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Try Numerade free for 7 days Continue Try Numerade free for 7 days Try Numerade free for 7 days Continue Try Numerade free for 7 days Try Numerade free for 7 days Continue What is it that motivates us to do the things we do? There are many theories of motivation, one of which focuses on arousal levels. The arousal theory of motivation suggests that people are driven to perform actions in order to maintain an optimum level of physiological arousal. What exactly is the optimal level of motivation? It varies from one individual to the next. Some people may require a higher level of arousal, which might motivate them to seek out exciting and stimulating activities. Other people may do better with much lower arousal levels, so they might feel compelled to seek out soothing and relaxing activities. One of the key assumptions of the arousal theory is that we are motivated to pursue actions that help us maintain an ideal balance. According to the arousal theory of motivation, each person has a unique arousal level that is right for them. When our arousal levels fall outside of these personalized optimal levels, we seek some sort of activity to get them back within our desired ranges. Examples of arousal theory include:
Arousal can be mental (cognitive), emotional (affective), or physical—sometimes referred to as the three parts of arousal theory or the three types of arousal. The American Psychological Association explains that, according to arousal theory, our physical environment can affect our arousal levels through stimulation (such as by being noisy) and by creating stress when psychological or physical needs go unmet. When we become overly aroused, we seek soothing activities that help calm and relax us. If we become bored, we search for more invigorating activities that will energize and arouse us. It's all about striking the right balance, but that balance is unique to each individual. Arousal theory shares some commonalities with drive-reduction theory. But instead of focusing on reducing tension, arousal theory suggests that we are motivated to maintain an ideal level of arousal. There are many factors that can influence each person's optimal arousal levels, including genetics, experience, and current mood. Your arousal preferences, in general, may be specified by your genetic makeup, but environmental factors can also play a role in how you are feeling at any given moment. One person may have very low arousal needs while another individual might require very high levels. Why is arousal theory important? One of the assertions of this theory of motivation is that our levels of arousal can influence our performance. But again, balance is key. Higher arousal levels can sometimes help us perform better, but they can also impair performance if arousal levels are too high. This concept is commonly referred to as the Yerkes-Dodson Law. The law states that increased levels of arousal will improve performance, but only up until the optimum arousal level is reached. At that point, performance begins to suffer as arousal levels increase. Additionally, if you're doing a complex task, high or low levels of arousal will affect you more than if you're doing something simple. Most students have experienced this phenomenon when taking final exams. Increased arousal can lead to better test performance by helping you stay alert, focused, and attentive. But excessive arousal can lead to test anxiety and leave you nervous and unable to concentrate. When arousal levels are very high or very low, performance tends to be worse. A person with low arousal needs might be motivated to pursue simple activities such as crocheting or watching a movie in order to maintain their arousal levels. An individual with high arousal needs, on the other hand, might be motivated to seek risky or thrilling activities such as motorcycle racing or skydiving in order to maintain their ideal levels. If you need to raise your arousal levels, you might:
If you need to lower your arousal levels, you might:
No matter what your arousal needs are, you will be motivated to act in order to maintain these levels. If you need more arousal, you will pursue actions designed to raise those levels. If you need less, you will seek out ways to calm down and relax. By Olivia Guy-Evans, published May 19, 2022 | Fact Checked by Saul Mcleod, PhD Drive-reduction theory is based on the idea that the primary motivation behind all human behaviour is to reduce ‘drives.’ A ‘drive’ is a state of arousal or discomfort which is triggered by a person’s physiological or biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and the need for warmth. According to the theory, when a person’s drive emerges, they will be in an unpleasant state of tension which causes them to behave in such a way that this tension is reduced. To reduce the tension they feel, they will seek out ways to satisfy their biological needs. Drive-reduction theory is based on the concept of homeostasis, which is the idea that the body actively works to maintain a state of balance or equilibrium. According to the theory, as soon as there is an unmet need within the body, a person starts behaving in a manner that allows them to address this need, reduce the drive, and achieve a state of balance. Drive-reduction theory was created by behaviourist Clark Hull and was developed further by his collaborator Kenneth Spence. Hull based his theory on the earlier theories that relate to the concepts of motivation, taking inspiration from prominent scientists such as John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, and Edward Thorndike. Hull’s theory became popular during the 1940s and 1950 as a way to explain behaviour, learning, and motivation. While drive-reduction theory was once a dominant theory in psychology, it is largely ignored today with the development of newer theories. Although it is not a widely accepted theory anymore, it is still useful to understand how earlier researchers sought to explain human motivation. How does drive-reduction theory explain human behaviour?Drive-reduction theory suggests that human behaviour results from wanting to reduce the drives we have. It is thought that there are primary and secondary drives. Primary drives are innate biological needs such as being hungry or thirsty. Whereas secondary drives are those learned through conditioning or association with a primary drive, such as money and social acceptance. In order to minimise the discomfort that is being caused by primary drives such as hunger, someone may go to the shop, purchase food, cook it and then eat it. All these behaviours are caused by the drives according to drive-reduction theory. After the individual’s needs are fulfilled, they then reach homeostasis once again and the drive to fulfil their needs is reduced. What is behaviourism?Behaviourism, also known as behavioural psychology, is the belief that human actions are shaped by environmental stimuli. Drive-reduction theory is founded in behaviourist principles to explain behaviour. The key concepts of behaviourism include arousal, homeostasis, conditioning, and reinforcement. Critical evaluation of drive-reduction theoryWhile drive-reduction theory was well-received in the 1940s and 1950s as an explanation for motivation, it is not as popular in current times. It has been criticised for not being generalisable and for being unable to account for