...The Brain and Motivation PSY/355 August 29, 2011 The Brain and Motivation In this paper we are going to analyze the brain structures and functions associated with the motivation to engage in refraining from using drugs. This is the steps in which the structure and functions will be explained: • Study of the brain and motivation • Evaluate the influence of extrinsic factors • Evaluate the influence of intrinsic factors • Heredity and environmental factors A number of factors influence the brain structures and functions associated with the motivation to refrain from using drugs. The dynamics involved include intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, heredity, and environmental forces. In general, internal motivation is considered to be associated with long-term behavior modification, whereas the successful outcome of external motivation can be short lived (AllPsychologyCareers.com). Function of the Brain and Motivation Study of the brain and motivation started with Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, the Russian physiologist, psychologist, and physician, studied how dogs salivated when shown food they knew to be appetizing (Pavlov, I.P. 1927). First he fed the dogs to ensure that they had the taste of the dog food in their throat. So that when they smell the food in the air their brains will motivate the rest of the body that is a good smell. So now the dogs are motivated to taste the food so they salivate until they get the food. Pavlov went onto study children from there. He studied...
Words: 1151 - Pages: 5
...Motivation and the Brain | AbstractIn this paper I will talking about how a person can refrain using drugs. And how drugs can affect the human brain structures and the functions. Jennifer Shumate PSY 355 | Motivation and the Brain | AbstractIn this paper I will talking about how a person can refrain using drugs. And how drugs can affect the human brain structures and the functions. Jennifer Shumate PSY 355 | Motivation and the Brain Jennifer Shumate PSY/355 June 22, 2015 Christopher Crimson Motivation and the Brain Introduction When I comes to refraining from using illegal drugs, smoking and or alcohol it can be a hard task for anyone. But motivation is the key to get things done. Even if it is refraining from using illegal drugs or remaining in treatment to stay off the illegal drugs. Motivation is what is required to complete the basic tasks to be able to keep the body strong and from any kind of destruction. However this also consist of the brain. Though out my paper, we will being viewing the brain assemblies and the purposes that is affected when someone is using drugs. We will also be looking at the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that can help a person refrain from drug use, and we will also be looking at the genetic and environmental issues that it take to be able to get treatment. Brain structures and Functions Neuroscience and...
Words: 1186 - Pages: 5
...Motivation and the Brain Motivation and the Brain Scientists and psychologists alike have been exploring the relationship between addiction and the brain for decades. The motivations behind the core root causes of addiction and how it affects the brain have been speculated over and theorized about. Refraining from drugs can be very difficult for a person to do when they are an addict. Drugs have a way of taking over a person’s life and destroying all of their relationships around them. People start using drugs for different reasons. Some people start using drugs for fun, some use to mask the feelings they are feeling, and some use for pain. This paper is going to discuss the brain structure and functions, the impact of intrinsic factors, and the extrinsic factors, which will include hereditary and the environment. Brain Structure and Functions The brain is the most delicate organ of the body. Drugs release dopamine to the brain. “Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter formed in the brain from the amino acid tyrosine. Dopamine is essential for the healthy functioning of the central nervous system; it has effects on emotion, perception and movement.”(Purse, 2009) This gives a person a feeling of pleasure. The brain makes less dopamine when people continue to use drugs. With this, when people stop using drugs the dopamine is low and your brain has a hard time with pleasure. The ways that drugs motivate the brain are two-fold, chemical and psychological. There...
Words: 1163 - Pages: 5
...Motivation and the Brain PSY/355 The Motivation and the Brain Letting loose and a have a great time is something people look forward to most weekends. Some dancing, a couple of drinks, and a good hookup are what most would call a good time. There are some that need to supplement their good time with some recreational drugs. This takes their experience to another level. Everything is intensified. The colors are brighter, the drinks are better, and the sexes all look fantastic. What other motivation do you need to continue? How about people who are dealing with stressors that are driving them up the wall and to the edge of insanity. The family is falling apart, their job is terrible, and they can barely, if at all, make ends meet. That all changes when you take that drug. In that time frame the weight of the world is lifted off your shoulders. You can laugh, you can sing, and be merry or you can just sink in to a world of mental bliss unknown to men who never had the drug before. Just with these two scenarios, what would motivate them to refrain for using drugs? These drugs are improving the quality of their lives, in their opinion. A quote from Edgar Allen Poe States: “I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of...
