WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO - A BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY OF HUMAN-MOTIVATION

This article presents an outline of a theory of human motivation that draws on biological, psychological, and social processes. It focuses o n the following issues: (1) the intrinsic unpredictability of the worl d that people experience, (2) the innate and noninnate differences in the attributes of individuals, (3) the premise that persons can reason ably be viewed as responsible for their actions, (4) the importance of a meaningful life and how this life is obtained, (5) reformulating le arning theory by including the principle that behavior activates a phy siologic process that is intrinsically rewarding, a process that raise s questions about basic suppositions of symbolic interactionism, cogni tive psychology, and rational choice theory, (6) the causes and conseq uences of gender differences in instrumental and nurturant behavior, ( 7) an examination of why the positive states of psychological well-bei ng are often associated with a high level of stress and a lack of pers onal control, (8) the process of adult psychological maturation, which indicates that as persons age they become more contented with their l ives and more concerned with the well-being of others, and (9) the lim itations of the concept of ''agency'' in structuration theory, as it i s not attentive to the differences among individuals in their capabili ties, personalities, and unique life experiences.