Kahlil Gibran, the contemporary Syrian poet, describes human behavior as a unitary process in which passion and reason act in tandem – sometimes as coconspirators and at other times as adversaries. Human beings are caught up constantly in the struggle for a blending and reconciliation of these factors, or at least a truce.

In the last chapter we explored the proposition that passion – or put more sedately, motivation – is the by-product of cognitive (rational) processes, and that emotions such as shame and pride depend on the meaning (cognitions) that individuals attach to their successes and failures. The guiding metaphor of this cognitive view is that of the intuitive scientist (Kelley, 1971a) who ceaselessly searches for and analyzes data in order to master himself and his environment. The principal values associated with this quest are rationality, consistency of action, and accurate self-knowledge. Obviously, these attributes are critical to survival. Accurate self-knowledge enables individuals to credit their talents fairly as well as to recognize their shortcomings so they can avoid those tasks that exceed their present skills, yet when possible seize the moment and take advantage of unexpected opportunities that fall within the scope of their abilities. The use of attribution principles to explain achievement motivation has resulted in considerable, even historic, strides in the precision with which researchers have come to think about this topic.