Words: 1140 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 1059 - Pages: 5
...Motivation and the Brain: Refraining From Drug Use University of Phoenix PSYCH/355 October 15, 2012 Motivation and the Brain: Refraining From Drug Use Drug addiction within society today has become a big problem. To combat this growing epidemic, research is constantly being done to determine why these behaviors occur and how to refrain from the urge to use psychoactive drugs. Why people do it can be answered simply, because they like the way that psychoactive drugs make them feel. A psychoactive drug is any chemical substance that by affecting the function of the brain alters a person’s behavior and mood (Deckers, 2010). Psychoactive drugs can be anything from caffeine that is obtained by drinking a soda to opiates which are what is in morphine and heroin. In order to refrain from the use of psychoactive drugs, an understanding must be gained about why addictions to these chemicals occur in the first place. Brain Structures and Functions Associated with Refraining From Drug Use In order to understand how to refrain from drug use, it is important to first understand why it occurs. Different psychoactive drugs affect the brain and the body in their own specific ways. While some drugs stimulate the central nervous system, such as cocaine and caffeine, causing a more alert and energized feeling, others work as a depressant such as alcohol, which induces relaxation and can lower social inhibitions and stress levels (Deckers, 2010). Despite the fact that many drugs have...
Words: 1165 - Pages: 5
...Motivation and the Brain PSY/355 June 13, 2016 Motivation and the Brain I could have written about any one of the topics given. I have decided to talk about refraining from the use of drugs and I chose this topic because of personal experience. Refraining from drugs is a lifelong battle for people that have addiction problems. I live the experience every day and understand fully how and why I do what I have to do to stay away from drug use. Extrinsic and intrinsic factors have a huge impact on an individual’s motivation to refrain from drug use. The brain also plays a role in the same motivation, certain parts and functions of the brain impact our motivation. Motivation is defined as the reason or reasons an individual has for behaving in a certain way. It is also defined as the desire or willingness an individual has to do something. So the first step from refraining from drug use, at least for me, was to find a motivation strong enough to push me. I woke up one day and said enough was enough. I wanted to be a better person and I was tired of living the “drug life”. Another motivation was my children, I needed to be there for them and they are much more important than any chemical I could put in my body. I also wanted to be healthy again, my body had definitely taken a beating due to my drug usage. The chemicals found in drugs can cause interruptions in how our nerve cells work. The way they process information is impaired. The way that drugs do this is by imitating...
Words: 1121 - Pages: 5
...taught what he or she should and should not do while learning good from bad and right from wrong. Learning habits that conform to the customs and traditions of the groups into which the child is born develops a system of values in a child. These values provide justification and motivation or for wanting to refrain from behavior that is disapproved. After reading this week, one can see how a behavior is considered deviant, but the question is, “Why is a certain type of behavior considered deviant?” There are so many different ways to be deviant but everyone at one point or another has done something that someone else disapproves of or they have second thoughts about. Perhaps they have stolen something, told a lie, or told a story about someone else while in the midst of gossip. There may also have been occasions where you have gotten drunk, used drugs, driven too fast or even recklessly. No matter what we do, any action we could do or think of may be ok in ones’ eyes but not ok in others. We depart from someone’s rules, simply by acting or being ourselves. There are too many rules that exist to not end up doing something that seems deviant to others. Sociologists refer to behavior that is regarded as wrong doing that generates negative reactions in people who witness or hear about it, as deviant behavior. In my own personal experience, people tend to show deviant behavior when they are wanting attention from others or wanting to act a certain way just to fit in although they...
