Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionIV. Dispositional Theories 13. Allport: Psychology of
the Individual© The McGraw−Hill^393
Companies, 2009autonomy is a rat that has learned to run a maze in order to be fed but then contin-
ues to run the maze even after it has become satiated. Why does it continue to run?
Allport would say that the rat runs the maze just for the fun of it.
Allport (1961) listed other examples of perseverative functional autonomy that
involve human rather than animal motivation. The first is an addiction to alcohol, to-
bacco, or other drugs when there is no physiological hunger for them. Alcoholics
continue to drink although their current motivation is functionally independent from
their original motive.
Another example concerns uncompleted tasks. A problem once started but
then interrupted will perseverate, creating a new tension to finish the task. This new
tension is different from the initial motivation. For example, a college student is of-
fered 10 cents for every piece of a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle she successfully puts to-
gether. Assume that she does not have a preexisting interest in solving jigsaw puz-
zles and that her original motivation was solely for the money. Also assume that her
monetary reward is limited to $45, so that after she has completed 450 pieces, she
will have maximized her pay. Will this student finish the remaining 50 pieces in the
absence of monetary reward? If she does, then a new tension has been created, and
her motive to complete the task is functionally autonomous from the original motive
of getting paid.
Propriate Functional Autonomy
The master system of motivation that confers unity on personality is propriate func-
tional autonomy,which refers to those self-sustaining motives that are related to the
proprium. Jigsaw puzzles and alcohol are seldom regarded as “peculiarly mine.”
They are not part of the proprium but exist only on the periphery of personality. On
the other hand, occupations, hobbies,
and interests are closer to the core of
personality, and many of our motiva-
tions concerning them become func-
tionally autonomous. For example, a
woman may originally take a job be-
cause she needs money. At first, the
work is uninteresting, perhaps even
distasteful. As the years pass, however,
she develops a consuming passion for
the job itself, spending some vacation
time at work and, perhaps, even devel-
oping a hobby that is closely related to
her occupation.
Criterion for Functional
Autonomy
In general, a present motive is func-
tionally autonomous to the extent that
it seeks new goals,meaning that the
behavior will continue even as theA person might begin running to lose weight but
continue because running is enjoyable. The motive
for continuing to run is then functionally
autonomous from the motive for beginning to run.
Chapter 13 Allport: Psychology of the Individual 387