Behavioral Grooves Podcast Eight Years Grooving: Our Quest to Feel Significant | Arie Kruglanski PhD (Republish)
Sep 18, 2025
Arie Kruglanski, a distinguished psychologist and professor at the University of Maryland, dives into the powerful role of motivation in our lives. He highlights how the quest for significance drives human behavior, from childhood to adulthood, influencing everything from personal goals to social movements. Kruglanski explains his 3N Model of Radicalization, emphasizing how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations intertwine. He also discusses the need for constructive alternatives to violence and offers hopeful insights on redirecting powerful drives through education.
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Motivation Drives Thought And Action
- Motivation, not cognition, is the central force that propels behavior and shapes thinking and emotion.
- Arie Kruglanski argues motivation is the 'dog' and cognition the 'wagging tail.'
Dominant Needs Enable Extremes
- When one need dominates, other concerns fade and constraints disappear, enabling extreme behavior.
- Kruglanski links this imbalance to extremism, addiction, and risk-taking.
Universal Needs Underpin All Goals
- Humans have universal basic needs (physiological and psychogenic) that goals serve.
- Cultural contexts determine which goals and means satisfy those needs.
