The Doors

First of all I hated the movie “The Doors”. I would seriously rather watch Barney than that movie again. To the motivation and emotion terms, the first one I focused on was from chapter four which was sexual motivation. With sexual motivation men value youth and women value men’s social status and career potential. In one of the first scenes of the movie Jim follows Pam from the park to her house and then climbs up a tree to talk to her. During that talk he kisses her. Pam is a young beautiful woman, which is one of the reasons Jim is attracted to Pam. Also there a tons of women who throw themselves at Jim, because he is a rock star. Their sexual motivation for wanting Jim is because he has money, he has a famous lifestyle, and his career potential is very high.

The next term is extrinsic motivation from chapter 5. Extrinsic motivation arises from environmental incentives and consequences such as food, money, praise, attention and public recognition. There are a few scenes that show extrinsic motivation. The first one occurs after the doors first concert, twice a guy who wants to manage the group tells them they can make millions of dollars if they allow him to manage the group. Right here we see that already money is a big factor that makes them want to continue their music career. Another thing is the public recognition they get from their fans. Everyone knows who the doors are it that is shown by the number of people at their concerts. Another scene is when Pam tells Jim that he’s not a rock star, but a poet and he says that he loves the fame he has. The fame is an extrinsic motivation for Jim to continue his music career. The three extrinsic motivations is money, the public recognition they get and the fame.

Reinforcer is a concept from chapter 5 that was used in the movie. There were a few different scenes that showed reinforcement for the band to continue their career. It’s not really a scene, but the money the band receives after a gig or concert is a reinforcer for continuing to play music. The praise and fame that comes with being a rock star is a reinforcer for Jim and the band to continue their music career. This is shown after each concert as the crowd of people who scream and yell for them. It is also shown in the scene when the band is walking to their plane and a group of women “attack” them.

Competence was another term I used that is from chapter 6. Competence is a desire to interact effectively with their surroundings and a desire to exercise one’s capacities and skills and in doing so to seek out and master optimal challenges. Competence is shown in Jim’s songs. Jim is very good at writing songs and that is his skill. His challenge is to write songs for his band to play. Another scene is when the bands manager wants them to change their songs or song style and Jim wants to do his songs or the songs that he likes. He calls the rest of his band mate’s slaves because they give in to what other people want. Jim wants to make his own songs choices and therefore his own life choices. An additional part of competence, which is flow, is also shown in the movie. The band member playing the piano is in a state of flow. His body language acts like nothing else matters. He is engrossed in that moment and in his music. Jim also is in a state of flow during his concerts. He does not even notice the crowd or his surroundings. His eyes look like they do not perceive anything. This might not be flow, but his constant drug use, I’m not sure.

Another concept from chapter 6 is relatedness. Relatedness is the need to belong. Pam satisfied Jim’s need for relatedness. She was always there for Jim and she really did care for him. Even through all the fights Pam was still there for Jim. His band also filled his need for relatedness by caring for him and being there for him. A sub-term of relatedness is involving relatedness which is an interaction with others. A scene that shows this is when Jim first sees Pam. Jim seems very close to Pam from the very beginning. They have a variety of interactions in the first 20 minutes of the movie. Another sub-term is supporting relatedness. This is shown with the band mates. The members of the band care about each other’s welfare and are there for each other. This is shown in a number of scenes when the band is together. Jim never really had this type of relationship with his parents. There is a scene when Jim and a woman are backstage in the shower area when the woman asks him if his mom and dad loved him. To show how much his parents loved him he holds out his fingers to show that they only loved him a little bit. His mother loved him a little more than his father, according to the gap between his fingers. The last sub-term is exchange relationships. This relationship is between acquaintances or between people who do business together. The doors have an exchange relationship with their different mangers. This is shown in the scenes where the doors are interacting with their mangers.

The first term I focused on from chapter 7 is quasi needs. A scene that shows a quasi need is when Jim is hitchhiking and he needs a car to get to California. Social needs are another term from chapter 7 that was used in the movie. Examples of social needs are achievement, affiliation, intimacy and power. All four of these social needs show up in the movie. Achievement shows up in the film through Jim’s song writing that make him a star. There was a lack of affiliation in the movies. Jim was not really the type of person who wanted to please others. There was a scene in the movie where The Doors were going to perform on national TV and someone asked them to change one line of the song because it wasn’t appropriate. Jim didn’t change the one line just to who he is a rebel. Throughout the movie Jim disobeys authority. Intimacy is a conflicting thing in this movie. Jim kind of has an intimate relationship with Pam. They are together from the beginning and even after all their fights they always come back to each other. Jim also has a lack of intimate relationships by the number of women he has relationships with. These relationships are usually brief and don’t mean much to him. Power was another aspect in the movie. The Doors have power through their music. There music influences and moves people thus giving it and therefore the Doors power. I would also say that Jim has power over a number of women in the movie. He always ended up making the women in his life do what he wanted them to do.

Sexual motivation, Extrinsic motivation, Reinforcer, Competence, Flow, Quasi needs, Social needs, Achievement, Affiliation, Intimacy, Power, Relatedness, Involving relatedness, Supporting relatedness, Exchange relationship

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the music of The Doors, however, watching the movie "The Doors" actually really put me in a sad and overall depressed mood. While I know it was a vital (and virtually necessary) part in the movie, I feel as though Oliver Stone focused a little too much on the drug and alcohol use of Jim Morrison and not enough on the rest of the bad and what made them so iconic and memorable. Yes, the drug use and the tragic death of Jim Morrison has a lot to do with the overall history of the band, but I don't feel as though they had to make practically the entire movie about it. Also, it didn't really feel much to me like the movie had much of a logical flow. I would watch one scene and then, all of a sudden, it felt as though they jumped to something else and left me wondering where the heck that came from. Finally, I feel as though the beginning could have been a lot more clear. Throughout the entire movie, I was wondering what the drive in New Mexico where Jim Morrison and his family encountered the injured Native Americans had to do with anything. The best answer I have come up with is that, in that particular moment, Jim was inspired to become a writer and was filled with a high amount of empathy.

When it all comes down to it, I am pretty sure that Jim Morrison was intrinsically motivated to become a poet and song writer. This is evident because there is nothing really external that seemed to have been a motivator for Jim, unless you would count the use of acid that could have potetially influenced some of the thoughts in Jim Morrison's head. Other than that, Jim found his talent inside himself and himself alone. Jim also just plain walked out of his film school as well. This shows that he was unmotivated to learn and wasn't going to let going to school interfere with what he wanted to do the most. Jim clearly did not feel like his true self in film school. Even though the scene is brief, director Oliver Stone does a great job of showing the feeling of discomfort that Jim must have felt while at college.

