Chapter11 provides an overview of motivational personality psychology. Personality psychologists interested in motivation look for a driving force or motive that propels people to do the things they do. The authors begin by introducing and defining several key terms, including motive and need.

Next the authors review the theory and research of Henry Murray, an early motivational psychologist. Murray proposed a set of universal human needs. According to Murray, elements in the environment ("press") affect a person's needs. Murray held that a person's needs influenced how he or she perceived the environment, especially when the environment is ambiguous. Murray termed this act of interpreting the environment and perceiving the meaning in a situation "apperception," and he developed the Thematic Apperception Technique to assess apperception.

The authors next review theory and research on three key needs: Achievement, power, and intimacy. The authors then review theory and research generated by the humanist tradition, which focuses on the motive to self-actualize, or reach one's natural potential. The authors review the work of two key humanistic personality psychologists, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. The authors review theory and work on Malsow's hierarchy of needs, which assumes that people work first to satisfy basic needs such as food and shelter, and then move toward satisfying psychological needs such as for esteem and self-actualization. Next the authors review the contributions of Rogers, including the development and practice of client-centered therapy. A key pillar of therapeutic success is that the therapist must demonstrate empathy with and to the client. Finally, the authors review recent research and theory on empathy.