 publications

The Current and Future Role of Heart Rate Variability for Assessing and Training Compassion

The Current and Future Role of Heart Rate Variability for Assessing and Training Compassion

Evolutionary consumption

Expectancy‐value beliefs and information needs as motivators for task‐based information seeking

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