One theme that was incredibly noticible throughout the movie was Jim Morrison's lack of social needs. He didn't seem to care much about holding deep meaningful relationships. What Jim Morrison was more concerned about was getting with many different women and spreading his poetry and music around the world. He was also highly concerned with getting drunk and tripping on acid. The need for intimacy, or a strong connection with a certain person, seemed to be totally obsolete with Jim Morrison. This is evident when he totally ignored the needs and wants of his bandmates and his girlfriend, Pamela. One scene that really comes to mind in regards to this aspect of the film is when Pam catches Jim getting some "attention" from another female in the elevator. Jim laughs and either didn't see his girlfriend standing right outside or didn't care. Another illustration of Jim's lack of concern for his friends comes later in the movie when he shows up drunk and/or on acid to concerts and recording sessions. He even got pulled off of the stage by police on numerous occassions, causing some concerts to be cut short. This caused fans and bandmates alike to get very aggravated.

We also saw a low need for achievement in Jim Morrison almost halfway through the film. This starts in the scene where The Doors go on the Ed Sullivan show. Jim was asked to change the lyrics of his song just during the live show due to censorship. The network did not want what they considered foul language to be allowed on national television. Despite their request, Morrison refuses and says the lyrics he wrote anywy...with emphasis. If he would have honored the networks request, The Doors could have gotten on the Ed Sullivan show many more times and greatly increase their popularity. However, it was more important for Jim to stay true to his music. While I can understand and repsect that perspective, Jim was clearly not taking the bands best interests to heart. Jim keeps on building a negative reputation for The Doors by, as mentioned before, showing up drunk and high on acid to concerts and getting himself pulled off the stage by police.

In the beginning of the movie, however, what we see is almost the complete opposite. We see Jim eager to start a band and connect with people on a musical level. He finds people that he can relate to and that want to turn his poetry into music. This is what finally inspires Jim to help create The Doors. This relatedness almost seems to give Jim a new sense of a family since his parents were no longer really in the picture. Jim is willing to collaborate and listen to their ideas. He is also head over heels in love with Pamela and was willing to spend almost every waking moment with her. The earlier Jim Morrison shows great social needs, especially needs for intimacy. He also had a high need for achievement since he wanted to be successful in his music.

One person in the movie that had a high need for intimacy was Pamela. Pamela was Jim Morrison's girlfriend and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She wanted a family and she wanted Jim to be healthy. It was clear that she was upset with all of Jim's infidelity, especially in the scene where all of their friends were gathered for a Thanksgiving meal. Pamela called Jim out on his infidelity and things started to turn semi-violent. At this point in the film, Jim Morrison clearly does not value his life or his friends. Any need he had for intimacy or affiliation went out the window, so to speak, and the alcohol and acid had taken over.

The drinking and use of acid also bring up the idea of Physiological and Psychological needs. By consuming such a high amount of these substances, Jim Morrison clearly developed an addiction. The alcohol, especially, took a hold on Morrison. Because of this, Jim kept feeling the urge and the need to drink. His body kept telling him he needed this substance to be able to function, even though he really obviously didn't. The acid use, also, seemed to be something of a Psychological escape for Jim. It seemed as though Jim thought that the use of acid would help mellow him out and be able to think more clearly. Not to mention that, in the sixties, acid use was somewhat socially acceptable in the young adult population. Because the acid had such a rewarding effect, Jim Morrison may have felt that it was very important for him to keep taking it. Also, once he took so much, he was hooked and the acid pretty much destroyed his brain. It was because of his apparent psychological need for these substances that allowed Jim to keep taking them without feeling a shred of guilt.

In summation, "The Doors" was a fantastic movie in it's own right. While it may not have been my first choice of a film to watch for this class, I can see how it very clearly illustrates social needs as well as some other concepts we have previously covered in class. Despite the illustration of Jim Morrison in the film, I still feel as though he is an inspiration and truly started a musical revolution. I once again had to buy my copy of the movie at Digital Dogpound.

Terms list: social needs, need for affiliation, relatedness, need for achievment, psychological needs, physiological needs, addiction.

The movie “The Doors” contained many examples of topics discussed in motivation and emotion. I really disliked this movie for a number of reasons and the main reason was because I found it incredibly hard to follow. I felt lost most of the movie. The movie is about lead singer of The Doors, Jim Morrison. From the very beginning of the movie it is apparent that drugs and alcohol are part of their lives. In the previous movies viewed for this class, Ray and Walk the Line, drugs and alcohol played a major role. I don’t know anything about the musical group the Doors but after watching this movie I can sadly see how Jim Morrison died at such as young age.

The movie had examples from chapter six of the textbook which discussed psychological needs. Autonomy is the psychological need to experience self-direction and personal endorsement in the initiation and regulation of one’s behavior. In the movie Jim Morrison’s behavior is an example of autonomy because his interests, preferences and wants guide his decision making process. The first major example is when the band is told not to sing the lyric “girl we couldn’t get much higher” when they are about to appear on the Ed Sullivan show. A few suggestions were given as to what he could sing instead but Jim went ahead and sang the lyric the way it was written. Jim made it very evident that he wasn’t going to change his behavior for anyone else. Perceived choice over one’s actions is a sense of choice experienced when one is in an environment that provides them with decision-making flexibility. Jim was given a choice to change the lyric.

Competence is another term from chapter six of the textbook. Competence is the psychological need to be effective in interactions with the environment. An example from the movie relates to his ability to write songs. When writing songs he experiences flow. Flow is a state of concentration that involves a holistic absorption in an activity. This is also shown during his performances. Jim gets into a zone and focuses on the challenge or performance he is currently doing. Flow usually is a positive experience and is often repeated because of the experience. Drugs were also a factor in Jim’s life and contributed to his flow.

Another concept from chapter six is relatedness. It is a psychological need to establish close emotional bonds and attachments with other people. The example of this relationship in the movie is Jim’s relationship with Pam. Jim realizes that Pam is his support system and truly cares and hopes for the best for him. Another support system for Jim was his band. It is natural for people to begin to relate to the people that around the most and for Jim those people were his band members. They all went through similar experiences and therefore had the support of one another.

The movie also contained examples from chapter seven of the textbook which discussed social needs. Social needs are acquired psychological process that grows out of one’s socialization history that activates emotional responses to a particular need-relevant incentive. Social needs include achievement, affiliation, intimacy and power. Jim never really wanted to affiliate with others very much. Affiliation is the opportunity to please others and gain their approval. The scene where he chooses not to switch up the lyric is an example of him not wanting to please others. I felt like Jim had very low achievement. Achievement is doing something well to show personal competence. One scene in the movie a producer or someone is talking to his band members about wanting to record music and Jim is off somewhere else. The man asks Jim if he wanted to make a record and Jim’s response was very laid back almost as if he didn’t care either way. Jim’s performances were usually done while being high and never seemed to care very much. Jim’s intimacy consisted of his relationship with Pam. Intimacy is defined as a warm, secure relationship. Pam stood by Jim through everything even when he was cheating on her. Lastly, power is defined as having an impact on others. I believe Jim to have had a lot of power. An example of Jim exerting his power was when his band members wanted to leave Andy Warhol’s party, but Jim wanted to stay. Jim ended up staying after many attempts by his friends to get him to leave. The Doors music was also very powerful. The music clearly had the ability to make an impact on their audience. They were able to create lyrics and songs that their audience could relate to.

