the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.

a complex behavior that is rigidly patterned throughout a species and is unlearned

the idea that a physiological need creates an aroused tension state (a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the need

A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

Maslow's concept that individual needs must be satisfied in this sequence; physiological, safety, love, and belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization.

the form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues. When its level is low, we feel hunger.

the point at which an individual's "weight thermostat" is supposedly set. When the body falls below this weight, an increase in hunger and a lowered metabolic rate may act to restore the lost weight.

the body's resting rate of energy expenditure

an eating disorder in which a normal-weight person diets and becomes significantly underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continues to starve

an eating disorder characterized by episodes of overeating, usually of high-calorie foods, followed by vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise

the four stages of sexual responding described by Masters and Johnson - excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution

a resting period after orgasm, during which a man cannot achieve another orgasm

A sex hormone, secreted in greater amounts by females than by males. In nonhuman female mammals, estrogen levels peak during ovulation, promoting sexual receptivity.

the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty

an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one's own sex (homosexual orientation) or the other sex (heterosexual orientation)

the application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces

a subfield of I/O psychology that focuses on employee recruitment, selection, placement, training, appraisal, and development

a desire for significant accomplishment: for mastery of things, people, or ideas; for attaining a high standard

a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience

the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli

the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion

the Schachter-Singer theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal

a machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion (such as perspiration and cardiovascular and breathing changes).

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

people's tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life. Used along with measures of objective well-being (for example, physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people's quality of life.

our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience

the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging

Seyle's concept that the body responds to stress with alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

Friedman and Rosenman's term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people

Friedman and Rosenman's term for easygoing, relaxed people

a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension