Social Motives

In addition to the motives that serve the individual's physiological needs, other forms of motivated behavior relate to his typical contacts with other people, which might be styled his social needs. These social motives were once thought to be primary and native (as by the "instinct theory") but may now be shown to arise from the simpler tissue needs and emotional states. Social motives are learned forms of behavior, and hence may differ considerably from person to person. In spite of individual differences, however, some patterns of social motivation are sufficiently common to justify enumerating them and indicating their principal sources.

(1) The need for prestige or the desire for social recognition is a very important social motive. To the stimulus of the presence of other people, the individual acts in such a way as to win attention, approval, and recognition. Much of the child's behavior is activated by this powerful motive. If deprived of the attention of a group, the child "shows off" or becomes noisy. Even serious delinquency may be motivated in this way, as when a youngster seeks to be a "tough guy" in the eyes of other children. On the other hand, some may find apparent modesty, docility, or humility a means of gaining recognition, as in the case of Uriah Heep who boasted of his "'umbleness."

The need for recognition and attention is derived from the satisfaction of the individual's physiological needs in infancy. Whenever ameliorative satisfactions such as those resulting from feeding, warming, or petting are administered, some person is present and is giving attention to the infant. Moreover, these services are frequently accompanied by kind words, regards, and gestures. Learning occurs, which causes the attention of human beings to be esteemed and sought throughout the rest of life.

(2) Another important social motive is the need for security. Persons, and especially children, need to feel that they are wanted and loved, and that they will be cared for. The origin of this motive is very similar to that of prestige and recognition. Because his needs are so great, the infant must depend on others for his welfare. Although constantly modified throughout the various stages of life, the security motive remains a strong one.

(3) The need for pre-eminence or mastery is very marked in child and adult behavior. Persons seek to excel, to get ahead, to worst rivals, and to overcome obstructions. If frustrated in the normal attainment of this goal, they often will assume an excessive aggressiveness toward substitute objects, resulting in bullying, quarrelsomeness, and, in some instances, delinquency.

The pre-eminence motive seems to be based on the rage behavior of infancy. If blocked or restrained in activity, the infant will display an intense emotional reaction and strong uncoordinated activity. Later, other situations come to arouse the same intensely motivated response, as when commands, the competition of other children, or material obstructions to be overcome, restrain him. The motivation, under proper training, is redirected from useless responses into persistence and effort. The pre-eminence desire is a very useful one in human, affairs, motivating desirable forms of ambition and labor as well as the less socialized efforts toward mastery.

(4) Persons are usually strongly motivated toward conformity. They desire to do the expected thing, to have the appearance of other people; they fear to be "different" or to receive scorn or blame. In a sense, this is the converse of the prestige motive but is not merely a passive desire to avoid losing approval. The conformity motive is undoubtedly related to the fear reactions of the infancy period. Whenever an adequate stimulus for fear, such as painful punishment by parents or a pummeling by child associates, is accompanied by blame, criticism, or condemnation, a conditioning occurs. Thereafter, attitudes of expressed or implied criticism tend to arouse the original strong, fear-motivated avoidance reactions. In general, conformity motivation is an inferior form of drive, which might well be eliminated. Social control is as adequately and more humanely achieved through the milder motives of prestige, security, and pre-eminence.