Overall, the movie The Doors contained examples that pertained to motivation and emotion concepts for the textbook. This movie was very hard for me to remain interested in because the way Stone directed the movie. I definitely enjoyed the previous movies more than I liked this one.

Terms: Psychological Need, Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness, Flow, Perceived Choice over one’s Actions, Social Needs, Achievement, Affiliation, Intimacy, Power

Let me start by saying that I hated this movie, it made ray and walk the line look like Disney movies. Also the story seemed to be told by somebody on large amounts of acid making it extremely difficult to follow and understand much less apply the motivational terms we have been learning about in this class. That said I did my best to relate what I saw (and could make sense of) in this movie to the terms we have been learning.
Jim Morrison seemed, at least in the beginning of the movie, to have a high need for competence. When we first meet him he is a poet and attending UCLA (I have to admit that I had no idea that he was as intelligent as he was; throughout the movie he references Greek gods and goddesses and knowledge of not just poetry but literature in general and different cultures and religions which I was not expecting). At this point he defines himself as a poet. It’s not until after his friend tells him that they should form a rock group that he begins to see himself as a musician, though he will always see himself as a poet and even write some poetry books. This shift is a result of his need to succeed and to be seen as competent with his poetry by others; more people will hear and appreciate his songs than will read his poetry.
I also noticed that Morrison used a very controlling motivation style with his band mates. Our book defines the controlling motivation style on page 149 as “one person pressures the other toward a prescribed outcome and uses social influence techniques to achieve that targeted socialization outcome.” The example that sticks out in my mind was when he was trying to convince his friend to take acid though his friend did not want to. Morrison did not easily take no for an answer and continued to badger him about it. Eventually they all end up in the desert doing drugs, which was the prescribed outcome.
So far the general consensus has been that Morrison was low in a need for affiliation, but I would argue that he was actually on the high end for affiliation. I would argue that his partying and womanizing was a response to feel like he was wanted and needed by others, he also uses his fans to satisfy this need. In fact he lies about his parents in an interview because of the way he wants to look to others. He also seemed to have the characteristic fear of interpersonal rejection and therefore pushed people away when they got too close to him. You can see him doing this throughout the movie with Pam, Patricia, his band mates, and even eventually his fans. In fact on pace 192 our book says that people who are high in the need for affiliation tend to be less popular than people with a lower need for affiliation. I believe that Pam was the person he was most intimate with, though in the beginning he was also very intimate with his band mates. You can see his need for relatedness with Pam is several scenes where he asks Pam if she would die for him. In one of these scenes he says, “Would you die for me? I’d die for you. I’d die for anyone.” which I think shows his desire for people to like him.
Morrison also had a high need for power. You can see this clearly in his relationships with others; he always has to be the one in control. He made his band mates promise that they would not make any decisions without consulting everyone in the group, which I think went back to his need for control because he knew (or at least thought) that he could sway their decision to whatever he wanted, he was their unofficial leader. The book also talks about people who need a lot of power using aggression as a means of control, which is obvious in many scenes where he is interacting with people he is close to. It actually seems that the closer he is to somebody, the more physically aggressive he is with them. This meant that poor Pam caught a lot of this aggression in what was a very abusive relationship. The scene that is burned into my brain to support this is when he locked her in the closet and set it on fire. There was also a scene where he threw a TV (or something like that) at his band mates.
Overall I found the mind of Jim Morrison to be an unsettling place to be. The movie was Disturbing, hard to follow, and to put it gently tedious to watch. While I didn’t enjoy it for its artistic or entertainment value I was able to relate what I saw to motivational terms from chapters 6 and 7. The terms I used were Competence, Controlling Motivation Style, Affiliation, and Power.

The movie the Doors is about the care free rock star Jim Morrison. As I stated in my comment on the last movie about how I always listened to Johnny Cash songs, I also listened to Jim Morrison in my earlier years growing up. My dad also sang Jim Morrison songs at our local bar and I really enjoyed watching him. Although Morrison is very much a drug addict and an alcoholic, his music is well known and he is a very famous rock star. Throughout the movie, although Jim Morrison really enjoys his women and drugs, he is very different from the normal rock star.
I would first like to start off by pointing out at the beginning of the movie what Jim’s first motivation is. We see Jim walking carelessly with his shirt off and his eyes catch the love of his life. He follows her and climbs up a tree. Chapter seven talks about social needs. This is an acquired psychological process that grows out of one’s socialization history that activates emotional responses to a particular need-relevant incentive. The first example is intimacy. Jim shows a lot of affection for her. He shows this by climbing up a tree. He tells her that doors are a waste of time and says he followed her all the way from the beach. He sneaks into her room and tells her to come out for a walk and that it is a beautiful night. He really demonstrates his intimacy by telling her that she is the one. She becomes comfortable with him and Jim leads her to a spot where they can lay by each other and talk. Jim shows her a whole book of songs and poems he has written and kisses her. The next social need in chapter seven is achievement. This is when someone accomplishes something showing their superior ability and strong effort. This is first shown when Jim wants his music to be played and become famous. He gets a whole band together and really hits the big time. Their songs are well known all over and they have the number one song in the country “Light my fire”. Even though Jim is basically drunk and on drugs through the whole movie he shows much achievement and shows the world his talent. When the movie goes to Sunsett strip we see the band playing their music at a gig. This is where Jim first starts to do his own thing and not what has been rehearsed. This is an example of autonomy. Jim is very much in control of his band and he tells them what to do, how they will play and even forces drugs upon them when some don’t even want to do it. Jim also shows autonomy when he jumps up on a car randomly and asks how many people are alive. Most people would be handcuffed by the cops and hauled into jail, which eventually finally happens to Jim. The next example of a social need in chapter seven is power. This is when an individual shows their authority and ability to do something. Individuals with power can have a strong influence on people. An example from the movie showing Jim’s power is when he is singing on stage he grabs himself multiple times and large crowds of women strip and begin dancing on stage with him. Jim has so much power because of his fame that he can pretty much get any girl that he wants and still manages to tell his first love that she is the one while he is out cheating on her with other women. He walks up to random strangers and makes out with them. Jim even gets so drunk that he urinates in the bar. The girl bartender tells him to get out and is furious. Jim does leave but not before grabbing the bartender and making out with her. She doesn’t put up a fight and just kisses him back. I noticed that wherever Jim went he would always state what was on his mind, not caring what others would think of him. Jim was so much in power that he would have people fighting over him. Women would tell him to come with them to a bar while others wanted him to be a part of their party and sing for them. The next example of s social need is affiliation. This is when someone is a part of or associated with something. An example of this is the band. Jim Morrison is a part of the band. They need each member in order to play their music and become successful. The chapter also talks about two main achievement goals. There are mastery goals and performance goals. Mastery goals involve improving one’s self and overcoming difficulties with effort and persistence. Jim shows no example of overcoming his addiction to drugs and alcohol. He never quits and it gets the best of him. This really shows when he dies at the end of the movie of heart failure at the age of twenty seven. Jim is more focused on performance goals. The book explains that these goals you can succeed with little apparent effort and still display a high ability. Jim shows his talent and ability but there were many times that he was so drugged out that I’m not sure he even knew what he was doing. Chapter seven also talks about the conditions that involve and satisfy the need for power. A few of these characteristics are leadership and aggressiveness. Jim shows that he is the leader and in control of the band. He is also very aggressive. He is very forward, pushy all of the time. An example of this is when a cop finds Jim and another girl in the back. He gets in a pushing match with the cop, who peppers sprays Jim in the eyes. He still goes on stage and tells the entire crowd about the incident that had just happened to him. He takes the cop’s hat off while he is singing on stage and eventually is restrained and hauled in. Jim expresses himself to be powerful and aggressive also by telling people that he enjoys testing the boundaries of reality. He prefers to be hated and is the man “You love to hate.” Jim is the perfect example from chapter seven as a person with a high need for power and control. Chapter seven also talks about quasi needs. These are ephemeral situationally induced wants that create tense energy to engage in behavior capable of reducing the built-up tension. The chapter gives the example of needing money at the store. In the movie, Jim needs the drugs to reduce the tension. Once he has taken the acid, he then gets his high and goes on stage. I believe the acid is a part of how Jim sang the song. He would have sang it a lot differently if he wouldn't have been on anything and would not be the same song. Looking at the movie from the beginning, Jim showed more motivation for his girlfriend and getting a band together. At the end of the movie although he has become well known and famous he is more focused on his drugs and alcohol which takes his life. I believe that if Jim would have been in more control of his addictions his band would have gone on to produce many more songs and he could still be alive today. The Doors was a good movie, but I wish Jim could have lived longer so we could hear more of his talent and songs.
I rented the movie in Waterloo at Family video for 54 cents.