Words: 489 - Pages: 2
...The Social Learning Theory is based on imitating a person’s behavior and adopting similar beliefs and values as part of identification. This theory focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. The Social Learning theory, the psychology is that people learn from one another including such notions as observational learning imitation, and modeling. Theorist Albert Bandura has lead such studies to back these hypothesis, proposed that behaviors could influence both the environment and the person. Early experiences frame the life of a child and determine in most cases what personality traits they will take on. According to Bandura (1977) learning would be exceedingly laboress not to mention hazardous if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Most behaviors that have been studied resorts back to observation, the behaviors have in turn modeled the basic interepatation of the perceived. Deviation from these behaviors are the choice of the individual but hard for them to change due to only knowing one way of living. The psychological theories prove that early stages of moral and cognitive developments in behaviors down the line. All behaviors we observe are not always learned or carried out, each determines on the rewards of the behaviors. The three core concepts of the Social Learning concept are, the idea that people learn through observation, secondly that the idea that internal mental state are essential...
Words: 1447 - Pages: 6
...The beginning of puberty marks the start of adolescence. Adolescence is considered to be the transitional stage from childhood to adulthood. During this period, teens begin to undergo a series of psychological and physiological changes which usually occurs between the ages of twelve through nineteen. This can be a time of both discovery and confusion. During this stage, issues regarding self-identity and independence will surface. Many adolescents are faced with difficult choices involving drugs, alcohol, schoolwork, sexuality, their social life and relationship with their parents. Peer groups, romantic interests and external appearance tend to increase in importance for some time during a teen's journey toward adulthood. Some of the issues an adolescent may go through are evident in the novel “Go Ask Alice” by Anonymous. It provides us with insight into the mind of a teen that is struggling with internal and external turmoil which leads her astray into a path of drug abuse. A fifteen year old girl who remains unnamed (title of the novel refers to her as Alice) starts a diary in which she records her experiences and life events as an adolescent. Alice is a gifted writer who writes in an observant and sensitive style. She confides in her diary revealing to it her deepest thoughts. Like many other adolescents, she worries about her appearance, relationships, school, and social life. Alice often feels as if she is on the outside looking in. She sees herself as an outsider in...
Words: 1742 - Pages: 7
...Causes Of Teenage Pregnancy? There are many reasons as to why Teenage Pregnancy remains to be. Sexual activity beginning at a young age is thought to be caused by drug and alcohol abuse, lack of knowledge and parental guidance, as well as peer pressure. Television plays a role in what our children come to believe that how things should and shouldn't be. Some shows and movies portray life to be something other than that of being realistic. There was a time when HIV was a scare, but now that folk are seeing victims living with this disease longer due to the medication at hand, the use of condoms have decreased. Since the ninety's, teen pregnancy have decreased but remain to be at a high level. Some believe that pregnancy among teens are okay in that they are permitted to marry young. We the people in America don't see this as being normal. Americans see teen pregnancy as being a deficit, a henderance to life. Not only does teen pregnancy cause a delay in life for some, the health risks can be life threatening. Research shows that 85% of these pregnancies are unplanned, which in any population can increase the risk for problems. The biggest risk for teen mothers is delaying prenatal care or worse, 7.2% received no care at all. (Weiss, August 2013.) Some teens are ashamed of their situation and refrain from telling their parents or someone who would be able to guide them to the help needed. They are afraid of what would be said or worse. Parents should establish a relationship...
