| Description |
As soon as man began to speculate about human nature, he pondered over the force or chain of events that motivated people to behave the way that they did. According to the early Greek philosophers, the motivating force was determined by the "humors" of the body. Shortly, others suggested that man's behavior was directed toward pleasurable experience and avoidance of pain. Since that time, several theories of motivation have been proposed, which range from instinct to the fulfillment of physiological drives, i.e., balancing the internal environment (homeostasis). In recent years, however, increased interest has been displayed in the complex subcortical brain structures which mediate emotional behavior. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss one aspect of research in motivation, i.e., electrical self-stimulation of the brain (ESB). |