First of all, I was not a fan of this movie. I felt like it dragged on and on showing not much more than Jim Morrison tripping out on acid. I understand that his drug use is a huge part of his life, obviously, but I think they overdid it a little bit in the movie. For a movie about a very famous artist, I don’t feel like much of the movie was focused on music. Though I didn’t like the movie, I did see many concepts from Chapters 6 and 7.

Morrison experienced the psychological needs talked about in Chapter 6, autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In the music business, it seems that artists often aren’t given the autonomy they desire. I think Jim decided that he was going to have autonomy no matter what anyone tried to tell him or get him to do. The book defines autonomy as “the psychological need to experience self-direction and personal endorsement in the initiation and regulation of one’s behavior.” Jim Morrison definitely regulated his own behavior. An example of this is when The Doors were playing on the Ed Sullivan show and he said his lyrics his original way instead of changing them as he was told to do. Also, he showed his autonomy when he stayed at Andy Warhol’s party by himself after his band mates left, trying to get Jim to go with them. I think Jim’s band mates may have been using the controlling motivating style to try to get Jim to calm down with his drug use. The other members of the band were much more straightedge and worried about their music careers than Jim was, and they tried to tell Jim that there would be consequences if he didn’t get his drug use under control. During performances, the band members were shown looking at each other and at Jim in disapproval. This connects in a way to Chapter 7’s social need, affiliation. Jim didn’t seem to have much need for affiliation at all. Reeve describes affiliation as “establishing, maintaining, or restoring a positive, affective relationship with another person or persons.” Jim didn’t show any signs of this, he seemed to not care what anyone thought about him, he was just there to sing and get high. The only example I can think of that shows Jim having some need for affiliation is when he is high in the hotel room with Pam and he jumps out the window and is hanging from it asking Pam “would you die for me?” This part shows that Jim might be needy or just need to know that Pam is there for him.

In general, I don’t think Jim had much of a need for competence. Competence is defined as “the psychological need to be effective in interactions with the environment, and it reflects the desire to exercise one’s capacities and skills” which I don’t feel like Jim really cared about. He didn’t seem like he cared if he was effective or not. He also didn’t have any structure, which correlates with his lack of competence. He pretty much did what he wanted, when he wanted, no matter the consequences.

Morrison’s relationship with Pam showed relatedness, and this seemed to be his only semi-meaningful relationship in the whole movie. He didn’t make much of an effort to maintain any warm, close, affectionate relationships, even with Pam considering he was cheating on her with dozens of women. This also relates to his low need for affiliation, he didn’t care if people liked him. Relatedness is defined as “the psychological need to establish close emotional bonds and attachments with other people.” I don’t see how he could be attached to anyone when his main focus in life was death. Jim was a very independent human being, not needing much approval or closeness.

Along with what I already said about Jim Morrison’s low need for affiliation, I also think he had a low need for achievement. A high need for achievement means someone has a high standard of excellence, Jim did not. Some of the performances they portrayed in the movie make me thing he didn’t have any standard of excellence at all. Collapsing and nearly passing out during performances is not acceptable and show that he didn’t care about what he was achieving. I believe Jim also has a low need for intimacy. At first I got confused because we see Jim being “intimate” with different women throughout the movie, but then I remembered that being intimate doesn’t mean having sex, it means “a willingness to experience a warm, close, and communicative exchange with another person” which he didn’t really do. Power is the social need that I think Jim Morrison had the biggest need for. Reeve defines power as, “a desire to make the physical and social world conform to one’s personal image or plan for it.” Jim showed his need for power when he pressured his bassist to take the drug he was taking. He also did this with Pam, trying to get them to conform and follow what he was doing.

Terms list- autonomy, controlling motivation style, affiliation, competence, structure, relatedness, achievement, intimacy, power

