Motivation and the Brain
Steph Martinez
PSY355
April 21, 2014
Rick Daigenault

Motivation and the Brain
There are numerous factors that influence the brains functions and structures that are associated with the motive to abstain from using drugs. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, environmental forces, and heredity involved dynamics. Internal motivation is generally considered to be a longstanding behavior modification, although the results of successful external motivation can be brief. A proposed challenge is suggested by the motivational assessment. Changing a person’s internal beliefs and point of view, along with their inducements and external forces are a way to transform his or her behavior. While biological and environmental factors contribute to wanting to abstain from drug use, the functions as well as the structures of the brain that are associated with motivation, take part in a huge role in the person’s ability to do so; thus, a multidimensional approach should be taken when regarding to the brains function and structure.
There has been a new understanding of the brains structure and the functions that support the continued drug use in the people that want to abstain from drug use. Imaging studies have shown the role of dopamine in addiction. The studies prove that dopamine has a reinforcing effect in the forebrain. The studies also show that dopamine also affects around and in front of the thalamus in both cerebral hemispheres. The afferent part of the basal ganglia, which primarily involves habit, control, and movement planning, is also affected by dopamine. The studies also show the proportion of dopamine being dispersed to the nucleus accumbens (Nucleus Accumbens, 2009), or either of the two masses of opiate receptors and neural bodies in the proximity of the septum pellucidum. This dopamine channel is involved in reward and reinforcement, it is also thought to be associated in almost all addictions. The faster the dopamine is increased, the greater the effects of reinforcement and intensity. Additionally, when there are high levels of dopamine in the dorsal stratum it is related to the motivation of the addict’s access to his or her drug of choice when being exposed to a stimulant that is related to their drug of choice. There is another scenario that contradicts the previous scenario, according to Goldstein and Volkow 2002) “a decrease in dopamine functioning appears to be associated with long-term use of one’s drug of choice; this reduction in D2-DA receptors has been linked to a decrease in the orbit frontal cortex that is concerned with compulsory behavior, motivation, and salience attribution.” In addition to the decrease in the orbit frontal cortex, the D2-DA nerve endings that are responsive to the stimuli in the cingulate gyrus and striatum becomes deregulated and results in uncontrollable drug usage, which is addiction. The cingulate gyrus is involved in inhibition and impulsivity. The results from the imaging studies have shown that the incompetence to abstain from drug use is the effect of the cerebral regulation that makes the person put an unrealistic and elevated value on the drug reinforcers, it also causes a deficiency in the surrogate reinforcers value, as well as a shortage in the neural process that hinders the drug responses control. This response changes the person’s addiction in a way that had never been proven before, it also provides more insight on the hypothesis of addiction that accentuates the importance of regulating response of the limbic system to reward and pleasure being the primary reason for a person’s incompetence to refrain from using drugs.
Abstaining from using drugs, regarding extrinsic circumstances, may include motivations that are not related to the initial task. Securing a job that requires employees to be drug free is a good example of an extrinsic motivation. Money, in this case, is the external reward; however, intimidation, force, obligation, coercion, duress, and punishment could be considered extrinsic motivation. If the person wishes to abstain from using drugs and is in a situation where they are not allowed to use drugs, for instance a rehabilitation facility, the extrinsic motivations effectiveness would be enhanced. Alfie Kohn has done motivational studies that demonstrate extrinsic motivation is unstable. Kohn proved that the punishment and reward system is counter-productive; it is not a long term fix. The motivation is decreased if the rewards are not frequently increased. Lastly, the extrinsic motivation could damage intrinsic motivation by eliminating the addicts desire to take action at their own discretion. In the future the addict must be rewarded or punished each time the person does or refrains from using drugs.
There is a range of intrinsic factors that influence a person’s desire to abstain from using drugs. People take drugs with a desire to “feel good.” Whether it is a need or an imbalance, the arousal action is to do the drug of his or her choice. According to Analytic Technologies (2009) a person’s motivation to do drugs is based on his or her needs, the needs create a behavior that produces satisfaction. If the needs are met in someone who is not a drug addict, they can develop other needs or wants. If those same needs are met in a drug addict then his or her needs become more intense and stagnant. Intrinsic factors are stimulated as internal wants when the drug use gets out of control; wanting to refrain from using drugs is a internal desire to execute a certain task. A persons desire to abstain from drug use must start with the fulfillment of psychological needs that guarantee survival, these needs are deficiency needs. According to Maslow these needs can only be realized through transmissible influences or by other people. Once the deficiency needs are met the intrinsic motivation can occur, the environmental factors along with the desire for abstaining bring the motivation to change.
Traditions, occupation, economics, religion, and culture are social factors that go alongside heredity and environmental issues are predisposing factors that are involved in a person’s want to not do drugs. The person’s personality could help or hurt his or hers desire to not do drugs. Peer pressure and the media could also contribute to a persons choice to not do or stop doing the drugs. Studies have also shown that genetics can play a role in a person’s ability to refrain from drug use. Motivation is the key to success, motivations key is action.