Examines basic biological and physiological systems underlying motivational and emotional responses, arguing that, in the course of human evolution, increasingly complex social influences have liberated most human behavior from direct biological / physiological control.

This revision of the successful text draws on the latest research in all areas of the field, including biology and biochemistry, neurology, psychology, and sociology. Presenting the concepts of 'motivation' and 'emotion' as related aspects of the same general phenomena, it examines the basic biological and physiological systems underlying motivational and emotional responses, emphasizing how these interact with cognitive and other 'higher order' processes. This background is applied to a series of specific types of motives and behavior patterns, such as aggression, sexuality, emotional expression, and competence. The author goes on to examine the interaction between cognitive and physiological factors, leading to a discussion of the central theme of the book: that increasingly complex social influences have, in the course of human evolution, liberated most human behavior from direct biological/physiological control.

Explores the relationship between the brain and our motivation to do things, analysing psychological, physiological and combined approaches.

This work focuses on human needs and illustrates how to apply motivational principles. A strong humanistic orientation with balanced coverage of behavioral, cognitive and physiological approaches is presented in the text.

The past ten years have seen an explosion of useful research surrounding human motivation and emotion; new insights allow researchers to answer the perennial questions, including "What do people want?" and "Why do they want what they want?" By delving into the roots of motivation, the emotional processes at work, and the impacts on learning, performance, and well-being, this book provides a toolbox of practical interventions and approaches for use in a wide variety of settings. In the midst of the field's "golden age," there has never been a better time to merge new understanding and practical application to improve people’s lives. Useful in schools, the workplace, clinical settings, health care, sports, industry, business, and even interpersonal relationships, these concepts are profoundly powerful; incorporated into the state-of-the-art intervention programs detailed here, they can enhance people's motivation, emotion, and outlook while answering the core questions of any human interaction.

Originally published in 1989, this title provided a wide-ranging and up-to-date review of a traditional area of psychology. It will be of great interest to all those who wish to discover what governs human behaviour and feeling – in other words, what makes people tick. Phil Evans explores the influences that determine a range of behaviour, from those with clear biological links such as eating, sleeping and sexual activity, to those specifically human concerns such as the need to achieve success or approval. He also analyses the feelings and emotions that often guide behaviour. He gives a detailed outline of various theoretical perspectives on what it is to be a human being: whether a biological organism with biological needs, a responder to environmental signals of pleasure, or a cognitively aware agent continuously processing information regarding current circumstances. His review of both cognitive and biosocial approaches conveys the liveliness of debate and argument within psychology at the time, and demonstrates that an understanding of all views is necessary to illuminate fully the complex nature of human behaviour.

This unique book provides a comprehensive study of emotion within a modern evolutionary perspective. Motivation and emotion are presented within an integrated approach that assumes biological and psychological causes, including evolution, neuroscience, endocrinology, human development, and culture. Motivation and Emotion Presents a wealth of modern evidence integrating neuroscience and endocrinology into the study of motivation and emotion. The book provides a variety of photographs of facial expressions showing emotions from people of diverse cultures as well as nonhuman primates. It also discusses modern interactive explanations for specific behaviors, rather than dull, historical perspectives. For example, human affect is explained as a response to social events and stress, resulting in psychophysiological consequences. An essential reference for any professional in sociology or psychology.