While watching the movie “The Doors,” I recorded examples of social needs that we learned about in chapter seven of our textbook. The social needs of achievement, affiliation, intimacy, and power were demonstrated by Jim Morrison, vocalist for the American rock band in the 1960s. However, drugs and alcohol greatly attributed to the singer and band’s performance as well—but not for the good.
At the start of his musical career, Jim Morrison demonstrated a high need for achievement and personal competence. In the textbook, Johnmarshall Reeve states, “The need for achievement is the desire to do well relative to a standard of excellence” (p. 175). Jim demonstrated his desire for poetry and music. Jim’s high need for achievement also brought about energy and excitement into his music. Jim recited his thoughts and feelings in poetic terms. Toward the beginning of the movie, we see a larger crowd viewing a poetry documentary Jim had created. When the crowd stated their dislike, Jim stated that he quit. However, Jim found a new way of expressing his words of poetry—through music. When performing his songs, Jim seemed to “live in the moment.” Through his music he expressed his deepest, most thoughtful feelings as he strung poetry and song together in front of thousands of fans.
At the end of the movie, when Jim found out his colleagues sold one of the band’s songs to a commercial, Jim was furious. Jim stated, “It’s not money, or success, or these desires that you have; it was using the music to break through.” This statement really stood out to me because Jim states that his need of achievement was not about growing in success for money, but for the love for music and desire to perform.
Jim’s need for achievement seem to be influenced cognitively. He had high perception of his ability. Jim knew he was a great performer as many fans grew to adore him—especially the ladies. Another cognitive influence is mastery orientation. Jim transformed his thoughts into poetry and from poetry into his music. Reeve states, “A mastery orientation leads people to choose moderately difficult tasks and respond to difficulty by increasing rather than decreasing their effort” (p. 177). It seemed to me that the use of drugs may have contributed to Jim’s anger outbursts, but I feel that deep down, Jim never truly gave up his desire to perform. Jim seemed to also have a high expectation for success. He wanted to continue to record his music; he did not want to quit. Jim had a strong value of achievement. He was persistent in using words of poetry to create his music. Jim also had an optimistic attribution style, as he demonstrated pleasure and satisfaction of his musical success, earning record deals, performing in front of large audiences, and gaining fan support.
In addition, I would have liked to learn more about Jim’s childhood to compare if there were any socialization or developmental influences. At the beginning of the movie, there was a “reflection” scene. Jim recalls the memory of seeing the Native American man, lying dead on the side of the road in the desert, following a two vehicle accident. In the movie, we hear his mother say, “It’s just a dream Jimmy. That’s all it is.” This recollection seems to attribute to Jim’s outlook of death, so I could see how that could be considered a cognitive influence in his performance as well. It seems as though many of Jim’s lyrics are based on his view of life and death.
As a musical performer, Jim also had a high need for affiliation with his fans, his fellow band and crew members, and even his girlfriend, Pam. Reeve describes the need for affiliation as, “establishing, maintaining, or restoring a positive, affective relationship with another person or persons’” (p. 192). Jim and the band gained more fan support. The need for affiliation with the fans became very important as well. The stimulating rock and roll music brought together thousands of people, establishing and maintaining a relationship through the music. Jim seemed to have established a great relationship with his band members, as they performed and created the music together. We see The Doors shared a relationship at the start of their musical career, when each member of the band depended on one another. However, this affiliation began to dwindle over the years. Drugs and alcohol began to intrude in The Doors music, tragically.
Jim also maintained a love relationship with Pam; although, there were incidences detailing Jim’s infidelity, while he traveled with the band. Jim’s love and desire for Pam brings about his intimacy needs. In the movie, Jim tells Pam, “You are the one. You are my girl.” He expresses his love and commitment to her. I noticed that having Pam by his side, Jim seemed to feel more confident in himself, his music, and his overall message.
In regards to intimacy needs, Reeve discusses that an intimate relationship typically involves closeness and touching to create a deeper affiliation with one another. Although there were incidences of infidelity, Jim and Pam’s relationship was meaningful. Jim and Pam’s intimate relationship was demonstrated through touching, self-disclosure, and closeness. These are important characteristics needed to satisfy the deep affiliation and a secure relationship.
Power was another incentive I noticed. Jim seemed to be the leader of the group. He was aggressive and outspoken. It seemed that he did not let anyone tell him what to do or what to say. He was very willing to take risks. For example, the TV producer asked him to change one of the words in his lyrics—saying “better” instead of “higher.” Being the lead singer of the group, Jim seemed to have followed his own way and chose not to follow the rules, keeping himself in charge of the band’s music and what the people hear. As a “power needing” man, his relationships with Pam and his fellow band members became unstable at times. Jim’s power and musical talent led The Doors to become famous; however, his overbearing power also led him to take drugs, consume more alcohol, and make bad choices.
This movie showed many examples of Jim Morrison’s social needs of achievement, affiliation, intimacy, and power. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol destroyed the band’s relationship. I am saddened to learn that Jim lived a short life.
To be honest, I did not enjoy this movie. I thought this movie was pretty depressing and sometimes difficult to follow. However, I do like listening to the group’s music. In addition, I bought the movie online for about $4.
Terms used: social needs, achievement, affiliation, intimacy, power, cognitive influences, intimacy needs

After viewing the three previous movies I have concluded that I should definitely try heroin and cocaine, binge drink much more often, and then overdose on something illegal. Apparently the combination of the items listed above will result in instant fame and I will immediately become an awesome musical composer. This seems very attractive to me and will save me a lot of tuition money in the long run.

After I got over the fact that continued drug-use and alcoholism will not help me become a famous musician and will most likely prevent me from achieving my life goals, I found that elements of Chapter 7 were evident throughout the film. It was obvious that Morrison was intrinsically motivated by his deep passion for music and poetry but what was it that really allowed to him to succeed? I believe that it was largely due to his psychological and social need to feel achievement, power, and autonomy.

In the earlier parts of the movie, Morrison expresses himself in deep and meaningful ways. His self-portrayal makes it evident that he continually reflects about profound ideas and wishes to express them to others. Over the course of his educational years, Morrison continually surrounds himself with individuals similar to him and acquires the need to form a band as a result of responses from his friends and peers. This desire to put together a band was Morrison’s need-relevant incentive. He had attained this incentive throughout his various college coursework (making poems and creating expressive videos) and his life experiences. One particular life experience he reflects on throughout the film is the alleged incident that his family was involved in a car crash with Navajo natives. This particular memory, which seems fabricated or exaggerated, activates a number of emotional responses that lead to the creation of lyrics for poems and songs. The emotional responses that this memory created included sadness, inspiration, subservience to drugs and alcohol, creativity and other responses.

It is clear that Morrison was captivated by influential things throughout the film. His fascination with words and past memories soon engrossed his daily life and began feeding his career as a musical artist. This captivation led him to feel the need of power. He strongly felt the primary need of power because he desired to have a significant impact on the lives of his friends and fans. He would constantly make outlandish states to his friends and fans stating that they were all slaves and that they need to take action. Morrison continued this behavior in order to reach his own personal standard of excellence. In this case, his standard of excellence was the idea that people would change their way of thinking and adopt his influential ideas. His cognitive influences to have people adopt this behavior arose from his mentality that his perceptions of reality were that of a goal-oriented individual. His persistent expression of his views and beliefs hints that he believed that his goals were that of mastery goals. These mastery goals resulted in him having the ability complete complex tasks (creating lyrics to influence the masses) and experiencing greater motivation (motivated by the feeling of achievement and influence, motivated by the plethora of sexual advancement options, etc.).

Morrison’s leadership position was shown throughout the film. The band’s success was influenced the most by the creativity of his masterful works of art and his willingness to share ideas. In several cases, his willingness to share ideas stemmed from his willingness to practice drug-use. The band members were able to greatly influence one another by expressing their own beliefs in several different states of mind. One of the states of minds in which expression was a common practice occurred when the band members would use peyote. The use of this Native American drug would result in the formation of hallucinations. These psychedelic hallucinations would put the members in a trance that would illicit new ideas and different perspectives. These creative ideas served as important lyrical foundations for The Doors. Morrison’s leadership position in the band allowed him to have power to encourage drug use toward the beginning of the band’s formation.

Later in the film, his leadership position began to dwindle. Although his aggressive behavior to express his thoughts initially led to the acquisition of a leadership position, his aggression toward women, studio managers, and police resulted in his leadership status changing. An example of how his status changed was shown by the statements of his band members. In one part of the film, he was no longer able to get the members of his band to practice continued drug use. One band member expressed dislike of Morrison’s continued drug use by stating that Morrison only should have used them to get inspiration. Although his leadership position in the band suffered, his accomplishments were acknowledged and he was still viewed as an extraordinary musical artist.