Words: 1923 - Pages: 8
...Introduction Group counseling is a form of therapy which posits that people benefit from shared experiences. Usually focused on particular issue and it allows one to find out that they are not alone in their type of life challenge. This proposal is about drug use, crime and incarceration of Maldives. And this proposal is focused on Maldives Police service and to help them about their work of making productive youths of the country. Currently Maldives police services are focused to decrease the crime rate and prevent crimes in all over the Maldives. One of the challenges they are facing is drug use. According to them drug use is the main crime that people force to attempt other crimes. Rationale: Description of the group The group will consist of ten group members ranging in ages of 18 – 30 years, of both men and women among the people of incarceration. The group will meet once a week for twenty weeks. The reason of choosing this group is because the connection between drug use and crime is well known. Drug use is implicated in at least five types of drug-related offenses. 1. Offenses related to drug possession or sales 2. Offenses directly related to obtaining drugs (e.g., stealing to get money for drugs) 3. Offenses related to a lifestyle that includes association with other offenders or with illicit markets 4. Offenses related to abusive and violent behaviors, including domestic violence and sexual assault 5. Offenses related to driving while...
Words: 3243 - Pages: 13
...behaviors and other disrupted life areas for treating substance-abuse problems. It is based on the belief that environmental contingencies can play a powerful role in encouraging or discouraging substance abuse. To provide an alcoholic with the incentive to quit drinking, CRA has the following two major goals: (1) Elimination of positive reinforcement for drinking; and (2) Enhancement of positive reinforcement for sobriety. Accordingly, it utilizes social, recreational, familial, and vocational reinforcers to support change in an individual's drinking or drug using behaviors and assist consumers in the recovery process. The Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) focuses on the management of substance-related behaviors and other disrupted life areas. In essence, the goal of CRA is to help individuals obtain knowledge of and embrace a meaningful and healthy way of life that is more rewarding than one filled with alcohol or drug misuse. This comprehensive intervention blends operant conditioning with a social systems approach to address multiple problem areas (Meyers, Villanueva, & Smith, 2005) (Meyers, Roozen, & Smith, 2010). For more than 35 years, CRA has been successfully and advantageously directed towards the treatment of various substance use disorders. Based on operant conditioning, CRA helps people transfigure their...
Words: 3386 - Pages: 14
... The employee may run into many situations that begins to take effect on their comfortable zones on the job, leading to exhaustion, anxiety and even fear within the workplace setting. This in turn affects the employees work performance, how they get along with others on the job etc. and could also lead to headache, back ache and other complications, and could eventually lead to the person becoming physically ill due to stress and worry within the work setting. This ordeal can even be projected even after the person is no longer at work but at home also. The burnout aspects can run over into the home environment and become a disruption within the home setting causing stress and loss of control of self and others.. The burnout is derived from improperly ran establishments that makes the employees feel that they have no control and no say within their profession, large work loads causing fatigue, the lack of interest causing boredom, having colleagues that are intimidating and threatening some examples of burnout are: Individual burnout which consists of anxiety and other burnout issues that surround a person, the issues causes various turmoil situations within the person’s life that can lead to them spiraling out of control within their work and social position that could effect their health and relationships.. Cultural burnout consists of the...
Words: 908 - Pages: 4
...step for man and one giant leap for mankind. Despite the fact that marijuana is legalized for recreational use in these two states and legalized for medicinal purposes in 16 others, the drug is still forbidden under federal law, meaning marijuana is still an illegal drug. For decades, the subject of legalization has been a recurring theme in Washington and state governments. Should marijuana join the ranks of alcohol and cigarettes and be made legal? No, we must realize the damaging health effects and the detrimental societal/cultural effects that legalizing marijuana could have on Americans in the future. Although there are some advantages to legalizing marijuana in the United States, the disadvantages tremendously outweigh any advantages when considering this touchy topic in politics. Of course, there has been research conducted that states that marijuana could be positive for the nation. Advocates to legalization suggest that if marijuana were legal, it would tremendously boost the economy, forcing drug dealers out of business. Roberto Trevino and Alan Richard explain the economic gain America would experience, stating “economists for the most part support the legalization of drugs…they argue that the legalization of dugs will lower drug prices and drive the economic rents enjoyed by drug deals to...
Words: 2151 - Pages: 9
