metamotivational state

A mental condition in which one of a number of basic psychological motives is experienced and structures mental life around itself for the period that it is active. Such a state is called metamotivational because it leads to other motivational variables (such as arousal) or biological motives (e.g. hunger) being interpreted in a particular way. According to the reversal theory, motivational states exist as opposite pairs (e.g. excitement seeking and anxiety avoiding) with only one of the pair operating at a time.