Another important area that led to the fulfillment of Morrison’s social needs was autonomy. Although censorship was a common practice and state laws prohibited certain lude behavior, he was able to successfully express his ideas with little suppression. His lyrical phrases reflected his own personal ideas and allowed him to feel a sense of accomplishment. Although he expresses that a large amount of fans did not want his words and that they in fact wanted his genitals, I feel that his ability to specify his views through lyrical interpretation resulted in huge achievement and acceptance. People were certainly influenced by his lyrical masterpieces and that influence is evident today. Jim Morrison is viewed as one of the best artists of all time and will continued to be viewed in that manner for many years to come.

I am starting to think that this class is encouraging us to use drugs that to actually focus on our school work, so I totally agree with EvanM. Just kidding, movie about the Doors was really insane, Jim Morrison did the most extreme things a human can do, he was worse than Ray or Cash put together, it really shocked me.

Since Obviously Jim Morrison had a high need for power when it came to Social Needs he must have had parents who were permissive about sex and aggression. Which to me seems generally true because of how demanding he was towards his group and the woman who supposedly the one in his life. His parents were most likely used praise as a sosscialization technique because of how he was most of the time less popular around his own supposed friends.

People with high-need affiliatin interact with others to avoid negative emotions, such as fear of disapproval and loneliness, and typically experience much anxiety in their relationships, people usually like that come out as needy but Jim actually came out just right down popular with strangers and a annoyance with his own group. I am assuming that is why he lied about his past and his parents death to people that he barely met him, kept going from one woman to another, and turned to drugs, and the anxiety part by manipulating his girlfriend.

His need of affiliation is mainly for seeking approval, acceptance, and security in interpersonal relationships. These type of feelings should have been programed into Jim by his parents when he was a younger but some how that never happened, for sure soemthing from his childhood, most likely from seeing that crash traumatized him and him thinking because of his interest in the Native Americans he would have fit in better into that culture, just by observing his lyrics you can tell that, accpetance is what he wanted.

So the reason we would manipulate or torture his girlfriend so he can keep her is because he wanted to have a warm, close, and communicative exchange with another person. It has been proven that people with high need of affiliation thinks frequently about friends and relationships, writes imaginative sories about positive affect-laden relationships, and tends to remember life episodes as those that involve interpersonal interactions. Which descibes Jim Morrison all the way.

Jim Morrison had a high need of power, he desired to make the physical and social world conform to one's personal image or plan for it. These type of people desire to have impact, control, or influence over another person, group, or the world at large. The Impact allows to establish power, control allows to maintain power, influence allows to expand or restore power. Which is what Jim Morrison was doing when he started to make millions of dollars, that is why his group were so patient with him, especially when tons of his fans would hang to his every word, it places him in power instantly.

To satisfy the need for power, Jim obtained leadership, main singer, agressiveness, manipulated his girlfriend yelled at his friends, influential occupations, was a popular singer, and prestige possessions, money. These type of people are not really best liked by people that know them but do talk a lot more and influence more.

In the movie The Doors I noticed Jim's need for autonomy. He liked being the one making the decisions about the music. He wanted to be in charge of what he did, how he did it, and when he did it. This was seen when he wanted to party with Andy Warhol and the band didn't, so he wandered off by himself. On the Ed Sullivan Show the producer asked him to change the lyrics but Jim didn't want to and made a smart comment back. The rest of the band didn't seem to have a problem with it though. When people are allowed to experience autonomy they feel better about themselves and it enhances creativity, intrinisic motivation, and effort. When Jim is able to sing what he wants the way he wants to, he is more creative and feels in charge because he doesn't have producers and band mates telling him what to do.

I think that Jim and his band mates had a need for competence. They wanted to strengthen their music and show off their talents. They wanted to be successful with their audiences by creating and playing the best music they could. I believe it took Jim a while to become more competent. When his film was shown in class, he sat hiding underneath his coat because his classmates did not like his movie. Then in the Door's first performance, he started out singing with his back to the crowd and eventually turned around. He felt too much pressure and challenge at first to sing in front of all those people when there would be a chance of being disliked again.

The movie also shows relatedness. Jim and Pam have realtedness for eachother. They genuinally care for the other's well being and want to take care of them and form a close intimate relationship. They were emotionally and physically connected. Even after all of their fighting and cheating they still loved eachother. During Thanksgiving, Pam pulled a knife on Jim but ended up dropping it and hugging him. They were able to fulfill eachother's needs without expecting anything in return and became very close.

I also noticed the need for achievement. It is the desire to do well relative to a standard of excellence. Jim had set standards for himself of how his music should sound. He continually worked hard to achieve this and in turn became energized by it.

The movie shows affiliation which is the need for approval and the need for intimacy. Jim finds his need for approval through his band mates and audiences. The approval motivates him to continue making music. He satisfies his need for intimacy through forming close and intimate bonds with band members and Pam. His bandmates always looked out for him and took care of him until the end. They and Pam tried to get him away from the drugs and alcohol becuase they could see how it was ruining him.

Jim was a good example of power. Power is teh desire to make the pysical world and social world conform to one's personal plan for it. Jim had a need to dominate the music scene. He formed a reputation for himself as a singer/songwriter/poet. He had a very take-charge style with the music and band members. He showed this need for power through his agressiveness. He yelled at Pam, threw things at her, and even put her in a closet and set it on fire. He did these things on impulse, a sign of aggressiveness. He felt the need to control her. A common release of aggression is through the use of alcohol. Jim drank all the time and it made him feel even more powerful and aggressive.

I thought the movie was alright, but not a lot of plot to it. Though I did enjoy the music.

