- Conscious: present awareness
- Preconscious: motivation that can be brought into awareness though it is not presently in awareness
- Unconscious: motivation that influences us without our being aware of this motivation; can include instincts and suppressed conflicts and desires
Implicit processes
- We have an experiential system that operates somewhat automatically with little conscious input. Output from this system is an affective response that may guide individuals, often at a preconscious level, towards reinforcing choices and away from punishing ones.
- Slovic et al. (2005) argue that the experiential system requires fewer cognitive resources than the rational system and because of this is the default system guiding behaviour for most individuals in most situations.
- Melissa Ferguson (2008) found in several experimental studies that unconscious activation of a goal resulted in greater willingness to pursue the goal. For example, in one experiment she primed either academic or social goals by asking participants to unscramble words that made sentences that included a socially related word (such as friendly) or an academically related word (such as grade). Participants then rated subliminally presented primes related to academics or other areas (control condition). Those who had constructed a sentence with an academic word responded more quickly and positively to the prime. Participants later did not report any awareness of the nature of the sentences or primes.
Psychodynamic conceptualisations of the unconscious – id, ego, and superego
- Part of the ‘Id’ is strong instinctive life oriented (EROS – need for food, sex) and death oriented (THANATOS – aggression) motivation.
- Dynamic interactions between id, ego, and superego give rise to unconscious motivation that manifests itself in various ways. For example, instincts driven by the ‘id’ may be in conflict with ‘superego’ values or goals. This conflict may create anxiety, and the anxiety may motivate the individual.
Defence Mechanisms
- Denial: ignoring realities
- Projection: belief that someone else has one’s own unacceptable motivation
- Reaction formation: expressing a motivation that is the opposite of an unacceptable motivation