Neurobiological Foundation for Psychological Motivation Theories

Psychological theories of motivation to date are rudimentary in that they assign the underlying explanatory component of motivation to either a single set of needs or to more cognitive influences like expectations or fairness. A review of the neurological processes taking place in motivated behaviors shows a much more complex and personalized situation. New distinctions are needed, for instance between wanting and liking, as it has been shown that wanting is a separate neural process from liking. Furthermore, neural patterns of learned dislike can be overridden by physiological imbalance that motivate new behaviors. In this review we propose that there is no grand theory of motivation that can address all individuals equally. We can, however, single out generic underlying theories, like incentive salience theory, that underlie the biological dopamine process for cue-based personal incentives. When applied to situations that require changes in motivation, such as interventions to stop a particular behavior, the current use of oversimplified theories of motivation hinder success. Therefore, this review highlights that attempting to alter a person’s behavior and motivation, especially through an intervention requires unique, personalized strategies that go beyond broad-stroke psychological theories.