William Peach
Motivation and Emotion

It is very easy to relate the section in our book titled “Conditions that involve and satisfy the need for power,” to the current movie selection The Doors. Our text identifies four dimensions that are important for understanding and satisfying/involving the need for power. The dimensions described in our text are leadership and relationships, aggressiveness, influential occupations, and prestige possessions. Examples of all four of these components appear in many ways throughout the movie and manifest in several of the characters.
“Leadership and relationships,” centers around ways that individuals reach for power. Those individuals seeking power often assert themselves into certain positions within a group. People who are very driven toward power and control often find ways to make themselves stand out in a group and make themselves more noticeable compared to the other group members. This certain type of person may wish to establish influence on others in the group or even others outside of the group. Our text gives examples of both students and adults who exhibit this desire for power and influence. A power seeking student may argue more frequently with a teacher and show a strong desire to get their point across in the classroom setting. Whereas, a power seeking adult may “take risks in achieving public visibility.” Further differences can be seen when comparing men and women. High-power-need men usually have bad short-lived marriages and relationships, although this is not often seen in high-power-need women concerning their relationships. Interestingly enough, power-seeking people are more vocal and were noticed to have tried to exert high amounts of influence. However, these individuals were not the most liked nor were they seen as having made more contributions than others in the group.
Let’s stop there, and relate what we know about leadership and relationships to The Doors. More specifically, I’m going to relate the concepts to the Jim Morrison character portrayed by Val Kilmer.
Let’s consider the statement that those who wish to have power often find ways to make themselves stand out in group. Morrison most definitely made himself stand out in a group, and I do believe that he was a very power driven individual (based on what I’ve seen in the movie only). Simply standing out in a group does not mean someone is power driven. More importantly it is the way a person makes themselves stand out and whether or not they are trying to stand out. It seemed at the beginning of the movie that Morrison was not attempting to stand out or exert power. Increasingly though, it seemed that Jim made himself stand out in more and more bizarre ways.
He also seemed to be forcing his beliefs and way of life on those around him. One great example, and there are several, was the night Morrison jumped on the hood of the car and questioned the crowd “How do you know you’re really alive?” He also convinced several people, including members of his band and wife, to consume drugs that he was interested in. Morrison had more experience with drugs and because of his experience he seemed to lead the flow of the drug experience.
Another situation that sticks out in my mind where Morrison goes against the majority was the selling of a song to a commercial. Morrison did not write the song and had no more involvement than any of the other band members, yet even though he was outnumbered on whether it was alright to sell a song to a commercial, it did not matter to him. All that mattered to Morrison was standing out from the group, telling everyone else what and how to think.
I think there was a definite transition in the movie when Morrison transformed into a man who was simply somewhat unique, into a power driven individual. When the band first starting performing live concerts Jim could not face the crowd, and at some point the realized that he wanted to be the front man and let everyone “see his face.” I think it was at this point that Morrison became obsessed with his stardom and began an eternal struggle with his urge to be well-know, respected, and more importantly, powerful.
Freud might say that Morrison was losing the battle with the Id, he no longer could fight his urge to be consumed by everything that is considered innately evil: drugs, sex, alcohol, and basic overall indulgence.
Morrison definitely took risks to “achieve public visibility.” One great example of a risk taken by Morrison was the risk he took on the Johnny Carson show. The producers of the show asked Morrison not to sing certain lyrics on live television for fear that the drug reference in the song would make the show look bad. Morrison agreed to this simple request and then decided to stand out by singing the specific lyrics he agreed not to sing. It seemed like Morrison simply did so to stand out, it was definitely a grab for power.
Many people stand out of the crowd without consciously doing so. Jim Morrison liked to stand out for a reason though. He wanted to be on the opposing side of the majority. By standing out from the crowd and imposing his beliefs and recreational hobbies on others he was certainly trying to gain power, if in no other ways but a social one. It was obvious that he made a lot of noise, and at the same time, did no more work than any of his fellow band mates.
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I also did not like this movie at all! A lot of the time I was confused about what was going on, but after awhile I caught on that it wasn’t all that important. It was all about the drugs, sex, and music. Jim Morrison was a very interesting guy, and throughout the movie I found myself wondering what motivated him. I would argue that Jim had a high need for autonomy and power. I think he also had a controlling motivating style.

Autonomy means wanting to have the freedom to make choices for oneself. Jim was motivated by his need for autonomy throughout the movie. Jim wanted to be free to express himself however he wanted, and he did not care what other people thought. At their concert at the Whisky a Go-Go Jim is high and makes up obscene lyrics on stage. The band is kicked out of the club, but Jim seems unconcerned (probably partially due to the fact that he’s on drugs). A classic example of Jim’s need for autonomy is when he sings the original lyrics to “Light My Fire” even after being asked to change the word higher to better on the Ed Sullivan show. Jim does not like being told what to do and so he rebels.

I believe the reason that Jim was so out of control most of the time was because he had such a high need for autonomy that was constantly being satisfied (no one ever told him no). People do need autonomy and an environment that supports that need, but in Jim’s case his environment was overindulgent. Jim’s need for autonomy was positively reinforced, which increased his behaviors. Because Jim was the lead singer of the Doors he was able to get away with just about anything for quite awhile. He would show up to every show drunk and/or drugged, and his fans still loved him. His band mates never asked him to pull it together or chastised him for being such a slob. An example of Jim’s strong need for autonomy is when he is recording “Touch Me” and the producer says they need to take a break. Jim snaps, begins throwing things, and says, “I wanna do my thing.” This outburst shows how independent Jim wants to be and how he doesn’t like being told what to do.

Likewise Pam never asked him to change, and instead proved time and time again that she supported his decisions by sticking by his side. Even after Jim lit the closet on fire with Pam in it, she still stayed with him. All of his environment and the people around him rewarded his need for autonomy, putting him on a power trip.

I would argue that like most social needs, Jim’s need for power was reactive. He didn’t have a strong need for power until he was a superstar, and then the need arose. Jim was able to have a large impact through his song lyrics, which was what first attracted his fans. He was able to control others because of his fame, status, and good looks. Jim had an influence over others because of his outrageous stunts, which often created a frenzy of activity.

Being in a leadership position and an influential occupation gave Jim the push he needed to come into power. After that point he seemed to have a high need for power. After Jim finds out that the band sold the song “Light My Fire” he says, “It’s not about the money or the records or the success, it’s about using the music to break through.” To me this statement says that Jim wants to have an influence and impact on people. Probably the best example of a time that Jim used his power to influence others is when he is at the concert in Miami. Jim is clearly on drugs at the time, but even so when he says that “Hitler is alive and well in Miami” and other wild things the crowd doesn’t turn against him. Instead, when he taunts the crowd with sexual innuendos and then jumps into the crowd, his fans respond in a riot of excitement.

Jim used aggressiveness and a controlling motivating style, especially with Pam. Our textbook says that “when societal inhibitions are removed, high-power-need men are more aggressive than are their low-power need counterparts” (p. 197). That statement describes Jim’s situation to a T. He threatened Pam on more than one occasion in order to scare her into loving him (they have an abusive relationship to say the least). When they are at Thanksgiving and Pam gets angry and picks up the knife Jim grabs the knife and turns it on her, then gives it back and dares her to kill him. They are in a crowd full of people, yet no one does anything to stop the situation other than trying to pull them apart at first. This kind of aggressive behavior is exacerbated by the fact that Jim drinks excessively.

Because Jim was so comfortable with death he often used this as a way to pressure Pam into behaving the way he wanted her to and to exert his power. One crazy fight involves Pam trying to run away from Jim after he questions how well she knows him. She is crawling across the room, and he is pulling her back. All of a sudden, Jim is on the balcony, threatening to jump and asking Pam, “Will you die for me?”. This scare tactic kept Pam with him and kept Jim in power.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the motivations going on in this movie. I didn’t even attempt to explain the motivations for Jim’s drug addiction, because I don’t think I would have enough time or room. This movie was full of hippies, drugs, and sex, probably just like the time period it was portraying. Honestly I was glad that Jim died in the end, because after dragging out his obsession with death any other ending would have been a disappointment. Though I will never watch this movie again, this did give me the opportunity to utilize what I know about motivation and emotion to hypothesize what motivated some of Jim Morrison’s behavior.

Terms used: Positive reinforcer, reward, autonomy, social needs, power, impact, control, influence, leadership, influential occupation, and controlling motivating style

I got my movie online from amazon.

