6 pages plus a title and reference page

1. Motivation arises from both internal motives (i.e. needs, cognitions, emotions) and external events (i.e. incentives, consequences, social contexts).  Is one of these sources of motivation more potent or more effective in motivating people than is the other?  Are people primarily motivated by internal motives or by external events, or are people motivated about equally by internal motives and external events? Justify your response by giving examples from your own life.

2. Selecting one physiological need (e.g. hunger, thirst, sex) as an example, explain, how the biological beginnings of this need eventually manifest themselves as a psychological drive in a person’s subjective awareness.  In other words, explain how a biological event becomes a psychological motive. Give an original example to support your explanation.

3. How does self-determination theory explain how external events (e.g. rewards, praise) sometimes produce positive effects on motivation but other times produce negative effects? Give an original example to support your explanation.

4.  Learned helplessness theory relies on the components of contingency, cognition, and behavior to explain the motivational dynamics underlying helplessness.  Explain what these three components mean and provide an original illustrative example of each.

5.  Consider the origins of the need for achievement. Discuss and provide original examples from your own life, of each of the following three sources of high need for achievement:  its socialization influences, its cognitive influences, or its developmental influences.

6.  Differentiate the motivational and performance-based advantages versus disadvantages for performers who adopt a short-term goal (e.g., eat less than 2000 calories today) versus performers who adopt a long-term goal (e.g. lose 20 pounds this year) and offer a recommendation as to whether performers should adopt a short-term or a long-term goal. Explain/justify your recommendation.

Preparation

1. Access the Self and Self-Control Case Studiesmultimedia to choose which case study you want to focus on and the social psychology theory, behavioral ethics concept, and critical thinking concept you have identified as being embedded in your case study.
2. Use the Capella library to find two scholarly journal articles related to the social psychology theory you chose. You may choose to use one of the following articles as one of the two you are required to use:
   • Duplex Mind: Haggar, M. S. (2013). The multiple pathways by which self-control predicts behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 4(13). Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00849/full
   • Self-Serving Bias: Sanjuan, P., & Magallares, A. (2014). Coping strategies as mediating variables between self-serving attributional bias and subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(2), 442–453.
   • Self-Regulation: Critcher, C. R., & Ferguson, M. J. (2016). “Whether I like it or not, it’s important”: Implicit importance of means predicts self-regulatory persistence and success. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 110(6), 818–839.
3. Review the Self and Self-Control Template [DOCX] you will use to write your paper.
4. Review the Exemplar Paper [DOCX] and the Exemplar Case Study [DOCX] to better understand the expectations for this assessment.

Instructions

In your paper, include the following:

• Summarize the case study.
• Describe credible and scholarly sources, relevant to a particular theory.
• Apply a social psychological theory to a chosen case study.
• Explain how social psychological research studies relate to a particular social psychological theory.
• Apply an ethical reasoning concept to a chosen case study.
• Apply a critical thinking concept to a chosen case study.
• Review the key points.
• Demonstrate an academic writing style through well-organized prose that follows assessment guidelines.
• Demonstrate compliance with APA style, citation, and referencing guidelines.

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style guidelines.
• Resources: Minimum of 2 scholarly or professional resources.
• Length: 3–4 double-spaced pages, in addition to the title page and reference page.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
• Template: Use the Self and Self-Control Template [DOCX]and include the headings and subheadings as shown in the template to organize your writing. The template is already formatted for 6th edition APA style with title and reference pages, headings and subheadings, in 12-point Times New Roman font, and double-spaced with one inch margins.

You have selected:

Case Study 1 — Moe and Joe: Party Planning

Social Psychology Theory – Self-Serving Bias: The self-serving bias leads people to claim credit for success but deny blame for failure.

Behavioral Ethics Concept – Loss Aversion: We hate losses about twice as much as we enjoy gains, meaning we are more likely to act unethically to avoid a loss than to secure a gain. This phenomenon is known as loss aversion.

Critical Thinking Concept – Clarity: Thoughts have clarity when they can be easily explained and understood.