behaviours that do not reduce drive. Some main criticisms of drive-reduction theory include: It ignores the role of secondary reinforcersThe issue with Hull’s theory is that it fails to explain how drive can also be reinforced by secondary drives. For instance, money and social acceptance are secondary drives that are not needed to fulfil our primary biological needs, but money can be used to buy food to survive on and meet our primary needs. Why do we overindulge?Drive-reduction theory does not explain why we may overindulge our primary needs even when they are fulfilled. For instance, eating a three-course meal or having another slice of pizza when already full, or continuing to drink when not particularly thirsty. What about thrill-seeking behaviours?Drive-reduction theory has been criticised for not explaining why humans engage in thrill-seeking behaviours. For example, someone may leave the comfort of their home to go hike up a mountain or bungee jump. These behaviours go against drive-reduction theory’s general ideas as people will purposely seek out behaviours that will take them away from meeting their biological needs or make them uncomfortable. Other behaviours that cannot fully be explained by drive-reduction theory and can be explained by other factors include:
Being aroused is not always positiveDrive-reduction theory is unable to explain why humans fail under high arousal. While excitement or feeling nervous can help someone, there is a point where the anxiety becomes too much and actually prevents someone from performing to a high standard. For instance, someone may become so anxious about completing an examination that they falter under the pressure and do not perform as well as they could do. How has drive-reduction theory impacted our idea of motivation?While it is not favoured in psychology today, drive-reduction theory still influenced other psychologists at the time and helped to contribute to later research. Many of the motivational theories that emerged during the 1950s and 1960s were either based on Hull’s original theory or were focused on providing alternatives to drive-reduction theory. An example of another motivation theory which emerged as an alternative to drive-reduction theory is Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s famous hierarchy explains that while humans are motivated to meet their basic physiological needs, they are also motivated to meet their psychological needs of love, belonging, and self-esteem. Once these have been achieved, the theory states that humans then strive to reach self-fulfilment needs of self-actualisation. Maslow’s theory of motivation thus expands on drive-reduction theory to explain why humans are motivated past their basic needs. A study from 1956 found that while drive-reduction does indeed play a role in motivation, rewards seemed to do more than reduce drives and that incentives have a similar effect to drive-reduction (Seward, 1956). This research paved the way for incentive theory which states that sometimes humans are motivated to do things because of rewards. Incentives or rewards can play a big role when creating a habit or behaviour. If the reward is instantly given after an action is performed, and is repeatedly given in a consistent manner, this will result in the development of a habit. Drive-reduction theory suggests that the more an athlete is aroused, the better their performance will be. This means that a very high arousal level would result in a higher performance, however, this only applies when the athlete is highly skilled in their sport. Experienced athletes tend to perform better under pressure due to their superior skills. If the athletic skill of an athlete is not well-learned, performance is likely to deteriorate under pressure. Often, a beginner's skill level decreases if they are completing a sport using new skills. This does however explain why experienced athletes perform better under pressure. The principles of drive-reduction theory could be applied to education if one considers the need to satisfy curiosity as the drive needed to motivate learners. Hull reduced the art of learning to mere habit formation and its reinforcement. The theory attached sufficient importance to the needs, drives, incentive, reinforcement, and adequate motivation for achieving satisfactory results in the process of teaching and learning. According to drive-reduction theory, organisms seek food when they experience the drive of hunger. Any behaviour that reduces the drive is likely to be repeated by both humans and animals, so this is why they continue to eat. The reduction of the drive by eating serves as a positive reinforcement (i.e., a reward) for the behaviour that caused such drive reduction. Hull created a mathematical ‘formula’ to explain his theory of human behaviour, which is as follows: sEr = V x D x K x J x sHr - sIr - Ir - sOr - sLr
Hull was criticised for having an overly complex formula. It may be easier to consider the drive-reduction theory in 2 simpler parts:
Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. This article has been fact checked by Saul Mcleod, PhD, a qualified psychology teacher with over 17 years' experience of working in further and higher education. He has been published in psychology journals including Clinical Psychology, Social and Personal Relationships, and Social Psychology. Guy-Evans, O. (2022, May 19). Drive-Reduction Theory and Human Behavior. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/drive-reduction-theory.html Hull, C. L. (1943). Principles of behavior: An introduction to behavior theory. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Hull, C. L. (1952). A behavior system; an introduction to behavior theory concerning the individual organism. Pavlov, I. P. (1897). The work of the digestive glands. London: Griffin. Seward, J. P. (1956). Drive, incentive, and reinforcement. Psychological Review, 63(3), 195. Watson, J. B. (1913). Psychology as the behaviorist views it. Psychological Review, 20, 158-178. Watson, J. B. (1930). Behaviorism (revised edition). University of Chicago Press. Home About Privacy Policy Contact Us Which theory explains that physiological needs create an aroused?The arousal theory of motivation suggests that people are driven to perform actions in order to maintain an optimum level of physiological arousal.
What is psychological arousal theory?The arousal theory of motivation states that people are motivated to seek out activities or situations that maintain or increase their level of arousal. Arousal can be thought of as a continuum, with low levels of arousal being associated with boredom and high levels of arousal being associated with anxiety.
Which theory of motivation would explain why when we are cold our body shivers in an attempt to get warm?Role of Homeostasis in Drive Reduction Theory
Homeostasis is the tendency toward equilibrium. There are many examples of homeostasis in the body. For example, when a person is cold and they shiver, it is the biological response of trying to warm the body.
What is a physiological state that triggers a state of motivation called?an aroused, motivated state that is often triggered by a physiological need is called. drive.
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Is a theory in which a physiological need creates an aroused state that motivates us to satisfy that need?
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