Over the course of the movie Jim Morrison’s acquired needs, both social and quasi, evolve with his progression as an artist and drug user. His songwriting and vocal competences, in addition to their motivations, ebb and flow according to the interplay and fulfillment of his social needs: achievement, power, affiliation, and intimacy. For the first half of the movie Jim has a high need for achievement, not necessarily to compete with others but to gain mastery. The band’s competence at this time is flourishing as opportunities for achievement are throwing themselves at the very mention of their name; experimental drug use among the band becomes largely individualized and practiced, more or less, by Jim. His need for affiliation is on a downward slope after the fame arrives, as his need for power in all life domains continues to climb in-step with his addictions. Morrison’s need for intimacy appears the most stably achieved throughout, if only on a hedonistic level. Vitality as an artist was often easier to attain than gaining positive emotional experiences through nurturing social bonds.

Morrison’s need for achievement was influenced by his socialization, cognition, and developmental influences. His father was an admiral in the US Navy, deputy chief of operations in Vietnam. He expresses no love for his father stating, "Hatred is an underestimated emotion." Though developmental influences are largely neglected, Jim went to Florida University and moved to California where they were changing the world, “The west is best.” The Vietnam War was a significant cognitive influence in a “world screaming for change”. Recurring imagery of snakes and lakes, wolves and Navajo suffering, shamans and peyote were present throughout. Musical themes explored: love, death, travel, revolt, chaos, disorder, and activities that seem to have no meaning.

“It is about using music to break through; it is not about records, success and desires”; Jim Morrison is intrinsically motivated to create, expressing his dissatisfaction with modern society through poetry, music, and film to a lesser degree (he walked out on his screening during audience feedback). Jim’s band mate Ray was supporting of Jim's autonomy as he worked to strengthen Jim's self-esteem as it related to his singing voice—poking fun at Bob Dylan’s voice and insisting Morrison’s voice was better. In the Doors initial performance, Jim's performance anxieties surfaced as his self-confidence prevented him from facing the audience. His fear of failure gave way almost immediately to positive audience feedback and, shortly thereafter, to a never-ending waiting line of females after his juh-moo-sow.

The lizard king engages in high-risk behavior offstage and possesses a dark and perversely sporadic stage presence. One member complains that he does not do what they rehearse, however, as his confidence skyrockets his ad lib fosters regular FLOW experiences as the band performs. An avid spectator notes that he falls off stage every other performance; what is not to love? Mastery goal: His avant-garde styling was central to all of his artistic endeavors. The band’s competence is further reinforced when “Light My Fire” becomes a number one single after the Doors released their freshman album in only six days.

However, his vulgarity, sometimes mentally deranged lyrics and onstage antics, pushed the envelope; this is precisely what audience members grew to love. The audience was in disbelief as Morrison ended the set with talk of wanting to kill his father and, oppositely, wanting to bang his mother long into the morning hours. Resultantly, the venue owner approached Jim to uncompromisingly inform him there was no room for mother fucking (or mention of it) on his stage. Without blinking, Jim asked the owner what he knew about art. His stage presence appeared unrivaled, yet his looks (quasi-need: leather pants) regularly undermined his artistic insights: “teenage death girls want my dick not my words.”

In the first intimate scene of the movie Morrison asks Pam what turns her on. Pam responds with something like experience, freedom, and love. Conversely, Morrison suggests he is alive confronting death and experiencing pain. At this, Pam states she feels alive when recognizing beauty and seeing truth. He shares some wolf-less poetry with her: this is the beginning of his promiscuousness and what becomes no shortage of bare breastises and butt cheeks throughout.

His fear of interpersonal failure leads to performance-avoidance goals, resulting in maladjusted coping styles for achieving social needs. Morrison’s narcissism and neuroticism are amplified by his drug usage and his increasing need for power. This created internal tension, problems between him and Pam, difficulties for him and Patricia, and declining band relations. He used his power to control relationships and justify operating on his own egotistical terms. Whether he was dancing around the hotel window ledge in a drunken stupor; or, dismembering the duck and successfully scaring off his guests with empty stomachs (granted he had some help from Pam). Even better, as Jim explains his way out of his intimate relationship with Patricia and the various witchcraft rituals (i.e. drinking blood and dancing around a fire) he has joined her in: “Come on Patricia I was stoned, seemed like a fun thing to do at the time”; apparently she is too dark for the self-proclaimed child of the night.

Similarly, creative control over the direction of “his” music is integral to Jim’s identity, regardless of his substance abuse. As success and fame increase his leadership role and aggressiveness respond unabatedly. Before appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, a request that Jim replace ‘higher’ with ‘better’ in “Light My Fire” is made. Jim suggests scrapping the line and inserting “girl you could bite my wire” but Ed and the control room guy do not consider that a reasonable alternative. At any rate when Morrison gets to the line onstage he blatantly and unwaveringly changes nothing.

Along the same lines, Morrison was unwilling to compromise his autonomy in pursuit of tried-and-true industry standards of marketability and sales. As producers are questioning his ability to function creatively under the influence, he responded: “Why don’t you suck a fart out of my ass?” Upon release of the Door’s last album, Jim replied “they got a category for everything we do” as though this was a direct threat to his artistic competence. Though attained goals and desired outcomes characterize the band’s ability to create timeless masterpieces, the same cannot be said for band relations.

The Door’s peak level of affiliation is during their early successes. I would suggest that they are really more intimates than affiliates, yet, their connections are affiliate at best by the end. Tripping out in the desert is the most exemplary of building group cohesiveness. John is having a bad trip and the other members are working to help him remain calm. Jim’s need for power and low affiliation, and low self-control, force him to fall prey to loving the fame and drug dependency. With the fame, his incessant drug “experimentation” begins to eclipse his band relationships, intimate relationships, and his own functioning. One band member addresses Jim’s cognitive dissonance: “You say you love pain but you run from it every chance you get”; Ray adds something to the effect of using drugs to expand the mind not escape life. Embracing his own indubitable death, Morrison’s self-destructive behavior is a means to this end.

Establishing interpersonal contacts was easier for Jim than maintaining them; he was not overly successful in mutually contributing to any of his relationships. His neuroticism, coupled with drug abuse, performance-avoidance goals and poor life skills in intimate relationships was provided an outlet in his music. Yet, his own fame, mainstream acceptance, and what he saw as corporate sell-out by the rest of the band was the culprit for much of his increasing aberrant behavior, his declining interest and effort in creating, his fragile self-concept, underlying motivations and fully realizing the quasi-need to move to Paris. To Jim, drug usage and power over the musical direction of the band and his relationships largely contributed to his search for identity and growth (or lack thereof); He expresses love for being hated after his arrest in violation of state obscenity laws: They see what they want to see.

Having power in a world he felt largely powerless in afforded him the ability to progress as an artist and an addict with minimal resistance from external factors. Has this troubling, haunted genius used music to break through, becoming an effective leader for youth counterculture? Does his perceived greatness live on?

Key terms: social need, quasi need, achievement, affiliation, intimacy, power, competence, FLOW, autonomy, performance-avoidance goals